Breaking Ground newsletter: Margaritaville and Sunseeker, two massive SWFL projects on different paths

Two projects with a lot of hope. Two projects that would reshape their destinations. Two projects at present with opposite outlooks.

When Allegiant Travel begin building its resort on Charlotte Harbor in 2019, proposals for the more recognizable Margaritaville complex over on Fort Myers Beach had been mired in bureaucratic goo and legal challenges for at least four years.

Fortunes have flipped, for the moment. Today, an abandoned Sunseeker shell and its half-dozen towering cranes literally sit dead on the water while the winds are blowing in the right direction for the Son of a Son of a Sailor.

Now, a more confident TPI Hospitality has provided a completion date to In the Know, with construction set to begin on the Jimmy Buffett-inspired retreat by the time at least some of the snowbirds embark on their northern flight.

In Charlotte County, an airline company's attempt to diversify remains grounded, with no itinerary for when, or if, it will ever take off again.

The billions keep rolling into Collier

It looked pretty clear that 2020 was a banner year for Collier County real estate.

The only question was how much.

New numbers from the Naples Area Board of Realtors put it at $18.2 billion in residential sales.

And many of these deals simply involved cash exchanges, not loans.

More growth and development news

» As the two counties continue to grow together, Lee keeps working to add southern bike trails and looks at ways with connecting to Collier.

» Your options for apartment living keep expanding. A new 319-unit complex is in the works in a prime Southwest Florida location, according to writer David Dorsey.

» Want to help local small businesses get back on their feet and start building up again? Here's one way.

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