Ever since Jimmy Buffett‘s inexplicably colossal 1977 hit “Margaritaville” glamorized the idea of wiling away your days in sun, sand, and gallons of frozen drinks, the song’s many fans have pined to live the lifestyle—and Buffett delivered.
First came the thousands of expensive arena concerts across the U.S. Then came a full line of Margaritaville apparel. In 1985, Buffett’s company, Margaritaville Holdings, opened the first Margaritaville restaurant in Key West, FL. Now, there are 30 worldwide—along with 10 same-named resorts.
Apparently, it’s never quite enough—plenty of those Parrotheads didn’t want to go home at closing time. And soon they’ll be able to live in “paradise” permanently by purchasing a home in the first-ever Margaritaville-themed residential community in Daytona Beach, FL.
It seems that Buffett has been closely tracking the name-licensing residential property success of the 45th president of the United States.
Called Latitude Margaritaville, this beachfront resort for residents age 55 and up has broken ground and is set to open in January 2018, offering 6,900 single-family homes ranging in price from the low $200,000s to mid-$300,000s.
According to the company, the community will feature a gym, pool, spa, golf courses, an amphitheater for live entertainment—and, of course, plenty of “signature Margaritaville food and beverage concepts.”
In other words, the blenders will be buzzing 24/7 to pour on that “frozen concoction that helps me hang on”!
The news of the development has generated over 10,000 inquiries, the company says.
And Buffett’s elderly fan boys and girls are excitedly squawking on their own sites as well.
“People have said for years that someone needs to build a Parrot Head retirement community,” says Kathy Pfister, president of the Parrot Heads fan club in Paradise with 25,000 members. “This way we can continue to party with each other into our golden years!”
It’s just the latest wrinkle (get it?) in the burgeoning new-look boomer retirement community business. The days of endless shuffleboard, bingo, and 16-hour stretches of communal TV watching are giving way to more active lifestyles
But not all experts are convinced this particular resort concept will stand the test of time.
“I see the appeal, but I think it has a good chance of wearing out quickly,” warns Robert L. Tankel, a real estate attorney in Florida. “Boomer stoners, ‘all Jimmy all the time’ … I understand how a resort on the ocean could have appeal because you only stay a day or a week. But a permanent home? Sounds like Hotel California—you can check in any time you like, but you can never leave.”
“It’s cheesy and relegates us boomers to living in the past,” agrees David Schneider, owner of Schneider Kennedy Design, a building company in St. Louis. “A bar by this name at a resort or in a community is OK. Nostalgia is fine, but not in this application.”
Still, even if it does cross the line to cheesy sometimes, it may still appeal to some seniors who crave a little more action than typical senior communities can provide.
“Historically, senior housing communities here have done well,” says George Mueller Jr. with the Mueller Development Group in Florida. “If you are going to attract this group, it would appear that Florida would be the right spot. And, if Buffett can deliver on what these folks are expecting from eating ‘Cheeseburgers in Paradise,’ then it will probably be another one of Buffett’s successful ventures.”
Time will tell. In the meantime, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere, right?
