Gulf Coast MPCs sales soared last year

Two Gulf Coast master-planned communities were tops in the nation in sales last year, and a third Florida community posted the best numbers in the U.S.

Both Lakewood Ranch and the West Villages, in southern Sarasota County, ranked in the Top 5 on an annual list compiled by John Burns Real Estate Consulting.

Lakewood Ranch, the 31,000-acre community straddling Sarasota and Manatee counties being developed by Schroeder-Manatee Ranch Inc., sold 1,206 net homes in 2017, while the West Villages Partnership's community notched 992 sales, Burns reports.

Another Florida development in the middle of the state, The Villages, ranked first among the 50 largest communities by sales. In all, The Villages had 2,231 sales last year, according to Burns' data.