- December 16, 2024
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Developers broke ground Friday on a 4-acre lagoon in Parrish that will establish the first “lagoon community” in Manatee County.
Seaire is being created by Metro Development Group, a Tampa-based land development company with a portfolio worth more than $4 billion that has made lagoons its signature feature. In addition to starting construction on the lagoon, developers, at the Nov. 15 ceremonial groundbreaking, shared plans to add commercial offerings adjacent to the community, off Moccasin Wallow Road.
“This is our first foray into Manatee County,” Lisa Gibbings, vice president of marketing and communications for Metro Development Group says. "Our lagoons have redefined what it means to live in a master-planned community across Florida."
With its beach-inspired lagoon at the heart of the development, Seaire will offer a “lagoon-centered lifestyle” that makes living there feel like a “vacation every single day,” Gibbings says.
Seaire's lagoon will be available to residents with a membership and to the public for a daily $10 to $40 fee depending on the time of year. Designed to be a hub for the community, it will feature a swim-up bar as well as TVs, a central lawn and covered spaces. A 100-member staff will tend to the lagoon, from servers to lifeguards, and events like fitness classes and trivia will be planned there nearly daily. Rentals will be available for everything from cabanas to corporate parties.
Seaire marks the fifth lagoon community for Metro Development Group on the west coast of Florida. Others include:
The lagoon in Parrish is expected to open by the end of 2025, according to Gibbings. Until then, residents will be given $5 admission to the Southshore Bay lagoon so they can experience "lagoon living" as soon as they arrive.
Once built out, Seaire will also contain 3,000 homes, including townhouses, single-family homes and estate homes.
“There will be something for everyone in this community,” Gibbings says, from first-time home buyers “all the way up to retirement.”
Seaire recently welcomed its first residents to the community tucked off Moccasin Wallow Road, and several more closings are scheduled before the end of the year, according to Metro Development Group’s Realtor Liaison Julie Kremner.
“People are looking for the fresh and new,” Kremner tells the Business Observer, indicating the preference for new construction. Builders at Seaire include D.R. Horton, DRB Homes, Dream Finders Homes, Lennar Homes, Perry Homes and Pulte Homes.
“This is going to be the magical place to live in this area,” Kremner says, noting buyers are moving from Hillsborough and Pinellas counties into Manatee as well as within Manatee County to live there.
Green spaces, trails, workout areas, shaded structures and play areas will be built into the 640-acre community. To allow for connectivity, there is also a tunnel under Carter Road that will lead to commercial amenities so residents will not have to drive.
"We are...very excited to announce our commitment to bringing top-tier commercial options, and we know that the right mix of dining, retail and services and will play a vital role in making our community truly vibrant," Gibbings says at the groundbreaking.
One partner is commercial developer and property manager Casto, which recently created Center Point at Waterside in Lakewood Ranch and was responsible for developing Midtown Tampa.
Massimo Rastrelli, Casto's senior development manager for the Southeast, says a few years ago his company purchased 28 acres that was previously farmland near Seaire. By the end of the year, he says some of the outparcels may begin development, though the schedule has been pushed back to due the hurricanes.
“We have been able to use the lagoon” to attract retailers, Rastrelli says.
While it is too early to reveal any names, Rastrelli says restaurants, a grocer and health offices will be part of the coming commercial offerings.
