- February 14, 2025
Development is underway for a mixed-use community on 1,175 acres in west Bradenton that previously operated as a flower farm. Called SeaFlower, it will encompass 4,000 homes as well as apartments, hotel rooms and commercial space at full buildout.
To educate future homeowners about what it will offer, the community has now opened a preview center providing a sneak peek.
The preview center is across Cortez Road from SeaFlower, which was named due to the land’s history as a flower farm for more than 80 years and its location near Sarasota Bay. At the preview center, visitors can speak with SeaFlower’s community relations managers to learn about builders, home styles, amenities and the neighborhood.
“We’re looking forward to introducing SeaFlower to potential future residents who may one day call this amazing community and location home,” says Edward Hill, a principal with Lake Flores Land Co., which is developing the property with investment partner LAMB Properties.
The initial phase of development will include more than 1,000 homes as well as 600 apartments on 400 acres south of Cortez Road and west of 75th Street.
Offerings range from cottages to spacious family residences, from builders Cardel Homes, David Weekley Homes, Issa Homes, M/I Homes and Pulte Homes. Styles include coastal, Craftsman, West Indies and transitional farmhouse designs as well as townhouses and villas.
At the heart of the first phase of development is a body of water called Lake Flores, which will be accompanied by a lakeside park and resident-only amenity campus called the Garden Club with a pool, fitness center, meeting hall, pickleball courts, event lawn and children’s play area.
A 2.5-mile trail for pedestrians, cyclists and golf carts will connect the amenity center area with a nature preserve and dog park as well as the nearby SeaFlower Village Center, anchored by a 50,000-square-foot Publix and Publix Liquors. More retail and dining tenants will be added to the shopping center, providing the sense of a Main Street, developers say.
Plans for the mixed-use SeaFlower development call for 250 hotel rooms and a total of 350,000 square feet of office or retail space when complete.
SeaFlower has been in the works for more than a decade; in 2014, the Business Observer reported that the project was being reviewed by Manatee County planners.
Currently, three models are under construction by Pulte Homes, while other builder models are in the permitting stage. The first SeaFlower residents are expected to move in by late 2025.
The SeaFlower preview center is at 8114 Cortez Rd. W. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. People can drop in or schedule an appointment by calling 941-212-0801 or 800-841-4666.