Latitude Margaritaville Daytona Retirement Guide

That video is a short preview of the full 34-minute commercial-free video that my Florida Retirement Insider members get access to. You can learn more about that here.

Minto Communities and Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville brand made waves in 2017 when they first announced Latitude Margaritaville, a new 55+ retirement community in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Making the announcement, Margaritaville CEO John Cohan said,

“With Minto’s expertise in creating master-planned developments and Margaritaville’s inherent ability to deliver fun and escapism, Latitude Margaritaville has the exact coordinates for those looking to live the Margaritaville lifestyle as they grow older, but not up.”

Because this is such a unique community, we thought it'd be fun to take a unique approach to this review in the form of an A to Z guide.

Before we begin, I've teamed up with a real estate agent that actually lives in Latitude Margaritaville to provide you with the most up-to-date information. You can connect with her here.

Ok, let's get started!

Amenities

Most of the amenities are located at the Latitude Margaritaville Town Center and include:

• Fins Up Fitness Center – Includes a fully outfitted gym / Spin Room, aerobics room with virtual personal trainer, indoor whirlpool spa and lap pool
• Latitude Town Square – This is where you'll find the Bandshell with live music, which so far has been played by Mac McAnally and others.
• The Last Mango Theater includes a banquet hall with stage for performances and dancing
• The Workin’ N’ Playin’ Center houses The Hanger workshop, Barkaritaville Pet Spa, Coconut Telegraph Business Center, and multipurpose, arts, crafts, cards and meeting rooms
• Latitude Bar & Chill Restaurant
• Changes in Attitude Bar
• Paradise Pool with beach entry, cabanas, and tiki huts

Beach Club

Latitude Margaritaville also features a private beachfront club with breathtaking views and beachfront amenities on the Atlantic Ocean, which residents can access via a continuous loop shuttle service.

You can learn more about it here.

One of the biggest hassles for people who live in the Daytona Beach area but not directly on the beach is you have to pack up your car with your coolers, your beach chairs, your umbrella, and drive yourself over to the beach, fighting traffic along the way, find parking, unpack all that stuff, and then you can finally “relax”, but in the back of your mind knowing that in just a few hours you’re going to have to pack it all back up again and head home.

Latitude Margaritaville residents don’t have those problems.

Just hop on the beach club shuttle bus, and in 19 minutes you’re enjoying the beach at your own private beach club.

Beach chair and umbrella? Check.

Want to take a dip in the pool? Check.

Need to use the restroom? Check.

I get emails all the time saying, “Give me a 55+ community on or near the beach.”

Well, this is the next best thing, and you don’t have to pay beachside real estate or insurance prices to get there either!

Community Plan

The original plan for Latitude Margaritaville called for approximately 3,000 homes to be built, but the developer had an option on more land that would have essentially doubled the size to around 6,000 homes.

Unfortunately, in early 2019 the developer terminated its agreement to buy that additional land, and it has since been picked up by an Orlando-based developer.

Still though, at around 3,000 homes when complete, it will be one of the largest master-planned communities ever built in the Volusia-Flagler area, certainly the biggest 55+ community in the area, and some people are already taking to calling it “The Villages East”.

Daytona Beach

Latitude Margaritaville is located in Daytona Beach, FL just off I-95 at Exit 265.

With a lot of new communities, you sometimes have to wait years before you see adequate commercial development in the area. In the case of Latitude Margaritaville, there are already plenty of restaurants, shopping, and other amenities already in place within just a few miles drive.

Within just a few miles you’ve got restaurants like Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Outback Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, Cheddar’s, Olive Garden, and some great local choices like Houligan’s, Stonewood Grill, and so much more.

Shopping-wise, you've got Tanger Outlets, One Daytona, and the main mall here, the Volusia Mall.

Also, less than 5 miles away are Daytona International Speedway and my favorite airport in Florida, Daytona Beach International Airport.

Floor Plans

Latitude Margaritaville has 13 furnished models open daily, and they currently offer a total of 19 different floor plans to choose from, starting in the $300k's.

The floorplans are divided into 4 different collections.

The smallest and least expensive homes available in Latitude Margaritaville are The Conch Cottages, which range in size from 1,204 to 1,466sq. ft. of living area.

The Caribbean Collection includes villas (attached homes) ranging in size from 1,503 a/c sq. ft. to 1,862 a/c sq. ft.

The Beach Collection includes single-family homes ranging in size from 1,684 a/c sq. ft. to 2,392 a/c sq. ft.

Last but not least, the Island Collection features even bigger single-family homes, ranging in size from 2,310 a/c sq. ft. to 2,564 a/c sq. ft.

Golf and Golf Carts

Latitude Margaritaville is a golf cart friendly community, and you can drive your cart to anywhere you want in the community, and even to Publix and other stores.

Local golf cart dealers include Paradise Power Sports, Gulf Atlantic Vehicles and Tee Time Golf Cars.

If you are a golfer bummed out that Latitude Margaritaville does not have a golf course, don't fret. There's a couple right down the street.

One of Latitude Margaritaville's closest neighbors is LPGA International, a community with 36 holes of golf, a world-class practice facility, a Rees Jones designed 3-hole championship practice course, short game areas and putting greens. 

Other courses within a 10-30 minutes drive away include Pelican Bay Golf Club, Crane Lakes Golf & Country Club, Cypress Head Golf Club, Daytona Beach Golf Club, DeBary Golf & Country Club, Halifax Plantation Golf Club, Indigo Lakes Golf Club, New Smyrna Beach Municipal, River Bend Golf Club, Riviera Country Club, Spruce Creek Country Club, Tomoka Oaks Golf & Country Club, Turnbull Bay Golf Club, Venetian Bay Golf Club, Victoria Hills Golf Club and more.

So bottom line, if you're into golf, you're surrounded by some great options here.

HOA Dues

The current HOA fees at Latitude Margaritaville range from $287/month to $327/month, depending on home style/size.

Your dues include all use of the amenities at Latitude Margaritaville, all lawn care/maintenance (including water for irrigation), security/guard gate, and if you go with a villa, it includes funding reserves for roof replacement and exterior painting.

Jimmy Buffett

Did you think the “J” on this list could stand for anything else?

Yes, Jimmy Buffett has not only visited Latitude Margaritaville on a number of occasions to check on progress, but he also owns a home there, and even started knocking on neighbor's doors one day to introduce himself!

Latitude Bar & Chill Restaurant

Latitude Bar & Chill is Latitude Margaritaville's signature restaurant, and it is open serving a full menu Sunday through Wednesday from 11:00AM-7:00PM and Thursday through Saturday 11:00AM – 9:00PM.

This is Margaritaville after all, so there's Happy Hour from 4:00PM-6:00PM everyday.

Minto Communities

Not a lot of people outside real estate development circles had heard of Canadian developer Minto Communities before they announced this partnership, but they're definitely on the map now.

They have been active though in Florida real estate development for a number of years, building in communities like Sun City Center, Tradition, and more.

Ormond Beach

While most people are focused on the fact that Latitude Margaritaville is in Daytona Beach, one nice thing that I think most residents will enjoy is Latitude's proximity to Ormond Beach, which is just north of the community.

Ormond Beach is a great place to live and play, and history buffs will be interested to learn that it was the longtime winter home of John D. Rockefeller.

Latitude Margaritaville's Beach Club is actually in Ormond Beach as well.

Publix

The “P” on this list stands for Publix, which opened store #1664 at Latitude Landings Shopping Center on November 7, 2019 making your next Pub Sub just a short golf cart ride away.

Rentals

There are homes available for rent in Latitude Margaritaville.

Some people have bought homes in Latitude Margaritaville to rent them out until they decide to retire and move down to Florida, while others use them part-time as snowbirds and rent them out the months that they are not here.

From what I've seen, monthly rental prices range from about $2,500 per month to about $5,000 a month depending on size and location.

I work closely with a Realtor who lives in Latitude Margaritaville and manages several rentals in the community. You can get in touch with her here.

Tennis

While golf gets snubbed, tennis players will be glad to hear that Latitude Margaritaville does have tennis courts as well as pickleball courts.

But you also might be interested in learning that the Florida Tennis Center, with 24 clay courts (20 of which are lit for night play) is just a little over two miles away.

Watersound

The second Latitude Margaritaville community in Florida is being developed in the Florida Panhandle along the Gulf Coast in a town called Watersound.

If you are interested in this part of the state, you should read my guide to Latitude Margaritaville Watersound.

Zev Cohen

Most people probably don't care who provided the planning, landscape, environmental and civil design services for many aspects of Latitude Margaritaville but hey, we needed a “Z” and that's exactly what Zev Cohen & Associates provided.

Zev Cohen has been involved in the planning and design of many Florida communities since the company's start back in the 1970's.

Final Thoughts

There you have it. An A to Z guide to one of the most interesting communities being developed in Florida today.

If you'd like more information about Latitude Margaritaville, I'd be happy to refer you to an agent who not only works there, but also lives there.

You can get in touch right here: