JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Developers have broken ground on a site in Jacksonville Beach that will become home to a new Margaritaville Resort in the next couple years.
A building permit has already been issued and construction began Monday at the site, which is located along 1st Street North between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue. Crews are working to clear what remains of an old hotel to make room for the resort.
Eventually, construction equipment will be replaced by an eight-story resort, complete with 200-plus rooms, a parking garage, pool and restaurant. The resort is an exception to a city ordinance, which forbids new buildings that reach higher than three stories.
Resident Gertrude Stein told News4Jax she’s glad to hear the vacant lot will soon be filled. “I’m very happy that they’re building something there. Jacksonville Beach seems to be growing leaps and bounds. … (If) you build it, they will come,” she said.
Currently, the public boardwalk ends at 6th Avenue. But city officials say that will change once the project is complete, noting that the boardwalk will likely extend to 7th Avenue. Officials anticipate construction will wrap up in about two years.