Latitude Margaritaville Watersound

Latitude Margaritaville Watersound is a large-scale gated 55+ community developed by Minto Communities USA in partnership with Margaritaville Holdings and The St. Joe Company, set on Florida's Emerald Coast just off the Scenic Highway 30A corridor between Panama City Beach and Destin. The initial phase is planned for approximately 3,500 homes, with roughly 2,200 contracted since sales launched in 2021 and construction ongoing across multiple villages. Inspired by the music and lifestyle of Jimmy Buffett, the community delivers an island-themed, golf-cart-centric lifestyle where fun, music, and escapism are the organizing principles. The heart of the community is Latitude Town Square, anchored by the Latitude Bar & Chill restaurant with a second-floor Overlook Bar offering panoramic views of the Intracoastal Waterway. The Town Square bandshell hosts live music and concerts, and the new Workin' N' Playin' Center complex features the Last Mango Theater — a full immersive theater for movies, shows, and concerts with a large screen and concession stand. Creative residents gather at the Clayground Pottery Studio, the Arts & Crafts Room, and the Hangar Workshop for woodworking and golf-cart customization projects. Fitness and recreation center on the FINs Up! Fitness Center, with indoor lap pool and spa, full workout equipment, a dedicated spin room, and a robust schedule of classes including water aerobics, yoga, spin, and Zumba. Outdoor amenities include the lagoon-shaped Paradise Pool with beach entry, cabanas, tiki huts, and a poolside bar; lighted tennis and pickleball courts; bocce ball; cornhole; a putting green; and a games lawn. The Port of Indecision kayak launch provides direct access to the Intracoastal Waterway, and the Barkaritaville Dog Park and Barkaritaville Pet Spa cater to four-legged residents. A Coconut Telegraph Business Center offers workstations and a boardroom for those still working part-time. Homes come in five distinct collections: Conch Cottage Collection (attached cottages from 1,210 to 1,481 sq ft), Caribbean Villas Collection (attached villas from 1,507 to 1,865 sq ft), Beach Collection single-family (1,685 to 2,393 sq ft), Island Collection single-family, and the exclusive Vista Collection of luxury two-story homes overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. Floor plans range from 1,210 to over 4,000 sq ft, and all homes feature an island-inspired coastal design with pastel exteriors, metal roof accents, and covered lanais. Lifestyle programming is run by full-time activity directors (the "Directors of Fun"), with active clubs including Beach Club, Book Club, Bowling, Bunco, Car Club, Casino, Clay Club, Coffee Club, Ballroom Dancing, and Aerobics. Location is a major draw. The community sits within St. Joe's 110,500-acre Bay-Walton Sector Plan with roughly 15 miles of Intracoastal Waterway frontage, and St. Joe is developing both a future full-service public marina and a commercial village adjacent to the community that will include a planned Publix. A new FSU/TMH medical campus sits about six miles away, already offering urgent care, primary care, cardiology, pulmonary, and outpatient surgery through Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, with a future acute-care teaching hospital planned by Florida State University. Panama City Beach is about 15 minutes south, Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) is about 15 minutes east, and the 30A beach towns of Rosemary Beach, Seaside, and WaterColor are a short drive to the east.