SARASOTA, FL, APRIL 29, 2024 – Forestar Group Inc. (“Forestar”), one of the largest single-family community developers in the nation, celebrated the phase one opening of The Resort Club, the first amenity campus for Star Farms at Lakewood Ranch. The Resort Club grand opening was held on Saturday, April 13, 2024. Star Farms homeowners enjoyed new amenities, food, refreshments and each other.

The social hub of Star Farms, The Resort Club is an innovative, amenity-rich campus including a hospitality-staffed clubhouse, where members explore interests, stay active and connect with friends. The first phase features a resort-style pool and spa, poolside cabanas and beach areas, pet park, Trade Route Coffee Shop, Star Fit Wellness Complex – Fitness and Performance Centers, community lawn, courtyard and golf cart parking. A poolside bar and grill, outdoor activities area, event center, The Terrace – Chef’s Patio and a mail kiosk are planned for future phases. Upon completion, Star Farms will offer four resort campuses: The Resort Club, Junction Place, Adventure Retreat and Cabana Corner, in addition to greenways and trails.

“We are pleased to share a touch of hospitality with our residents and guests in our new bakery and coffee kitchen along with the fitness programs and resort-style pool,” said Tony Squitieri, Forestar Region Vice President and West Florida Region Division President. “Filled with local partnerships for goods and services, our residents enjoy our attention to detail, unique amenities and special touches.”

Surrounded by the natural beauty of Southwest Florida, Star Farms at Lakewood Ranch is a multigenerational lifestyle community that offers a unique experience tailored to residents. The thoughtfully designed, 700-acre, gated village is a resort ranch hometown featuring 1,500 single-family homes, paired villa retreats and townhomes with a variety of amenities, clubs and hospitality services. Positioned within the award-winning master-planned community of Lakewood Ranch, Star Farms is minutes from dining, shopping and cultural activities as well as top-rated beaches.

“Star Farms has done a masterful job of integrating amenities that promote wellness, social interaction, and relaxation in a hometown environment,” said Laura Cole,  Senior Vice President of LWR Communities. “They epitomize the ‘live your best life’ ethos for residents of all ages.”

Whether exploring new adventures, discovering new passions, meeting new neighbors or finding new ways to connect with nature, Star Farms is an extraordinary place to call home.

Visit www.starfarmslwr.com and join the VIP Club for the latest information.

About Lakewood Ranch

Lakewood Ranch is the 33,000+-acre award-winning master-planned community in Sarasota and Manatee counties on the West Coast of Florida. Just minutes from the Gulf Coast beaches and cultural assets in Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch is already home to more than 67,000 residents and features top-rated schools, the Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, the Sarasota Polo Club, the 75-acre Premier Sports Campus, three town centers, and countless shopping and dining experiences. For more information visit www.lakewoodranch.com.

About Forestar Group Inc.

Forestar Group Inc. is a residential lot development company with operations in 57 markets and 23 states. Based in Arlington, Texas, the Company delivered more than 15,200 residential lots during the twelve-month period ended March 31, 2024. Forestar is a majority-owned subsidiary of D.R. Horton, Inc., the largest homebuilder by volume in the United States since 2002. For more information, visit www.forestar.com.

Community pricing, features, terms, availability and amenities are subject to change at any time without notice or obligation. 

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Lakewood Ranch accounts for a quarter of all new home construction in Sarasota-Manatee

Derek Gilliam

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Lakewood Ranch has never had construction start on more homes in a 12-month period than the year ending this spring, with the developer of the master-planned community reporting 2,638 housing starts through March.

That was a 55% increase over the comparable period a year earlier and represented one-fourth of all housing starts in Sarasota and Manatee counties, Lakewood Ranch said in a news release.

Laura Cole, senior vice president at Lakewood Ranch, said that before COVID-19 the Sarasota-Manatee area was overlooked and undervalued as a primary home location.

“The pandemic blew the doors off that notion and accelerated relocations to our area from across the U.S,” she said.

Data from Zonda, a national housing research firm, shows North Port-Sarasota-Manatee statistical metropolitan area had 6,982 home starts in 2020. That increased to 10,622 in 2021.

Quarterly data from Zonda for more than 40 metropolitan areas in the U.S. shows the Sarasota-Bradenton area tops in housing starts growth year-over-year, “and now ranks in the top 20 markets nationally in terms of total annual housing starts,” the news release from LWR Communities LLC stated.

So far this year, home starts are up 46% for the metro area as a residential building boom continues throughout the area, said Kristine Smale, a senior vice president at Zonda.

Smale said Lakewood Ranch had positioned itself well to capitalize on the drastic swing in migration seen over the past two years by providing a wide range of homes attractive to retirees as well as people starting families.

“The Sarasota region’s desirable quality of life coupled with highly-ranked schools and a growing job market combine to offer a compelling location for households in all life stages, including young professionals, growing families, empty nesters and retirees,” Smale said.

Lakewood Ranch’s housing starts were “more than triple the new home production volume of runner-up Wellen Park” in North Port, the news release stated.

The master-planned community that stretches across southern Manatee County into northern Sarasota has been named the best selling master-planned community for all ages several years in a row.

Last year, it was the second fastest selling master-planned community in the country behind the age-restricted The Villages in Central Florida.

Lakewood Ranch said 16 builders are operating in the development.

“People are chasing a better quality of life in Florida and looking for a community that delivers a cohesive living experience today,” Cole said. “We are constantly working on how best to accommodate our current and future residents’ interests, needs, and lifestyles.”

Lakewood Ranch’s Dick Vitale to receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance

Over the last seven months, the 82-year-old has been successfully treated for melanoma, lymphoma, and underwent vocal cord surgery

Doug Fernandes

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Lakewood Ranch resident and ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at The 2022 ESPYS, to be broadcast live on July 20 at 8 p.m. on ABC.

The award, named after the late Jimmy Valvanvo, is given to a deserving member of the sporting world who has overcome great obstacles through perseverance and determination. Over the last seven months, the 82-year-old has been successfully treated for melanoma, lymphoma, and underwent vocal cord surgery.

“When I received the call from Jimmy Pitaro (ESPN president) about receiving this award, I was absolutely blown away,” Vitale said. “I remember that day almost 30 years ago, when I stood on the stage at the first ESPYS, introduced Jimmy V and witnessed him give that incredible speech we all remember. I reflected on his speech many times during my seven-month battle — ‘don’t give up, don’t ever give up’ — and I remembered my mother and father, who taught me never to believe in ‘can’t.’

“Jimmy V was special and his legacy lives on. I am so grateful to receive this tremendous award in his honor.”

The Jimmy V Award was first handed out at the 2007 ESPYS. The show brings attention to the V Foundation for Cancer Research, named for Valvano, who appeared on the first ESPYS in 1993 and died less than two months later of cancer at age 47.

The 17th Annual Dick Vitale Gala raised a record $11.1 million for pediatric cancer research. It brought the total raised over the 17 galas to nearly $55 million.

For its desirability, quality of life and cost of living, Sarasota was named one of the best places to live in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

The annual rankings, released this week by the media company, put Sarasota at No. 9 on a list of the 150 best places to live in the country, making it the only Florida city to land in the top 10. 

U.S. News & World Report describes Sarasota as having “a distinct vibe that’s different from Florida’s relative coastal cities, with its own vibrant arts scene, beachy atmosphere, and burgeoning food culture.”

“This metro area of just over 800,000 people has a renowned opera house, a number of rooftop bars and the popular beach of Siesta Key,” the magazine wrote. “What makes the region special is its duality – downtown Sarasota boasts resorts and fine dining, but strolling Siesta Key Village or St. Armands Circle offers a more intimate, seaside ambience.”

The rankings are determined based on several factors developed by the media company – quality of life; job market; desirability, which asks if people want to move to a place; net migration, which determines if people are actually already moving somewhere and value, which includes cost of living. 

Home affordability and quality of life were also more important than ever this year in the rankings because of the voracity of the national housing market, according to U.S. News. 

That did have some impact on the ratings overall, moving Huntsville, Alabama, from No. 3 to No. 1 on the list, despite it having a lower desirability ranking on the lower side of the 150 places ranked. 

Despite Sarasota’s skyrocketing housing costs, it stayed in the same spot – ninth place – as last year.

Other Florida cities on the list included Naples (No. 12), Melbourne (No. 20), Jacksonville (No. 24), Tampa (No. 39), Pensacola (No. 44), Daytona Beach (No. 68), Port St. Lucie (No. 78), Ocala (No. 91), Fort Myers (No. 100), Tallahassee (No. 110), Lakeland (No. 113), Orlando (No. 118) and Miami (No. 137).

Just last month, Sarasota was also ranked by the magazine as the No. 1 place to retire in the U.S. for the second year in a row. It’s also the third fastest-growing place in the country, according to the magazine. 

Laura Finaldi

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

We’re Here for you!

Whether online or in person, the Lakewood Ranch Information Center is here to help you on your home search. Here are all the ways you can connect with us.

Virtual Appointments

Our Community Specialists can now give you the same presentation online that they would give you at the Information Center, tailored to your interests and questions. We’ll even email model passes and a customized route to you so you can go straight to the villages you’d like to visit.

Schedule Today

Onsite Appointments

If you would like to visit in person, our Information Center is also open. Appointments are strongly recommended as we will be limiting the number of people allowed inside for everyone’s safety. Drop-ins are welcome, but please be aware that there will likely be a wait outside until we can accommodate you.

Important information

• Please be sure you have a mask, as it will be required for entry.
• Parking is located behind the building, as most of Main Street has been turned into a pedestrian walkway to allow more seating capacity for our restaurants.

Schedule Today

Available Daily:

Monday-Saturday 10:00am to 5:30pm, Sunday 12:00pm to 5:00pm

Lakewood Ranch Information Center on Main Street:

8131 Lakewood Main Street

Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202

800-307-2624

Info@LakewoodRanch.com

April 2, 2020
Dear Lakewood Ranch Residents and Visitors,

As we continue to follow state guidelines to safeguard the health and wellness of
the Lakewood Ranch community, we will temporarily be closing our Information
Center on Main Street through April 30, 2020.

However, we are still available by phone or online to answer any questions you
have about living at Lakewood Ranch and to help you with your new home search.

Please reach out to our team of Community Specialists at 941-907-6000, by email
at info@lakewoodranch.com or via chat on our website.

We wish you health and safety in this challenging time, and we’ll continue to
update you about any changes to our operations.

Sincerely,
Lakewood Ranch