IMG Academy moving forward with expansion

IMG Academy is moving forward with plans to build a hotel adjacent to its property at the corner of 53rd Avenue West and Bollettieri Boulevard, according to public records.

On Sept. 7, Whiting Preston’s company Lake Flores East LLC sold nearly 19 acres of land to IMG Academy LLC for $892,500 with an additional $371,250 mortgaged. Approximately 8 acres of the land will be used for a hotel and the rest will be used for athletic fields, including “related infrastructure” such as restroom facilities, concession stands, storage buildings and maintenance buildings.

“We acquired an additional parcel of land adjacent to our west campus from the Lake Flores development,” Chip McCarthy, IMG Academy’s co-managing director, said in a statement. “The land is to provide space for additional baseball fields, parking and a hotel.”

The hotel is one of two included in the plan for Preston’s 1,300-acre walkable mixed-use community Lake Flores.

“We achieved the approvals through the Lake Flores development and this is part of IMG’s expansion plan going forward,” Preston said.

Lake Flores, which has an estimated 20-year buildout, will transform a swath of farmland south of Cortez Road, east of 86th Street West, north of El Conquistador Parkway and west of IMG Academy. The development received approval from the Manatee County Commission on Aug. 6, 2015.

An IMG spokesman confirmed plans for the hotel that will include 150 rooms and amenities such as a meeting room, resort pool and restaurant.

The hotel will be independent of IMG Academy and open to the public, with an expected completion date in early 2018.

This story was originally published September 19, 2016 at 1:31 PM with the headline "IMG Academy moving forward with expansion."