Developer of Lake Flores project seeks help with infrastructure, other costs
The developer of the proposed 1,300-acre Lake Flores project in west Bradenton has filed a petition with the Manatee County government to establish a community development district there.
The special district would serve as a financing vehicle for public infrastructure improvements, according to paperwork filed with Manatee County Building and Development Services.
The Lake Flores property is the largest remaining undeveloped property in the west Bradenton area. For more than 50 years, the family-owned property was known for growing gladiolus
The property stretches from the vicinity of IMG Academy west to 86th Street West and borders El Conquistador Parkway on the south and Cortez Road on the north.
Whiting Preston, developer of Lake Flores, this week said he hopes to be able to start initial construction in 2022.
“We are anxious to get going. It has taken longer than we thought. The permits were much more complicated than we anticipated and we have had some delays due to COVID-19,” Preston, president of Manatee Fruit Company, said.
Drainage issues and wetlands on the property have been part of the permitting challenge, he said.
Having a special district will help in the permitting process, he said.
Plans approved by the Manatee County Commission in 2015 allow 6,500 residential units, one million square feet of retail space, two million square feet of commercial space and 500 hotel rooms.
The Lake Flores concept has has been widely hailed for its innovation, sensitivity to other neighborhoods, and for its design as a walkable community. Lake Flores would also help revitalize Manatee’s Southwest County Improvement District.
“Lake Flores is about an urban plan conceived behind various plans and principals that mitigate traffic trips,” Preston said in 2016. “One of the principals includes the use of complete streets. Complete streets create a safe street environment for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and transit riders.
“It creates other opportunities for people that live within the community to travel in the community without getting in car,” Preston said.
In 2016, the Florida Planning and Zoning Association recognized Lake Flores as its master-planned community of the year.
Originally, the proposed project was named “Crossroads,” but in 2014 Preston announced that it would be called Lake Flores in honor of his late mother, Flavia Florez Preston, and the gladiolus that his father, Walter Preston, grew there for a half century. Flores is Spanish for flowers.
Lake Flores also refers to plans for a 19-acre man-made lake as the centerpiece to the housing and retail project.
“Since Lake Flores will be a memorable spot for residents and visitors, we wanted it to be reflected in our name as a commitment to all we stand for with this project,” Preston said previously. “Our vision is to recapture the beauty this land once held and create a lake surrounded by aquatic plants, canopy trees, flowers, and walking trails to serve as a central meeting area for all to enjoy.”
In 2018, IMG Academy bought 89.5 acres adjacent to its campus at 5650 Bollettieri Blvd. from Preston for $7,615,500. The property purchase was to facilitate IMG’s future expansion plans.
For more information about Lake Flores, visit https://lakefloreshomes.com/.
