Jul 18, 2025
Costco is opening a new store in The Villages, Florida, on August 6, 2025, at the Buffalo Ridge Shopping Plaza on County Road 466, with doors opening at 8 a.m. This location is part of a broader expansion that includes seven new stores in August across North America. The Villages store will offer membership incentives for first-time and returning members with lapsed accounts. Costco recently updated its hours, allowing Executive members early access at 9 a.m. and extending regular Saturday hours to 7 p.m. As of July 8, there are 35 Costco locations in Florida, with more potentially on the way.
Jul 15, 2025
Collier County commissioners have approved the 24‑acre “NC Square” mixed‑use development at the southwest corner of Immokalee Road and Catawba Street, reshaping the site into housing, commercial space, and a daycare facility. Residents, particularly those in nearby Valencia Trails, raised concerns over increased traffic and density, urging the county to maintain a more conservative development plan. In response, developers scaled back the project: reducing commercial space by nearly 8,000 sq ft, removing the daycare, and replacing 129 for‑sale homes with 205 rental units—30% of which are income-restricted—with officials noting this change could reduce daily vehicle trips by as many as 3,000. Commissioners acknowledged the need for workforce housing while emphasizing the importance of addressing traffic challenges along the already congested Immokalee Road.
Jul 10, 2025
Allegiant sold the Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor to Blackstone for \$200 million, aiming to refocus on its airline business. The \$695M resort faced delays and losses but recently improved, attracting Blackstone’s investment. The sale closes in Q3.
May 8, 2025
Luxury labels like Mercedes-Benz, Dolce & Gabbana and Baccarat now lend their names to condo projects, letting developers pre-sell “branded residences” to fund new five-star hotels at a time when banks are wary of hotel loans. Buyers pay a premium for the cachet and perceived quality, brands collect naming-rights fees, and developers secure cheaper capital—making these condos the financial linchpin for high-end hotel construction in hotspots such as South Florida and Dubai.
