Fran Clader was feeling reflective. The lifelong California resident was 60, single and starting to think about retirement. As a non-uniformed California Highway Patrol employee and a retired California Army National Guard Major, Clader was eligible to retire with a pension at 62.
While Clader had lived a fulfilling and active life in California, she had a nagging feeling that there was more to life outside the state. So she began researching places to spend her retirement.
“One of the first motivating factors was looking for an income tax free state and Florida came up on the list,” says Clader, who at age 63 decided to settle down in Latitude Margaritaville, Watersound, Florida, a sprawling retirement community for 55+ adults who want to pursue an active and social lifestyle.
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Latitude Margaritaville, the brainchild of American singer, songwriter and author Jimmy Buffett, has 10,265 homes in its three locations in Daytona Beach, Watersound and Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Clader had other options; after all Nevada and Washington are among the states that don’t have a tax on income. But she loved scuba diving, sailing, kayaking and “all things water,” which she found in Florida.
She considered retiring to Daytona Beach but the crystal-clear green and blue waters and white sandy beaches of Florida’s Panhandle were too much of a pull to pass up. It didn’t hurt that back in California she was a member of her local Parrotheads, a Jimmy Buffett fan club.
Finding love under the sun
Clader moved into her Latitude Margaritaville home, one of 18 homes on her street, in February 2024, and hasn’t regretted a minute since. Not only has Clader formed enduring friendships with her neighbors, she has also found love.
Clader will be walking down the aisle for the first time in October and she couldn’t be happier with her fiancé David, who was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama and moved into his Latitude Margaritaville home in April 2024. As Clader likes to explain it, “forces” brought them together. There was a chance meeting at a singles mixer at the retirement community’s bar, and the rest is history.
“I found love at Latitude. I wasn’t looking for it. I was always open to the possibility and he swept me off my feet,” says Clader.
Fran Clader and her fiancé David
Fun, sun and partying
Clader is just one of many older adults who are trading in the day-to-day drudgery of life to retire in a resort setting retirement community.
Latitude Margaritaville Daytona Beach opened its doors in 2018 and saw a surge of retirees during the COVID-19 pandemic. While that frenzied demand has calmed, interest remains strong. The retirement community in Daytona Beach is nearly sold out, while Latitude Margaritaville Watersound near Panama City Beach and Latitude Margaritaville Hilton Head in South Carolina are expanding. Next up is a retirement community in Texas.
Latitude Margaritaville bills itself as a place offering an “irresistible concoction of fun, food, music and escapism… where every day is like an island vacation.”
Colorful, coastal-themed architecture, walkable neighborhoods and golf cart-friendly streets are only part of the brand’s allure. Resort-style amenities are also major selling points for the residents who call this place home.
All three currently opened communities are designed to resemble each other. They each include: a town center with a town square for live concerts, dancing and movies, a theater, indoor and outdoor pools equipped with poolside bars and cabanas, a full service Latitude Bar & Chill restaurant and a bar serving Margaritaville-inspired menus and beverage concoctions.
Each community also offers opportunities for healthy living, including: a state-of-the-art fitness center, tennis and pickleball courts, nature trails and a dog park (not to mention a pet spa).
The flagship Latitude Margaritaville in Daytona Beach also offers access to a private beach.
Latitude Margaritaville Daytona Beach Pool
Latitude Margaritaville Sand Bar
Latitude Margaritaville Bar & Chill
Homes in this community start at around $300,000 for a 1,210-square-foot cottage and go up to around $1 million for a 2,564-square-foot, three-bedroom home with a two-car attached garage located on the Intracoastal Waterway in Latitude Margaritaville Watersound.
The homes are one story, making it easy to age in place. HOA fees range from the low-to-mid $300s per month, depending on the home, which includes all amenities. Residents do have to pay for food and drinks at the community’s eateries.
While many activities are social — like Bloody Mary morning bowling, foam parties, concerts and mixers — residents say there’s something for everyone, even if you’re not into the party atmosphere.
“We are targeting people who want to have fun, who want to have friends and enjoy life. It’s an escapism environment,” says William Bullock, division president of Latitude Margaritaville. “Everyday there is an opportunity to go to the pool, go to the fitness center and listen to live music.”
Latitude Margaritaville Cottage
Latitude Margaritaville Single Family Home
Latitude Margaritaville Villa
Die hard fans
For Kelley and Bill Sarantis, among the first residents of Latitude Margaritaville in Daytona Beach, moving into this retirement community wasn’t always the plan. But once the couple, self-proclaimed huge Jimmy Buffett fans, heard a retirement community was being created around his laid-back way of life, they couldn’t resist. They camped out all night to get their number in line to reserve a lot and were among the first to move to Latitude Margaritaville.
"Our kid is grown and we were looking for something more maintenance-free and an easier lifestyle,” says Kelley, now 61. “Once we heard Buffett’s name was attached to it and saw the amenities we said ‘This is the perfect place.'"
Kelley and Bill Sarantis
The couple started their life in Latitude Margaritaville in one of the villa-style homes, and over the past seven years have upgraded to a single-family home with three bedrooms. Kelley, a real estate agent who continues to work selling homes in the gated community, doesn’t have much time to enjoy the amenities but her husband, retired after 25 years in law enforcement, does.
Instead of mowing the lawn or maintaining their property, Bill spends his days working out at the gym, walking their two dogs and relaxing at the retirement community’s bar with friends.
When Kelley does have free time, the couple will jump in their golf cart, cruise up to the town center, or listen to music emanating from the many garage bands that have formed in the community. Music is an important element of Latitude Margaritaville, so it’s no surprise that many garage bands have popped up. “It’s a good gig,” says Bill. “It doesn’t feel like a retirement community; it’s a vacation.”
Something for everybody
Latitude Margaritaville tends to attract younger retirees, typically in their 50s and 60s, but it also has its fair share of older adults who came for the sun and fun and have stayed for the friendships and roots they’ve established. Sharon and Roger Gibbs are among them. Both are in their 70s and have been residents of Latitude Margaritaville in Watersound for about two years.
When the couple retired they sold their home, put their special belongings in storage and traveled the country in their RV for six months deciding where they wanted to retire.
“We had the big house and the pool. We had the country land and the horses, we had the beach, desert and golf course, but we really loved the beach and this is our chapter,” says Sharon, 72, the mother of five adult sons. “There’s so much socializing. We go to the fitness center three to four times a week, we were in a dance troupe and almost every weekend there is entertainment. It keeps us active and young,” she says.
Sharon and Roger Gibbs
That’s not to say there aren’t any downsides to this way of living. Just like any place with thousands of people in close quarters, there is sure to be drama, cliques and a need for some downtime. The Gibbs take it all with a grain of salt. They avoid the cliques and drama and tend to surround themselves with people who want to have fun.
“There’s always going to be 10% of people who are never going to be happy but that is overshadowed by all the positives,” says Roger.
Another downside: crowds. If a popular band is performing or if it’s a busy weekend you may have to wait to get seated at one of the restaurants or stand in line for a drink.
Plus you have to follow HOA rules when it comes to paint colors for your home and the signage you can hang outside.
Because of the friendly atmosphere it can be difficult to have a drink or dinner alone without running into someone you know. But if it ever gets too much for the Gibbs they can jump in their golf cart and be home in minutes.
A home for singles
When Joe Buser, a 64-year-old healthcare consultant, began his search for a place to call home in retirement, the weather, cost of living and lack of maintenance were all important factors in his decision-making.
While he wasn’t sure where he would settle, he knew he didn’t want to be cold anymore after spending his life on the East Coast in New Jersey and most recently Pennsylvania. Joe had a friend who lived in Hilton Head, North Carolina so he decided to start his search there. One visit to Latitude Margaritaville, Hilton Head, South Carolina, and he was sold.
“I fell in love with the property, the amenities, the color, the vibe,” says Joe.
Joe Buser
Since moving into his two-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom, two-car garage cottage in November, which he paid $430,000 for, Buser’s calendar is full of all sorts of activities. He’s on the board of the community’s Fin Ball Club — the community’s version of whiffle ball — he plays on a team, is an umpire and line judge for the games and takes part in a once-a-month golf team.
As a single man in the community, Joe says there are also opportunities to date and mix and mingle with other singles within Margaritaville.
"I'm extremely happy with my choice of living within Margaritaville and all of the amenities and the lifestyle options available to me now and in the future," he says.
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