What to know about Crystal Lagoons, the man-made, beach-lined resorts coming to Florida
The newest, family-friendly Florida attraction isn't a theme park, it's a man-made, beach-lined resort called Crystal Lagoons.
But, what exactly is a Crystal Lagoons resort? First of all, it's more than just a beach. According to the company website, the Miami-based multi-national company creates waterfront destinations featuring treated, filtered water that serve as magnets for surrounding real estate and retail development.
Iván Manzur, Crystal Lagoons senior vice president of sales says, “Imagine beautiful, crystal-clear-water lagoons surrounded by white, sandy beaches, with your whole family and friends. Renting a paddleboard, a kayak, a sailboat. Going to a restaurant. Retail stores."
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It all sounds great but we have questions. Lots of questions. So, we did a little digging and found some things about Crystal Lagoons that you may not know.
Crystal Lagoons first opened in 2018
The sunshine state's first Crystal Lagoons opened in June 2018 in St. Johns, Florida just south of Jacksonville. It was followed by a second Crystal Lagoons at Epperson, a master-planned community in Wesley Chapel, northeast of Tampa. Dozens more of the luxurious beach resort projects are in different stages of operation, planning, design or construction across Florida.
What can you do at Crystal Lagoons?
Crystal Lagoons isn't just a beach. Projects can include shopping, restaurants, water sports equipment rentals, event venues, hotels, golf courses, Tiki bars and more.
"There's so much to do in this ecosystem, what we call the 21st-century meeting point. So it's a wonderful environment for everyone," Manzur said.
How big is a Crystal Lagoons resort?
Crystal Lagoons, with their amenities, take up a fair amount of space. Jonathan Cohen, founder and co-president of Ad?lon Capital, said it typically takes 12 to 14 months to construct a Crystal Lagoons.
His firm is targeting clearwater lagoons measuring 6 acres to 9 acres of water surface area, not including beaches and surrounding amenities.
Is Crystal Lagoons private?
Some of the resorts are private. However, the Crystal Lagoons locations in Central Florida will be the first completely open to the public. AD?LON Capital has signed an exclusivity agreement to bring those public resorts to Central Florida. Locations include Melbourne and Port Canaveral in Brevard County, Orlando, Kissimmee and Sumter County.
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“We bring family-style public access, where you pay a daily pass to have access to it. And you have food and beverage. You have restaurants. You’ve got bars. So there's a lot of life inside,” Cohen said
“You'll have a public access lagoon. And surrounding, you're going to have private access lagoons where we're going to develop multifamily housing, and, eventually, probably even hotels," he said.
Public Access Lagoons will be open to everyone, but there will still be a charge. Admission prices for the Central Florida lagoons have not been set yet.
Will Crystal Lagoons stay open in the winter?
Iván Manzur, Crystal Lagoons US Corps.' senior vice president of sales says Crystal Lagoons has created a new technology — Hot Reef, which, complemented with a removable dome, can extend the lagoon's use into the colder times of the year and in rainy seasons.
Crystal Lagoons is billed as pandemic-proof
Because of their sheer size, ability to limit capacity, and sanitary measures, Manzur said social distancing is no problem at a Crystal Lagoons.
"It's very different to go to a public beach," he said. "You could control every area, taking all the precautions to have a safe environment."
For instance, he said, the lagoon at Lago Mar in Texas City, Texas is open, but currently operating at 30% capacity.
Where will the Florida Crystal Lagoons locations be?
Looking at the list of planned resorts in Florida, you probably won't have to go far to visit Crystal Lagoons. The company has plans to build resorts across the state.
For now though, the only Crystal Lagoon location in Florida that is open is Epperson Lagoon in Wesley Chapel just 30 miles north of Tampa.
The Crystal Lagoons projects in Orlando, Kissimmee and Sumter County are expected to open in 2023. Manzur said projects planned for Lake and Seminole counties will probably open between 18 months and two years after the others.
Manzur hopes construction is underway in late 2023 on Brevard County's first Crystal Lagoons in Palm Bay. Emerald Lakes is a future 1,500-acre, mixed-use planned community off the Interstate 95 and St. Johns Heritage Parkway interchange, which opened in August 2020.
Melbourne and Port Canaveral also are included on Crystal Lagoons' lengthy list of worldwide public-access projects "in different stages of operation, planning, design and construction." But details have not been released.
The company has 1,000 projects in 190 countries in various stages.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Crystal Lagoons resorts in Florida: Facts about the beach-lined resorts
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