Orlando-based Tavistock Development Co. and Miami-based Crystal Lagoons have joined forces to build a large-scale man-made recreational lake as the centerpiece of a new luxury resort in Lake Nona. The 11-acre Caribbean-style beachfront lagoon, to be built near Lake Nona’s new U.S. Tennis Association complex, will be the largest planned Crystal Lagoons Lake in the U.S. to date. The sites are ideal for swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding, sailing and more. The projects also help boost real estate values for developers of nearby properties, bringing a sought-after luxury amenity.
In other business news, the long-awaited $665 million Orlando VA Medical Center will begin providing some medical services as early as this spring. Construction on the center is wrapping up this month, and next up is a 120- to 180-day process of completing the punch list and making sure the equipment works properly. Meanwhile, it could be August 2015 before the first veterans are admitted as inpatients to the hospital. The medical center broke ground in October 2010, and initially had a target completion date of October 2012, but suffered a series of controversial delays.