Hollywood Beach Margaritaville Resort Groundbreaking Scheduled for This Week

Looks like the Margaritaville Hollywood is building in place of a 630 space garage is going to enjoy its groundbreaking ceremony this week. Almost 200 city officials, dignitaries, and VIPs are expected to show up to the special event this Thursday morning at the Johnson Street bandshell. The one person...

By Chris Joseph

August 19, 2013

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Looks like the Margaritaville Hollywood is building in place of a 630 space garage is going to enjoy its groundbreaking ceremony this week.

Almost 200 city officials, dignitaries, and VIPs are expected to show up to the special event this Thursday morning at the Johnson Street bandshell.

The one person not expected to attend: Jimmy Buffet himself.

For those of you who have gone to the beach only to have to drive several blocks just to find parking because the huge garage on Johnson has inexplicably closed down, Hollywood officials are promising the five-acre Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort will bring a boost to the local economy, as soon as it's built ... in two years time.

In July, organizers had the city shut down the Johnson street parking garage to make way for the five-acre resort.

The resort is expected to include a 1,056 space parking garage with 600 public parking spaces, retail stores, seven restaurants and bars, several pools, and a double FlowRider -- an artificial surf pool. It's also expected to have a spa and fitness center, and a 1,600-square-foot Landshark Bar and Grill on the Intracoastal Waterway with a dock to dock your boat.

The project is expected to cost $147 million.

From Hollywood.org:

Construction on the project is expected to get underway in July 2013 and take approximately 2 years to complete. The Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort promises to bring "Changes in Latitudes and Changes in Attitude" along central Hollywood Beach.

Get it? Changes in Latitudes and Changes in Attitude is a Jimmy Buffet song title! Shoehorned into the sentence for maximum cleverness!

But, the resort might very well bring in an always welcomed economic boost.

Or, it might be a giant tourist-trappy eyesore smack dab in the middle of the Hollywood Beach broadwalk.

The city has been trying for years to build something on the five-acre lot on Johnson and Michigan. And now it's got its project in the form of parrots, margaritas, and awful music!

Hooray commerce!

The festivities are expected to kick off at 10:00 a.m. Thursday morning.

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