RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — You could say that developers in South Florida are looking for a change in latitude.
Riviera Beach could become the site of a Margaritaville-branded hotel.
The new hotel is proposed for the Riviera Beach Marina where fans of singer Jimmy Buffett could soon enjoy "watchin' the sun bake" while "covered in oil."
It would be built right next door to where the Margaritaville at Sea cruise ship sails several times a week from the Port of Palm Beach to the Bahamas.
The marina now has one restaurant on site and offers daily boat trips to Peanut Island.
Jacques, the owner of a lone coconut stand at the marina, said he hopes the development can bring him more business.
"If it comes down to the building process, we'd like to collaborate and work with the businesses and put in our input as well," he said.
The Margaritaville-branded hotel is part of a big change for the marina. The plans were just recently presented to the city.
"It'll be a hotel restaurant," Riviera Beach Councilman Douglas Lawson said. "It'll be a bar, lounge-type facility, and we'll have three other restaurant pads that'll be filled by hopefully national and local talent."
Lawson said it needs to clear a few hurdles before construction can begin, including approval by the Community Redevelopment Agency and then the city council. However, there is support to make it happen. He said developers are no longer passing up on Riviera Beach.
"This is the anchor, but it is just the tip of the iceberg because up and down Broadway we're looking at development growth," Lawson said.
He said if all goes well, they hope to break ground on the Margaritaville hotel by December.
"We want to see some real development by the end of this year, so we're looking to break some ground," Lawson said.