Minto marks SCC milestone with sale of last home
By PHYLLIS HODGES
When Phil Corelli contracted for his new home at 1869 Pacific Dunes Drive in the Verona neighborhood of Renaissance, he didn’t know his transaction marked a milestone in Sun City Center’s development.
Minto Communities is the last of several developers over the past 57 years of Sun City Center’s growth. Minto purchased the remaining buildable land covered by the Sun City Center Community Association and in Kings Point from the prior developer — WCI — in 2010 and has since built 718 villa, single family and estate homes. Although several homes are still under construction in Verona, the Corelli sale represents the finale of Minto’s marketing in SCC.
“We have nothing left to sell,” said Minto President Mike Belmont. “We are pleased to have been a part of Sun City Center’s 57-year history. We came at a rather challenging time for the real estate market but established a very special relationship with the residents over the past eight years. Completing this outstanding master-planned community has been a rewarding and memorable experience.” Belmont said they will immediately begin converting the Verona sales office to a residence and expect to close on the last houses in December.
With the departure of Minto, Sun City Center will have lost a respected corporate citizen. Community Association President John Luper acknowledged Minto’s generous support of community activities like the Holiday Golf Cart Parade and total sponsorship of the Winter Festival. “Minto has also stepped up on maintenance of the landscape medians on Pebble Beach Boulevard and S.R. 674. We wish them well with their future developments.”
Corelli was drawn to Sun City Center by family ties. He saw the Verona site during a visit with his brother Tony six months ago, and the house being built for him is identical to his brother’s. “We lived 10 houses apart in Utica, N.Y.; now we will be neighbors here on Pacific Dunes Drive,” said Tony Corelli who is a full time SCC resident. His brother is looking forward to spending the winter here in his new house but intends to maintain a Utica residence.
Minto, based in Florida since 1978, has built more than 25,000 new homes in 48 locations. All except Bradenton, Naples and West Palm Beach were 55-plus communities. It has earned multiple national awards for community and home design, including 2016 Best Mixed-Use Community and 2017 Best Clubhouse from the National Association of Home Builders. The company has earned national recognition and consistently high rankings from Eliant Customer Service Surveys.
With the completion of Sun City Center, Minto now is introducing the next generation of 55-PLUS communities in partnership with Margaritaville Holdings. Latitude Margaritaville is a new portfolio of active adult communities offering a Margaritaville-inspired lifestyle of fun, food and music for active adults. The first Latitude Margaritaville communities are now open in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Hilton Head, S.C.
Belmont said that management of the Minto-developed communities in Sun City Center is being transitioned to homeowners’ associations, and Minto’s Master Care Centers will handle any property issues that may develop. “All our obligations will be met,” he said.