Jim:
Thank you for your perspective on “South Beach Belize”, on exclusive and beautiful Ambergris Caye in Belize. As the Sales Administrator for the U.S. marketing of this project, I can tell you that it is priced below most comparable developments on Ambergris Caye, and in the Caribbean. It also offers more amenties than most. In addition, Belize has some of the best real estate prices in the Caribbean. This is not going to last long, with 800,000 tourists annually, and growing five percent each year.

Hello Tom,
Thank you for your expanded experience regarding the South Beach -Belize project. I will check out in much further detail.
Jim

Jim:
One thing that makes South Beach Belize especially attractive is the sense of privacy and exclusivity - as a result of being on a Caye (Ambergris Caye) rather than on the mainland. Even better, it is located on the previously undeveloped southern tip of Ambergris Caye (no through-traffic). IT IS ALMOST LIKE BEING ON A PRIVATE ISLAND, but for less cost because of being only a few miles across water from sources of food, labor, and raw materials, i.e. everything needed is ‘imported’ from a short distance.

Hello Tom,
Thank you for your further insight into the South Beach Belize planned development. I did some more homework and it appears that it is actually over 800 acres that have been designated for this project! I look forward to walking it in the next month or so. Again, thanks for the information.
Jim

I am Jerry L. Wallace and a developer of several large condominium resort projects in the Florida panhandle. I am also the U.S. Sales & Marketing Manager for South Beach Belize. Let me contrast Caribbean development with U.S. resort development: A primary challenge in U.S. resort development is how to create a “sense of place” with very little land. Available coastal land in the U.S. is both scarce and expensive – the best you can do is create a high quality “enclave” with a few hundred feet of increasingly crowded beach front. Therefore it is becoming difficult to create amenity-rich environments – the only thing you can do is develop where a lot of amenities already exist. If an amenity-rich environment already exists, the land and construction costs are high. For example, think what it would cost to buy the 800+ acres we have in South Beach Belize in current South Beach, Miami!!! More important to residents and investors in resort property, a sea view villa in South Beach Belize can be purchased at this moment for about $125 per square foot, INCLUDING THE PRIVATE LOT ON WHICH IT SITS. Compare this to a new comparable quality high-rise condominium in South Beach, Miami that sells for four to five times as much. South Beach Belize is located on Ambergris Caye, where surveys indicate the highest level of tourist and resident satisfaction. The site for our project has never been developed till now, being at the very tip of the Caye. In addition to the many amenities available for owners at South Beach Belize, we are located only 3-4 miles south of San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, with its many places for shopping and fine restaurant dining. At South Beach Belize, we are in the process of recreating the ambiance of South Beach Miami, complete with THIRTY art deco boutique hotels, located along Ocean Drive (named after Miami’s Ocean Drive). One of our amenities is the beautiful Dunes Casino, on land jutting out into the Caribbean. Nearby, there is an exclusive private golfing and resort island (six minutes by plane or twenty minutes by boat) with its own jet strip, which is available to residents of South Beach Belize. Lastly, resort property in the U.S. today requires a much longer time horizon to make sense as an appreciating investment. Moreover, rental of U.S. resort units rarely covers the cost and maintenance of the investment. With land plus improvements in South Beach Belize selling as low as 20-25 percent that of comparable resort property in the U.S., many parts of the Caribbean, and South Beach Belize in particular, offer unequaled investment value. Our project can be viewed at www3.southbeachbelize.com.

Wow! Jerry, now that is a “comment”! This could be an article for the opportunity happening at South Beach - Belize. I look forward to discusing it further in the new future.
Jim