MELBOURNE, Fla. – Melbourne officials voted Wednesday to bring another Caribbean-style lagoon to Central Florida — the work of Crystal Lagoons — right off of NASA Boulevard.
The Melbourne Airport Authority approved the $8.9 million sale of 55 acres of land for the project, which is space currently owned by Melbourne-Orlando International Airport.
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Video shows what Crystal Lagoons has in mind: a sprawling, man-made lagoon with vibrant blue water, white sands, commercial retail space and housing options.
A Crystal Lagoons resort opened in 2018 near Tampa — the Epperson Lagoon in Wesley Chapel — and the Melbourne location under consideration is one of several that the company hopes to open during its next few years in Central Florida.
In addition to the man-made beach, developer Adelon Capital said the company will also build hundreds of apartments, restaurants and shopping off NASA Boulevard and Broadband Drive.
“What we’re trying to do is having all these tourists that are coming in, to have something to do in Melbourne, and they don’t have to go to Orlando or Cape Canaveral,” founder Jonathan Cohen Rabinovitz said.
At other public Crystal Lagoons locations, guests pay for admission, with rentals like umbrellas, kayaks and cabanas costing extra.
Wednesday, News 6 was told prices weren’t set for this project yet.
The airport’s executive director, Greg Donovan, acknowledged public criticism of the project, too.
“Some people don’t want to lose their small-town feel,” Donovan said. “Some people think that we’re trying to be too much like Orlando.”
Donovan said the criticism was unfounded.
“We’re not trying to do any of those things,” he continued. “I think that having core resources for our community is vital no matter what the size.”
Crystal Lagoons said the millions of gallons of water it used looked turquoise because of a white lining that reflects the sky.
The property sale also needs approval from the Melbourne City Council and the FAA.
Should all go according to plan, Adelon Capital said it expects the beach could open between two and four years after construction starts.
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