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Dock and sleep: New ‘boatel’ planned near Ponce Inlet lighthouse

Developers behind project are starting to build it on Peninsula Drive

PONCE INLET, Fla. – A new Volusia County business is planning to give boaters a place to stay and a chance to enjoy everything Ponce Inlet has to offer on land. It’s called a “boatel,” or a boat hotel.

The developers behind the project are starting to build it on Peninsula Drive right across the street from the lighthouse.

“This is going to actually look like old Florida,” said owner John Hinton, “It’s probably one of the, if not the, original landing when they were developing and pioneering Ponce Inlet and building the lighthouse. That’s why we’ve gone back to the name ‘Lighthouse Landing.’”

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Hinton and his business partner, Al Jarrell, told News 6 they hope Lighthouse Landing will give boaters traveling the intercoastal a unique place to stop, dock, and a room to rest their head.

“The town of Ponce actually mentioned it as one of the approved uses of the property was for the boatels and we loved it,” said Jarrell.

Jarrell said they will have two houseboats people can rent and eight “boatel” rooms boaters can dock under and rent.

The developers said they have to follow some strict rules given to them by town officials, including 35-foot building heights and keeping a lot of the lot open.

“It keeps it open for the public. You can boat, you can fish, you can enjoy the waterfront,” said Hinton.

They said they hope residents on the water will be able to soak in the benefits, too describing it as a riverwalk if anyone wants to dock up and pop into the nearby restaurants.

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About the Author
Molly Reed headshot

Molly joined News 6 at the start of 2021, returning home to Central Florida.

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