Allegiant Air to resume construction of Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte Harbor

A big project in Southwest Florida sat untouched for a year and a half, and it’s about to get back on track.

Allegiant Air says there are plans to resume work toward completion of Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte Harbor, the airline confirmed during a conference call Wednesday.

Phil Munsey has watched and waited for Sunseeker construction to resume.

“That’s kind of an eyesore, and it couldn’t be helped,” Munsey said. “But I’ll be glad to see it finished.”

Business is bouncing back, and the airline expects to close on a $355 million loan agreement. That’s why the board unanimously agreed to finish the harbor-front project.

“Boy, it’s big deal in a whole bunch of different ways,” said Dave Gammon, Charlotte County’s economic development director. “Number one, it put us on the map.”

Gammon is excited visitors from all over will follow their maps to Charlotte Harbor.

We are used to seeing visitors from the fall to the spring, so we asked Gammon if we can expect to see visitors year-round when the construction is complete.

“They’ll keep those doors open year-round,” Gammon said. “That will keep our market, our businesses going, our restaurants busy during our quieter times.”

Construction for Sunseeker Resort was stopped May 12, 2020 due to the pandemic. Because of financial constraints at the time, Allegiant decided to stop putting capital into the project for at least 18 months to focus its efforts solely on the airline.

According to the airline, Allegiant will announce a start date and an opening date Aug. 3. That date will also include a discussion about golf course renovation and opening.

The airline’s president will be in Charlotte County for the announcements and is expected to meet one-on-one with all five Charlotte County Commissioners. He’s also expected to discuss plans to renovate the nearby Kingsway Country Clubs.

Munsey’s patience must persist, as crews put the final touches on the property.

“I want to see what it’s going to look like,” Munsey said. “And besides, whatever it does, it’ll look better than that skeleton sitting down there now.”