DAYTONA BEACH — After getting off to the strongest start to a new year since 2006 in the first quarter, homebuilders in Volusia County stepped up the pace even more last month.
A total of 241 permits were issued in April for new homes in the county, the second most in a single month since June 2007, behind only October 2017 when builders pulled 263 permits, according to the latest numbers reported by the Volusia Building Industry Association.
Year to date, permits for new homes are up 38 percent over 2017 which saw the most permits issued for new homes locally since the start of the Great Recession. April’s increase was an 18 percent jump over the same month last year.
National homebuilder D. R. Horton Inc. led the way, pulling permits for 63 new homes, followed by Minto Communities with 24 and Daytona Beach-based ICI Homes with 18, according to data compiled on the builders association’s behalf by DeBary-based HBW Inc.
“D.R. Horton may have pulled the most permits last month, but for a single community, we’re definitely leading the pack,” said Bill Bullock, president of Minto’s Latitude Margaritaville division.
Bullock said his company currently has 159 homes under construction at the planned 6,600-home Jimmy Buffett-themed Latitude Margaritaville Daytona Beach community along LPGA Boulevard, just west of Interstate 95.
Since kicking off sales for the amenities-laden 55-and-older community in November, Minto has completed 20 new homes as well as nine model homes, and has sold more than 330 of the 378 house lots in its initial phase, Bullock said. “The next batch (of available house lots) will be released soon,” he added.