DAYTONA BEACH — Latitude Margaritaville residents Kelley and Bill Sarantis were told last week to expect a visit from “some people from corporate.”
The couple assumed that meant the developers of the Jimmy Buffett-inspired 55-and-older community.
On Thursday morning, they were surprised to find out the guest knocking on their front door was none other than the singer-songwriter himself.
“I walked from the kitchen and saw out the window that it was Jimmy Buffett,” recalled Kelley Sarantis. “He said, ‘Hey, neighbor!’”
The Sarantises were one of several Latitude Margaritaville homeowners Buffett met with Thursday morning.
His visit included a tour of the active adult community’s model homes as well as having lunch at the new beachside Landshark Bar & Grill on State Road A1A.
Buffett, whose primary residence is in New York City, purchased a house in the gated Latitude Margaritaville community. That house is nearing completion, said Kelley Sarantis.
“His home is beautiful,” said Kelley Sarantis, who also works as a Realtor.
“He had a design team at his home on Thursday that was getting ready to decorate so I anticipate he’ll spend some time there,” she said.
The Sarantises gave Buffett a tour of their home and then sat down to chat with him for 20 minutes while munching on watermelon and berries.
Buffett also played with the couple’s two dogs and showed them photos of his dogs on his smart phone.
He asked the couple how they liked living at Latitude Margaritaville, the planned 6,600-home community that welcomed its first residents in March.