Flamingo Lake RV Resort has completed its first major expansion since 2009, adding 60 new, permanent RV sites.
According to Flamingo Lake assistant manager/marketing director Ken Loyd, work started on the expansion last year.
“We have special events throughout the year, but we got to the point that we were booked up every week beginning in the spring and had to put potential visitors on a waiting list,” said Loyd. “While that’s a good problem to have, we knew if we didn’t provide more spaces for RVs those people would eventually stop calling.”
The new section of the resort is gated 24 hours a day with paved sites, manicured grass, and full hook ups for long-term or weekend rental.
“Our new section has been designed primarily for full-time campers, but we’ll be using any available sites there for over flow on busy event or holiday weekends,” said Loyd.
With the addition, the resort now offers nearly 360 sites for temporary visitors and full-time residents along with five cabins and two yurts available for rental at the resort. The expansion added another 15 acres to the resort, located at 3640 Newcomb Road near Lem Turner Road and Interstate 295, which now covers 66 acres.
Loyd added that an additional bath house and laundry facility are planned for the new section of the resort, as well.
The expansion plans come at an opportune time given the growing number of recreational vehicles on the road today. The RV industry had its best month on record during March, surpassing a monthly total of 50,000-unit shipments for the first time since the RV Industry Association began tracking monthly shipping totals.
The March figures represent an increase of 8.5 percent from a year ago, while total shipments are up 13.4 percent compared to last year, which includes increases of towable RVs along with motorhomes.
“With the overall growing popularity with outdoor activity, including the growing number of young families and Millennials purchasing RVs, many RV resorts and accessory dealers are having to expand to keep up with the demand,” said Loyd, who also serves as the chair of the Florida RV Trade Association’s Northeast Florida Chapter. “In anticipation of that, we’ve already identified more property to expand again to add about 50 more RV sites in a year or so.”