Plantation Bay's new $30M clubhouse in Flagler County gets rave reviews from residents

ORMOND BEACH ― ICI Homes recently completed a new $30 million clubhouse at its Plantation Bay golf community and residents made sure to let developer Mori Hosseini know they approved.

"As a member, I can't believe how good the clubhouse is," Plantation Bay resident Suzie Peerless enthusiastically told the ICI Homes chairman and CEO at a preview event for the new Founders Club on Dec. 2. "You hit it out of the park!"

The new clubhouse officially opened Dec. 15.

What is Plantation Bay?

Straddling the border between Volusia and Flagler counties, Plantation Bay is a 4,000-acre gated golf community located roughly a mile west of Interstate 95 between exits 268 (U.S. 1) and 273 (Old Dixie Highway).

Plantation Bay was initially developed by Jerry Johnson in the early 1980s on the site of a short-lived theme park attraction called Marco Polo Park. Mori Hosseini, the founder, chairman and CEO of Daytona Beach-based ICI Homes, took over as the community's developer with then-business partner L. Gale Lemerand in 1990. The community at the time had 500 homes surrounding an 18-hole golf course.

Hosseini and Lemerand added a second 18-hole course as well as a nine-hole course and continued to build out the community.

Hosseini bought Lemerand's stake to become sole owner of Plantation Bay in 2008.

Today, Plantation Bay has 3,000 homes, 1,750 of which are on its nearly-built-out Volusia County side, where there are only 50 house lots left. The rest of the homes are on the Flagler County side, where another 2,000 are planned over the next 15 to 20 years.

Eighty-six homes are currently under construction.

While Plantation Bay has entitlements for 6,000 homes, Hosseini said realistically the community will only be able to accommodate 5,000 upon full buildout because some homes are on multiple lots.

The new clubhouse, which is mostly in Flagler County, was built to accommodate Plantation Bay's growing population.

Plantation Bay is currently the second-biggest master-planned community in Volusia County, behind only the fast-growing Latitude Margaritaville 55-and-older community in Daytona Beach. It is already one of the larger master-planned communities in Flagler County.

Hosseini and his wife Forough have made Plantation Bay their home as have other members of their family.

New clubhouse is triple the size of the old one

The three-story Founders Club is 40,500 square feet − almost three times the size of the original 1980s-built 14,000-square-foot clubhouse it is replacing across the street.

The old single-story Club de Bon Mot will be torn down although not immediately. Hosseini said he has not yet decided what to do with the site of the old clubhouse.

Construction of the new clubhouse took just under two years to complete.

Plantation Bay also has a 5,000-square-foot clubhouse that opened in 1999 at its Prestwick golf course.

What does the new clubhouse offer?

The Founders Club includes a new restaurant that offers indoor and outside seating and exterior walls that can be opened on sunny days to provide an open-air experience for all.

It also has two bars and a golf pro shop as well as meeting space for special events such as conferences and small conventions with seating for up to 1,500 people.

"The new club has bar and tavern area, main dining room, event spaces and a huge patio that has a pretty unmatched view," said Nellie Lupoli, ICI Homes' vice president of human capital and strategic initiatives. "There is a huge indoor/outdoor bar.  There is an event lawn for wedding ceremonies or other outdoor events.

"There are three separate entrances, which the previous club did not have, so that golfers versus diners versus event attendees can enter from the location that makes the most sense. The event area not only has a large ballroom that can be made as small or large as needed depending on group size but also has a pre-function lobby with its own bar. There is a state-of-the-art board room equipped with the latest technologies."

It's creating more jobs

Lupoli said the new clubhouse has created a need to double the food and beverage staff at Plantation Bay. "With expanded hours and space, we can't hire employees fast enough," she added.

ICI Homes spokeswoman Rosy Messina said the new clubhouse is adding 35 to 40 employees to boost the total club staff to 175.

Hosseini calls new clubhouse his 'gift' to the community

Hosseini said he built the new clubhouse without charging Plantation Bay residents a special assessment to cover the costs. He added that he spared no expense in making sure everything was of the highest quality. He said he views it as his "gift" to the community.

Lupoli, Hosseini's eldest daughter, said she is proud of the new clubhouse.

"My dad built and paid for this incredible club not because he had to but because he loves to leave a mark in everything he does," she said. "This is his contribution to Plantation Bay, the families of our members and our own family. We are really proud to showcase this jewel right here in our backyard."

New clubhouse recently hosted Daytona Regional Chamber event

The Founders Club on Dec. 8 hosted the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce's annual Business Links Golf Tournament. The sold-out event had 144 participants.

"We are excited to be the first public event at the new Founders Club at Plantation Bay," said Nancy Keefer, the chamber's CEO. "This is especially nice to cap off a great year led by Nellie Lupoli, our 2023 chairperson of our board of directors."

Resident: 'It's the finest club in Florida'

Maria Maurer has been a Plantation Bay resident for more than 12 years. "This clubhouse is fabulous, far beyond my expectations," she exclaimed upon checking it out for the first time. "It's the finest club in Florida right now."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Plantation Bay's new $30M Founders Club gets thumbs up from residents