Whitney Beach Plaza attracts first new tenant

Engel & Völkers Florida will open a second Longboat Key office in Whitney Beach Plaza this summer. It's the first new tenant to announce plans to open up in a plaza that's undergoing a $2 million facelift.

Engel & Völkers Longboat Key Realty announced this week it will open their north Longboat Key location at the refurbished plaza in August.

Engel & Völkers opened a south Longboat Key office in Mediterranean Plaza, 595 Bay Isles Road, in November 2011.

“We’ve been focused on finding the right location in north Longboat Key that best captures our formula driven ‘shop’ concept,” said Engel & Völkers broker/owner Ray Alexander, in a press release. “It’s crucial that we scouted and selected the best possible location to ensure our formula driven shop design works best for us and we believe the newly renovated Whitney Beach Plaza fits our profile.”

Engel & Völkers acquired Wedebrock Real Estate in late 2009, which came along with the former Wedebrock real estate office on the north end of the Key. That office was closed in 2010 and Engel & Völkers resurfaced in Mediterranean Plaza while it looked for a new north end location.  

Engel & Völkers is headquartered in Naples and has 25 franchised locations throughout the state, to go along with close to 600 shops in 37 countries worldwide. 

“Our agents, along with new agents coming our way, are excited and continue to embrace our unique selling platform for acquiring buyers and sellers in Longboat Key,” Alexander said.

Richard Juliani, co-owner of the shopping center, couldn’t be reached for comment. Juliani told the Longboat Observer last month he can’t disclose the names of future tenants that will fill the mostly vacant shopping center until leases are signed.

Juliani’s company is spending up to $2 million in renovations for the plaza, which now has a new roof and a brand new façade on the outside of the plaza. Interior renovations, as well as a freshly paved parking lot, are being done right now. 

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].