Former Latitudes restaurant building demo complete

The former Longboat Key Hilton Beachfront Resort is one step closer to reopening as a new resort.

Delray Beach-based Ocean Properties Ltd., which owns the property that’s been renamed the Gulfside Beach Resort, recently completed demolition of the building that held the Hilton’s Latitudes Beach Café and bar.

Sandra Rios, director of communications at the Ocean Properties-owned Resort at Longboat Key Club, says construction is going as planned and is approximately 13 months from completion.

Ocean Properties, which also owns the Lido Beach Resort, Lido Beach Holiday Inn and Sandcastle Resort at Lido Beach, submitted a site-plan application last year to the Planning, Zoning and Building Department seeking to redevelop the existing hotel building and the 102 rooms within, as well as adding 85 additional units to be used for a new tower on the property. The project’s estimated cost is $24 million.

However, when the Hilton closed July 7, no major work was done until Aug. 1, when the company received its demolition permit to begin renovations at the property.

Demolition of the former restaurant building began in late August.

This is the first resort redevelopment and expansion project proposed for the island since the former owners of the Key Club first submitted their application in 2008, and the new resort has become the first applicant to take advantage of a townwide pool of 250 tourism units that voters approved that same year.