The Miami Herald has an update on the Margaritaville Beach Resort under construction in Hollywood, Florida:

Margaritaville Beach Resort may not be open yet, but it’s already hosting a party.

On Thursday, nearly 500 travel gurus will get down Margaritaville-style as part of the Florida Huddle, a signature travel symposium, which draws travel experts from places including Canada, Scandinavia and Germany.

“It’s sort of our coming out party,” said Lon Tabatchnick, the developer of the beach-themed resort.

And though there will be no building or hammocks by the pool, there will be a giant tent, island-themed décor and probably a few shakers of salt.

“What better way is there to get people excited about the future?” he said.

And the future, for Margaritaville — which is tied to singer Jimmy Buffett — is looking bright, said Tabatchnick, during a presentation to the Hollywood City Commission Wednesday.

“We are getting there,” he said. “We are going through the process.”

Read the full article here.

The $131 million project is expected to open in August 2014.

The 2012 Welcome to Fin Land Tour came to northern Florida Tuesday night as Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band played a show at Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville.

The Florida-Times Union has a review of the show:

While much of rock music is about searching — for love or that perfect place — Buffett has found paradise and wants to share it with all of his fans. Buffett made a career selling an attitude as much as he did selling records.
His show was two hours of fun. His nine-piece band plus two back up singers provided a wave of sound on which Buffett, dressed in an A1A T-shirt and board shorts, easily rode. No stranger to these parts in his youth, Buffett sprinkled in regional references throughout the show making sure to mention the Tradewinds Lounge in St. Augustine where he performed before becoming a star. After “Grapefruit — Juicy Fruit” he even struck the Tebow pose saying, “Tim’s a Parrot Head. I’m the devil in his life.”

Read the full review and see photos from the show here.

View the set list from the show here.

The tour continues Thursday in Charleston and then Saturday in Orlando. See the full schedule and get your tickets here.