LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL-Lakewood Ranch is seeing new development this year that will infuse more than $100 million into Florida’s west coast. Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, developers of the master-planned community, has attracted several private groups to develop a mix of homes, apartments, retail stores, schools and government offices there.

Lakewood Ranch is the 8,500-acre master-planned community in Sarasota and Manatee counties. It's home to more 15,000 residents and features A-rated schools, a hospital, the Sarasota Polo Club, its own Main Street with theaters, shopping and dining and 4 million square feet of commercial property. Lakewood Ranch has already sold more than 170 homes this year.

“Lakewood Ranch is without a doubt the growth corridor in the region and the state right now,” says Brian Kennelly, LWR Commercial Realty President. “We are a pocket of normalcy in the region and are coming out of the recession first due to the strength, stability and value that this area provides to buyers and business owners.”