Start searching for that long-lost shaker of salt: Plans are in motion to bring a Camp Margaritaville to Volusia County.

Randy Knapp, the developer who successfully delivered a Camp Margaritaville RV Resort to Polk County’s Auburndale in 2022, told GrowthSpotter that he’s working to open a second Jimmy Buffett-themed luxury resort campground in Central Florida along the banks of the St. Johns River in Astor, near the Lake County line.

These plans have been in the works since before the singer died on Sept. 1 of a rare form of skin cancer at his home in Sag Harbor, New York.

An entity affiliated with Knapp purchased the proposed site in 2020 for $3.5 million. Located north of State Road 40 and just south of Lake George, the land covers 88 acres and was formerly home to a once-thriving mobile home park and marina known as Jungle Den that had become rundown beyond repair.

Before Knapp acquired the property, the previous owners got approval from the Volusia County Council in November 2020 to rezone the parcels from commercial marina, mobile home park and rural agriculture zoning to planned unit development.

Knapp, the CEO of RLK Real Estate & Development, confirmed the eventual plan for this property during an interview with GrowthSpotter at the I-4 Commercial Conference in Lakeland on Sept. 15.

“We haven’t officially branded it (Camp Margaritaville) yet, but it’s heading that way,” he said. “I’d say the chances are better than 50 percent that it will happen. It’s really looking good.”

Knapp said that the site is now vacant, noting that the buildings that once occupied Jungle Den have been demolished. The plan, he said, is to bring the site roughly 320 RV sites and 80 luxe cabins and cabanas.

“Whatever we do, it will be extremely well-planned and extremely well-run,” he said, adding that the project is still three to five years from reality.

Inspired by the hit Jimmy Buffet song, there are currently five Camp Margaritaville locations across the U.S., including Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Buford, Georgia, Crystal Beach, Texas and Henderson, Louisiana.

Camp Margaritaville opened in Auburndale, an hour southwest of Orlando, in early 2022. Located on 67 acres along Lake Myrtle, it includes 326 RV sites, including 11 super premium RV sites, 75 Cabana Cabins, two pools, a 147-foot water slide, fire pit, a Tiki Bar, entertainment stage, putting golf course, playground, dog parks, pet spa, and more.

Pickleball courts are coming soon, Knapp said during a panel discussion at the convention in Lakeland.

“It’s a great place for families to come,” he said. “One of the neatest and most rewarding things for us is watching people who never knew each other come into the property and make friendships and then return. …We had one couple from Miami that has visited us more than 40 different times. All in all, the brand has been wonderful. We are honored to have brought it to Polk County.”

He later added that the Volusia County site will include all of the same amenities as the Auburndale location, plus a few surprises.

“This will be the Auburndale site and then some,” he said. “We love the location. We look for unique properties; we love to be waterfront.”

To read more about early-stage development in Central Florida, go to GrowthSpotter.com and subscribe.