Mother Nature hasn’t always been kind to the Sunshine State. Natural disasters like hurricanes and tropical storms have impacted Florida and its residents for decades. Now with speculation of a changing climate and some shady insurance business practices that have substantially increased insurance premiums, there are some people that are beginning to question the decision to invest and live in Florida. Having said that, currently there are still more people moving to and investing in Florida than people leaving, and new legislation regarding insurance has begun to improve the situation.
Change is part of life!… And change will continue to come to the Sunshine state! Enter Hunters Point in Cortez, Fl. An 86 – unit community located about 1 hour south of Tampa. Developed by Gobuty’s Pearl Homes, this is a net – zero community that saw its first residents in 2022. These homes have been built specifically to weather hurricanes and other storms. As developer Marshall Gobuty says. “ People build to code and my answer is
Great “. “ Building over code and doing things that haven’t been done – that’s something to be proud of “.
Gobuty spent 18 months testing prototype homes through various simulated weather conditions before construction. So far these homes, built 16 feet above sea level have weathered two hurricanes at the same time as generating more energy than they use by offering a mix of solar and battery power. Features like ground – floor flood vents and full – home metal strappings as well as using 2×6 insulation boards as opposed to 2×4’s are just some of the examples of how differently these homes are built.
The community is attracting both a younger and older demographic with some older folks being retirees. The average single – family home is approximately 1600 square feet. There are H.O.A fees which are quite suitable especially for retirees.
Cortez is a census designated place in Manatee County with an approximate population of about 4,000 people as per US census bureau ( 2020 ). The median sold home price was 430K as of December, 2024 and the median rent was $7,000 as of Fe. 2025.
