By Joyce Owen
The 14,400-square-foot lagoon pool at Cypress Breeze Plantation almost overwhelms the first-time visitor, but when a gentle breeze combines with the spray from one of the waterfalls the cooling sensation makes the pool the place to be.
?It was always our intention to make it a focal point, a centerpiece,? NFC Development Inc. senior vice president Henry De Varona said of the pool. ?We didn?t want to be like other developments with a flat pool.?
By comparison, the Seacrest Beach pool, previously touted as the largest pool in South Walton is 12,000 square feet.
The Cypress Breeze project?s price tag jumped from $1.5 million to $4.5 million during the development. The pool development team included De Varona, NFC vice president Wayne Adkinson, Jeff Prescott and Jimbo Patterson.
?We just kept going and added this, and then someone suggested ?wouldn?t this be neat? and we added that and it grew,? De Varona said.
An elevator whisks visitors to a 3,000-square-foot multi-level observation deck for an overview of the three interconnecting pools with 10 waterfalls and the 100-acre property that includes 40 acres preserved in a natural state.
Cypress Breeze Plantation is a gated community off County Road 393, within walking distance of Gulf Place and Ed Walline Regional Beach Access.
NFC Development held a grand opening there on July 27 to show off the pool and kick off the sale of 103 lots. Additional lots are in development for phase four and should be completed next month, De Varona said.
De Varona, who lives in Cypress Breeze, said he hoped the homeowner?s association would consider renting out the pool for public events. With 180 others to decide, De Varona couldn?t guarantee that one day the pool would be available to the rest of the community, but he suggested ?it would be a wonderful source of income.?