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3rd December 2006

Florida’s a new attraction in Wayne's world

Can it be true that Florida is fashionable again? Despite the US property market lurching from bad to worse, the state best known as a hotbed for retirees and Disney junkies is now attracting high profile sporting stars such as footballer Wayne Rooney and Ryder Cup golfer Lee Westwood.

Both sportsmen have just bought at the luxurious Harbor Pointe development at Port Charlotte and others are about to sign on the dotted line.

Harbor Pointe, finished earlier this year, is a colonial-style boutique development of 96 three-bedroom, two bathroom waterside condos with a communal pool surrounded by tropical gardens. There’s also the prerequisite clubhouse with restaurant, bar, gym and use of the nearby marina.

Westwood bought his home for $449,000 (£234,800), and the property isn’t his first overseas venture - he already owns a townhouse in Tenerife and co-owns a villa in the Bahamas with cricketing chum Freddie Flintoff and fellow golfer Darren Clarke (with whom he also owns a private jet).

Manchester United star Rooney and his fiancée Coleen McLoughlin have also purchased a condo over-looking the Peace River and gardens and will holiday there will their respective families.

And why Port Charlotte? It’s been voted by Americans as one of the top five places to live in Florida, lies 70 miles south of Tampa and is in Charlotte County which has more than 100 miles of waterfront and some of the best beaches in the state.

“Harbor Pointe is perfect for celebs and those who want to get away from it all as it is hidden away in an exclusive location” says Chris Davies, of Your Place Abroad.

Condos range from $449,000 to $560,000, although only a few are still up for grabs.