Publix is bringing a new grocery store to this major Manatee County development

West Bradenton’s newest development has its first tenant.

SeaFlower developers announced they submitted plans with Manatee County to bring Publix to the nearly 1,200-acre mixed-use development south of the Cortez Road and 75th Street West intersection.

The Lakeland-based grocery giant will build a 50,000-square-foot Publix in the new SeaFlower Village Center, about 2 miles from the Publix at the Bradenton Commons shopping center, 4651 Cortez Road W.

“Introducing a Publix to the SeaFlower community exemplifies the thoughtfully designed, connected neighborhood we’ve been envisioning in collaboration with Manatee County for over a decade,” Edward Hill, managing director of the Lake Flores Land Company, said in a news release. “SeaFlower residents will enjoy convenient access to shopping and public spaces, all within their own community, as additional stores and amenities come to life in the SeaFlower Village Center.”

A separate Publix liquor store is also planned. Opening dates have not been announced for either store.

In May, SeaFlower’s development plans were unveiled, though the project had gone by different names in the past. The first phase covers 400 acres and includes 1,700 residential units, 250 hotel rooms and 350,000 square feet of office and retail space, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.

New Publix store coming to West Bradenton

In total, 4,000 residential units are expected for the nearly 1,200-acre development. The project also includes a 2.5-mile multi-modal trail for walking, biking and golf carts to connect SeaFlower communities to the Village Center.

“West Bradenton is ready for something new,” Hill said in May.

While there is not an opening date planned for the Publix store, residents are expected to move in starting next summer. Whiting Preston, whose family commercially raised flowers for 50 years, conceived the property development idea under the name, “Crossroads.”

The name changed to Lake Flores to honor Preston’s mother Flavia Florez Preston and the flowers his father Walter Preston grew, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.

Sign Up for Local Breaking News