Davidson Development Celebrates 20 years of Developing

Davidson Development, Inc. excitedly celebrates 20 years of changing the face of Northeast Florida real estate. Under the leadership of company president and CEO Jim Davidson, the company is most recognized as master developer and the mastermind of World Golf Village. The masterplanned golf community paved the way for growth in northwest St. Johns County. The community is home to the World Golf Hall of Fame and two championship golf courses.

At first, many people felt the resort community was in the middle of no where. “I like to say that it took us ten years to become an overnight success,” says Jim Davidson, a former Arvida Corporation executive. “No one’s laughing any more. In all seriousness, we’ve been very blessed as a company to have had such a successful run over the last 20 years and we look forward to the next 20.”

World Golf Village’s sales center opened in 1998 and today the community has 3,465 homes and more than 11,000 residents. World Golf Village features the Slammer &; Squire golf course designed by Bobby Weed with Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen and the King &; Bear golf course, the first and only design collaboration between Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.

Other amenities include the World Golf Hall of Fame and 300-seat World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX® Theater, the PGA TOUR Golf Academy, the PGA TOUR Spa Laterra, PGA TOUR Stop retail center and the flagship Murray Bros. Caddyshack® restaurant. Amenities for residents include the Neighborhoods Fitness Center, community parks and the Swim and Tennis Center.

From the golf community’s inception, developer Davidson was committed to preserving the area’s natural beauty, setting aside a full 45 percent of the development’s acreage for preservation. As a result, the community received the 2002 Envy Award from the Florida Association of Realtors for environmental excellence.

The Davidson Companies has received Good Neighbor Awards from Jacksonville Homebuyer magazine for four consecutive years, in addition to various awards from area community organizations.