He said that within a decade, most of the project will be built. You get resentment both ways - inside, because they don't want people coming in, and outside, because they can't come in. Once visitors and island residents have access to amenities inside the Plantation's gates, such hard feelings may dissipate, he said. Nestled among wind-gnarled pines and cypress, the Inn looks like it might be an outsized version of surrounding homes, most of which are perched on stilts like exotic birds. The addition of Resort Village comes as no surprise to Plantation homeowners, Palmer said.
Some homeowners disagree.
Tom Adams bought his land in 1978, and built his home there in 1988. He said the 1977 development order he saw pictured one hotel similar to the Gibson Inn in Apalachicola. The hotel now being built is nothing like that, he said. Furthermore, plans for additional facilities, such as a beach club, are out of scale with the surroundings, he said. It's adjacent to Nick's Hole, one of the most prolific breeding grounds for wildlife and one of the major draining areas for the islands.