Johnny Morris, the legendary founder of Bass Pro Shops and owner of Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, MO., has presented plans for the oceanfront Valhalla Island Resort development before an audience that included Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and key leaders of the Florida Keys recreational fishing and conservation communities.
Valhalla Island is the largest resort property anywhere in the Florida Keys. It includes more than 175 acres and more than a mile of beachfront property, located just 15 minutes from the Marathon International Airport, a two-hour drive from Miami and just over an hour from Key West. Plans for the resort involve maintaining more than 50 percent of the property’s green space.
For more than 30 years, Morris has been assembling Valhalla Island. Much of his inspiration to develop the resort came from the legendary Long Key Fishing Camp. Founded in 1908 by Henry Flagler, the Long Key Fishing Camp was largely responsible for establishing the Florida Keys’ position of prominence on the sportfishing landscape. Frequented by U.S. Presidents, A-listers from Hollywood’s Golden Age, Ernest Hemingway and Zane Grey, the Long Key Fishing Camp opened the eyes of the world to the the Florida Keys.
The Valhalla Island Resort is areinforcement in Morris’ continuing commitment to boosting the Florida Keys sportfishing community and promoting the region’s tourism industry. Located just 25 miles southwest of World Wide Sportsman – Bass Pro Shops’ saltwater store – in Islamorada, the resort is the latest offering of Morris’ and Bass Pro Shops’ series of investments to amplify sportfishing, conservation and nature-based tourism within the Keys and the State of Florida.
To bring the vision to life, Morris and his daughter, Megan, have partnered with leading architecture firms Hart Howerton and Nunzio Marc DeSantis Architects. Using ecologically sensitive design techniques and working with the natural ecology of the Florida Keys, plans for the 110-unit nature resort call for an intimate setting that preserves 50 percent of green space throughout. Valhalla Island Resort will be vehicle free. All surfaces will be permeable surfaces.
Resort accommodations consist of a collection of one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom cottages, in addition to a master lodge and general store, all of which are nestled within lush, tropical landscaping and a sweeping beach shaded by hundreds of palm trees. Other amenities include restaurants, a spa, swimming pools, fishing marina and spaces designed for people to gather and connect with nature.
Rendering Courtesy of Valhalla Island Resort