The economy remains sluggish and banks, for the most part, still aren’t lending. But that hasn’t stopped Bill Harvey from selling sites at Silver Palms RV Village, his new upscale RV resort in Okeechobee, Florida.

The Village just opened in March. But Harvey has sold nearly one third of the 167 sites in the resort’s first phase at prices ranging from $55,900 to $77,900.

Jim Krasner and his wife, Marilyn, of New Jersey were among the first to purchase a site at the resort. “We had a high confidence level in Bill, having spent time at his other park, Cross Creek RV Resort in Arcadia. So when we found out he was building another park and that you could buy the sites, we bought our own site almost immediately,” Jim Krasner said, adding, “We bought it before the shovel hit the dirt.”

Construction work is still underway on the $15 million RV resort, located less than a half mile from the northern tip of Lake Okeechobee. Resort amenities will include a private members lounge, a 9,000-square-foot clubhouse, a 300-capacity ballroom, a resort-size pool and Jacuzzi, and a 1,000-square-foot fitness center in addition to tennis, pickleball, volleyball and shuffleboard courts. The resort, which will eventually have 512 sites, is also located within a mile of Publix, Home Depot, Wal-Mart and numerous restaurants.

“We think we’ve provided the best purchasing value in South Florida, with RV site prices being offered at literally half the price of comparable RV resorts,” Harvey said, adding that a number of Silver Palms RV site buyers are people who had previously rented sites at Cross Creek RV Resort.

Owning their own RV site is important to the Krasners, who believe Okeechobee offers the best value in South Florida and the most reliably warm winter weather in the state. The Krasners, who spend the winter in a 40-foot Holiday Rambler Endeavor, had also grown weary of traveling from RV park to RV park throughout the winter.

RV resorts tend to rent their best sites to people who stay for three months or longer, while holding their less desirable sites for people who stay for only short periods of time, Jim Krasner said. But by purchasing their own site, they no longer have to worry about where they will be staying, since they’ve picked out a permanent site they know they will always enjoy.

The idea of owning their own site at Silver Palms RV Village is equally appealing to Roger and Barbara Striker of Illinois, who spend the winter in their 41-foot Monaco Diplomat.

“We had spent the winter at Cross Creek, Harvey’s other park, and we were pleased at how well maintained it was,” said Barbara Striker, adding that Harvey’s attention to detail gave them confidence in purchasing a site at Silver Palms.

By owning their own RV site, Striker said they have also guaranteed themselves the ability to spend the winters in South Florida for as long as they want without having to worry about future increases in rent or lease fees.

Silver Palms RV Village is conveniently located in the middle of South Florida, within easy driving distance of Tampa, Ft. Myers, Orlando, West Palm Beach or Miami. For more information on Silver Palms RV Village, contact Phyllis Walker at (863) 467-5800 or visit the resort’s website at www.silverpalmsrv.com.