Huh. Larry Ellison is buying the island of Lanai.

[JoelUpchurch]

This doesn’t sound so weird to me, but I live close to Walt Disney World.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reedy_Creek_Improvement_District

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebration,_Florida

[PunditLisa]

@teela_brown

My husband worked on one of his expenditures here on the peninsula: a $200 million Japanese estate in the forest community of Woodside. I think Larry plans a couple of Four Seasons hotels on Lanai, but I’m still reading.

There are already two Four Seasons hotels on Lanai. Assuming Ellison wants to partially develop the island, instead of just using it as his own playground, they could use some decent roads, a few restaurants, a grocery store, and some condo developments. Lanai is beautiful but not much to do.

Of course they’ll need the cooperation of the locals, who need jobs but complain loudly and effectively ( see Molokai) if it is not done with their cooperation.

[Simplicio]

@PunditLisa

There are already two Four Seasons hotels on Lanai. Assuming Ellison wants to partially develop the island, instead of just using it as his own playground, they could use some decent roads, a few restaurants, a grocery store, and some condo developments. Lanai is beautiful but not much to do.

Yea, I haven’t really seen anything about why Ellison wants the island. Building it up as a tourist trap might be a good investment, but it seems like kind of a weird retirement project for an aging billionaire. It seems too big just for a rich-person playground, even for someone with Ellison’s money. I guess he can base his America’s Cup stuff out of there, but again, it seems too big for just that.

Maybe he just wants a place to grow pineapples?