Suntex Marina Investors has merged with Windward Marina Group’s Florida portfolio, adding 13 sites and more than 3,000 slips to its network. Through its joint venture with private equity firm Centerbridge Partners, the transaction takes the Suntex portfolio past 100 marinas nationwide, with 34 now located across Florida. Financial terms have not been made public.

The Dallas-based marina owner and operator, co-founded by Bryan Redmond, has aggressively expanded across US coastal markets in partnership with Centerbridge, which manages around $46 billion in assets across private equity, private credit and real estate.

Suntex’s existing portfolio includes the likes of the host to the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Bahia Mar Yachting Center in Fort Lauderdale and one of the most recognised destinations on the US East Coast. Miami Beach Marina is the group's largest site by slip count at 400 berths.

Windward was founded by Stefan Johansson in partnership with Robert Finvarb, Nalpak Ventures and Thomas D. Wood Jr., drawing on expertise across marina operations, hospitality and real estate investment. In under seven years, the company grew from a single site to more than a dozen properties. The acquired sites span Amelia Island, Jacksonville Beach, St. Augustine, Port Orange, Micco, Fort Pierce, Port Charlotte, Englewood, Panacea and Pensacola, across Florida’s Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast and Panhandle.

“Together, we are creating a highly connected coastal network with Suntex marinas positioned near major inlets from Miami to Amelia Island,” says Redmond.

The transaction arrives against the backdrop of institutional appetite for marinas worldwide. According to Suntex, Florida leads the US in new resident growth and boating participation.

While the Windward portfolio is predominantly recreational in focus, the transaction is best viewed as a strategic move to increase Suntex’s total number of marina holdings, rather than a deliberate push into more infrastructure for larger superyachts (above 30 metres). This approach leverages the financial benefits of scale, coupled with fixed supply and rising demand, and pairs them with attractive coastal real estate, making large-scale ownership increasingly appealing to investors.

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