$200 million Bath & Racquet project seeks to gain momentum — quickly

In tennis terms, for a while it looked like real estate investor and developer Mark Lucas might double fault on his plans to redevelop the Sarasota Bath & Racquet Club.

But with some shifty footwork, agile and creative real estate brokers  — and the assistance of a smashing hot real estate market — Lucas turned the project into a major advantage. The endgame? The Bath & Racquet Club, a prominent part of Sarasota for more than two generations that had recently been in decline, is about to get what could be a $200 million makeover.