Guided by Coral Gables attorneys, residents of a 55-and-older community took control of the property this summer, first taking over the homeowner association and then buying the commercial segment.

Pelican Preserve is a sprawling, 1,100-acre development east of Interstate 75 in Fort Myers with 2,500 single-family homes and the 1.6-acre Plaza del Sol Town Center with a movie theater, amphitheater, swimming pools and arts studio.