On Friday, Siegel debuts his $10 million Westgate River Ranch Resort by throwing a two-day public party at the 1,700-acre site outside Lake Wales, FL, 60 miles south of Downtown Orlando.

The July 5-6 dude ranch opening follows Siegel's $12.75 million purchase of the 1,000-acre, 750-room Grenelefe Golf & Tennis Club resort near Winter Haven, FL, 15 miles north of Lake Wales. Siegel purchased Grenelefe at a U.S. Bankruptcy Court auction in Tampa, FL June 19.

Before doing the Grenelefe deal, Siegel purchased an 80,000-sf Scotty's Inc. store in Ocoee, FL, an Orlando suburb, for $3.8 million or $47.50 per sf. Siegel plans to convert the retail structure to a timeshare call center for his $500 million Central Florida Investments Inc., his real estate holding company.

And next month, the Miami Beach native is first in line at another U.S. Bankrtuptcy Court auction, this time in Orlando, with the 17-story, twin, 408-unit Sandy Lake Towers hotel-condominium property at stake. Siegel already holds a $17 million first mortgage on the property.

Of all his most recent deals, however, an aide tells GlobeSt.com Siegel likes the Westgate River Ranch Resort property best.

"It's already the biggest in the country but now our goal is to make it the best dude ranch in the world," Siegel says in a prepared statement.

The developer bought the property last November for $6 million, then invested another $4 million in renovations. Siegel plans to develop 2,500 vacation residences, timeshare units, whole ownership and private hanger homes on the airstrip at the ranch.

The buildout value of the entire project will be at least $1 billion, area brokers who have worked with Siegel's team tell GlobeSt.com on condition of anonymity.