The Retreat at Twin Lakes is a gated community in the US city of Sanford , Florida that gained notoriety following the February 2012 shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman . The community initially consisted of 1,400-square-foot ( 130 m ² ) townhouses which sold on average for $ 250,000 , but had values below $ 100,000 by February 2012 due in large part to the financial crisis of 2007 – 2008 . In 2013 , properties ranged from " $ 115,990 s – $ 126,990 s. " In 2004 , Engle Homes began construction on the 263 two-story townhouse development which is located 18 miles ( 30 km ) northeast of Downtown Orlando . The community , near Interstate 4 in a suburban section of Sanford , was marketed as " an oasis where nobody could park a car on the street or paint the house an odd color . " The remaining lots were acquired by Lennar Homes following Engle Homes ' 2008 bankruptcy filing , and the neighborhood was finally built out in 2011
the February 2012 shooting
Shooting of Trayvon Martin
The Retreat at Twin Lakes