Ducks at Sarasota Crossing near Siesta Key

We happened upon these happy ducks behind the Publix at Sarasota Crossing. They appeared not to be worried about the impending Hurricane. Mom was watching very carefully as cameras from Florid-Blog snapped her family portrait.

River Palm Cottages and Fish Camp, Jensen Beach

Want a taste of old Florida? The River Palm Cottages and Fish Camp is the perfect spot in Jensen Beach, a delightful throwback town north of Stuart and Jupiter. It’s a true Florida fish camp, with cottages surrounding a common area and fishing nearby. During the recent real estate boom, everyone thought that all the places like it had disappeared. No way.

The camp is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Their website has cabin prices and photos of each, as well as fishing day rates.

River Palm Cottages and Fish Camp, 2325 NE Indian River Drive, Jensen Beach, FL 34957 or (772) 334-0401 or (800) 305-0511 or rivpalm@aol.com.

Median House Price Up? Plus 1,000 Burger Kings in Latin America

ORLANDO Aug. 14 (PRNewswire) During the second quarter of 2008, Florida Realtors continued to report positive signs for the state’s housing sector, such as an increase in pending home sales (based on contracts signed but not closed) and a slower rate of expansion of inventory levels in some areas. Sales of both existing single-family homes and existing condominiums improved in second quarter 2008 from the first quarter of the year, according to the latest housing statistics from the Florida Association of Realtors. A total of 35,178 existing homes sold statewide in 2Q 2008, up 38.2 percent over 1Q 2008 when 25,443 homes sold. The statewide existing home median price in 2Q 2008 was $203,000, slightly higher than the $202,300 median price reported in 1Q 2008.

MIAMI (BUSINESS WIRE) Burger King Corp. (NYSE:BKC) announced today that it now has 1,000 restaurants open in the Latin America and Caribbean region. BURGER KING restaurants now operate in 27 countries across the region and have realized 15 years of positive comparable sales growth. Most recently, the BURGER KING brand surpassed its closest competitor in Mexico in total number of restaurants making it the region’s 17th country to successfully attain market leadership.

Piazza and Other Celebs Live on Miami’s Sunset Island

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New York Mets retiree Mike Piazza and his Playboy Playmate wife Alicia, part-time residents of Miami, are selling their condo in South Beach, according to the August 16, 2008 Wall Street Journal. The condo, purchased in 2002 for $1.75 million, is in the Murano at Portofino building at the south end of the beach.

The couple, who have a residence in Manhattan, will not leave Miami; they own a nearly 10,000 square foot house on Sunset Island neighborhood, home to Anna Kournikova and boyfriend Enrique Iglesias. Sunset island sits just south of the Julia Tuttle Causeway and east of the Miami Beach Golf Club.

Another famous resident of Sunset Island is the singer Shakira, who was born in Colombia.

The Piazza condo is listed by Jill Eber and Jill Hertzberg of Coldwell Banker.

Above, a Google map of Florida celebs.

Seminar at Ritz-Carlton, New Security at Miami International

A roundup of recent Florida travel business headlines.

Best Practices at Ritz-Carlton Sarasota: On Tuesday, October 14, The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota presents a Best Practices Showcase featuring a day-long program of exhibits, topical workshops and networking opportunities, as well as keynote speakers for the attending business, government and community leaders. For more information, please contact JoAnne Menard at (941) 309-2733 or jo.anne.menard@ritzcarlton.com

New Google Mapping in Jax: Downtown Vision, Inc., Downtown Jacksonville’s Improvement District, launched its new and improved website, www.downtownjacksonville.org. Designed as a one-stop-shop for information on Downtown Jacksonville, the website upgrade includes new web services integration, improved navigation and organization, customizable features, and a fresh design. “With approximately 13 million visits made to Downtown Jacksonville last year, clearly there is a demand for information about Downtown in addition to connecting more than 200 businesses and retailers with workers and residents. The site is also a resource for statistics, development documents and legislation related to Downtown Jacksonville,” said Pamela Elms, Director of Marketing, Downtown Vision, Inc.

Boca Raton-based Revelex Corporation, a travel technology booking engine for agents and vendors, announced that InteleTravel, the longtime host agency, chose Revelex as its principal. Prior to implementing Revelex booking solutions, InteleTravel offered online booking only to its travel agents. Now, travel agents customers experience direct access through a simple, comprehensive user interface, giving them the ability to book their own travel through any InteleTravel agent website.

Miami Airport Surveillance: A high-tech surveillance system is now in operation at Miami International Airport. Plano, Texas-based Ericsson Federal’s custom solution for MIA includes deployment and systems integration of an access control system and alarm system to secure more than 1,000 access points across the airport. The solution includes live high-speed video surveillance, synchronized with two-way audio intercoms and supports both digital video and audio recording. The system includes live full frame video feeds from more than 500 cameras – along with audio and telemetry information. Serving more than 15 million passengers each year, Miami International Airport is in the top 30 worldwide for total passengers. “The Ericsson Federal solution provides for a more hardened target while leveraging efficiencies in responding to security alarms and incidents. Officers can now monitor and manage the security network from workstations with easy-to-use interfaces,” said Lauren Stover, director, Security and Communications for Miami International Airport, in a Business Wire release.

How to Get Dolphins Tickets

Want to travel to Florida to go to a Dolphins game? Miami Dolphins single game tickets for the 2008 regular season home games went sale to the public August 9.

It’s the first season of the Bill Parcells/Jeff Ireland/Tony Sparano era. The team, in a press release, says that game tickets to certain key match-ups are expected to sell quickly, in particular, the home opener against the New York Jets on September 7, the San Diego Chargers game on October 5 and the New England Patriots game on November 23. For this reason, rather than purchasing tickets at the box office, fans are strongly encouraged to buy tickets through www.MiamiDolphins.com or Ticketmaster.com. Read more

Tiger Woods, Tampa Bucs at Celebration Hotel

Orlando native Tiger Woods was spotted in Celebration, Florida at an event sponsored by Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden. For the last seven years, the Buccaneers have stayed at the Celebration Hotel, part of the Kessler Collection of hotels. According to the Orlando Business Journal, while the team stayed at the hotel over their 20-day period, they consumed 10,000 pounds of meat, 250 gallons of milk and thousands of eggs, all prepared by Chef Zachary Martin and his culinary staff.

The culinary team, which supervises the hotel’s notable Plantation Room, also encompasses Sous Chef John Chaknis and Director of Food and Beverage Services Roger Calas. Chef Zack and Chef John both come from the Grand Bohemian Hotel in downtown Orlando.

The Celebration Hotel is a Kessler Collection hotel. The Kessler Collection is headquartered in Orlando and its portfolio includes six boutique four and five-diamond hotels located in Florida, Georgia, Colorado and New Mexico. It plans to open a new hotel in St. Petersburg. More information at www.celebrationhotel.com.

Armed Forces Museum Opens Near St. Petersburg

LARGO, August 13, 2008 – There’s yet another celebrated beach being talked about in the St. Petersburg and Clearwater area these days: Normandy. That’s because the new Armed Forces Military Museum is opening its doors to the public Saturday, August 16, at 2050 34th Way North in Largo. At its opening will be the unveiling of the state’s largest collection of authentic military artifacts from WWI up to-day. Read more

World’s Smallest Post Office, Ochopee

If you are driving on Tamiami Trail from Naples to Miami, do look for the world’s smallest post office. And here is a secret hint.

While Alligator Alley, also known as Interstate 17, is faster across the Everglades, if you have just a few more minutes, Tamiami is not crowded, and there is no toll. Many locals use it.

There is talk of selling the road to private interests, and tolls could go up. If this is true, we all might be seeing alot more of this little USPS relic.

Great Pedestrian Downtowns in Florida

FloridaSnapshot.com had a reader email us from near Canterbury, England. She is looking for a place to come with her husband for a few weeks this winter, to escape chilly Britain. And we don’t blame her. Read more

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