Great Deals In Florida’s Boca Grande

BOCA GRANDE - This town on Gasparilla Island, partly in Charlotte and partly in Lee County, is a happy little place devoid of the new money mansions that litter many once great Florida resort towns. Nevertheless, it isn’t backward, or frozen in time. The old Gasparilla Inn still rules the town.

There is nothing completely showy here, real estate wise; you will have to head up to Casey Key in Sarasota for that. Instead, there are some nice condos, great houses and lots of Northeastern bluebloods on golf carts.

Great Time For Sarasota Real Estate

This is a great time to look at Sarasota Real Estate under $200K. Some good stuff still out there.

Find a Retro House in Sarasota

SARASOTA - For those of you who have dreamed about a glorious retro ranch house from the 1950s, terrazzo tiles and all, now is the time. Sarasota, home of the Sarasota School of Modern design, is the place you want to be looking. Other than Palm Springs, California, this is the place. Prices have dropped, and there are some great deals. Read more

Sarasota School Open House; Paul Rudolph Icon Open This Weekend on Siesta Key

SARASOTA - Admirers of modern architecture might want to be in Sarasota Sunday June 21 for an open house to see a Paul Rudolph gem. No, not the remnants of Riverview High School but the Cohen House.

The Cohen House was designed by Paul Rudolph in 1955, and it is back on the market and priced at $1.1 Mil. Read more

Babcock Ranch Nation’s First Solar City

PORT CHARLOTTE - Real estate developer Kitson & Partners announced a landmark agreement with electric utility Florida Power & Light to build the world’s largest solar photovoltaic power plant at Babcock Ranch, Florida, making it the world’s first city powered by solar energy.

The 17,000-acre city of Babcock Ranch will consume less power than the proposed FPL on-site solar facilities will produce, allowing it to become the first city on earth powered by zero-emission solar energy. The city of Babcock Ranch will also be home to an integrated “smart grid” that will provide greater efficiencies and allow residents and businesses to monitor and control their energy consumption. Read more

Florida Keys Marinas Bought By Summit

NORTH PALM BEACH - Summit Development said that it has acquired two prominent marina properties in the Florida Keys, namely Mangrove Marina in Tavernier and The Sombrero Resort and Marina in Marathon. Summit said in a press release it will undertake extensive renovations.

Summit Development is actively seeking office, retail, residential, hotel and marina opportunities throughout South Florida, and have wide-ranging experience in property acquisition, renovation and management. The company specializes in repositioning under-performing real estate assets.

Summit Development President Felix Charney said the two marina properties will require major investment. “While both are clearly in need of work, that does not diminish their inherent value in terms of their location and potential. We see tremendous opportunities with respect to the marinas. We have spent the last 15 months looking at under-performing assets in South Florida and these two locations stood out,” he said.

Robert Charney, who oversees Summit’s Florida operations, noted that Summit recognizes the importance both locations play in the Keys. “It is obvious that the deterioration of these two properties has been a cause for concern. We are well-financed and are confident that we can accomplish a repositioning of the two sites that will once again make them the valuable component of the Keys business community that they can and should be.”

Summit acquired the two sites from Sun Vest Communities, the successor to Cay Clubs. Robert Charney said: “We want to assure the Keys community and our visitors that under Summit’s ownership the two properties will be properly renovated so that they can regain their prominence in the community.”

• Mangrove Marina has 130 boat slips as well as rack storage, boat yard facilities, a fuel dock, boat launching ramp and a ships’ store. It is situated on the Inter-coastal Waterway and is protected on three sides by mangrove islands. Tavernier is about 12 miles south of Key Largo a
  30-minute drive from the mainland.
• Sombrero Resort and Marina is midway between Key Largo and Key West. It includes a 54-slip marina as well as 124 one-bedroom condo-style suites and eight detached villas, “The Latitudes,” a full-service restaurant, tennis courts and a poolside tiki bar.

“Redevelopment is something we do well,” Felix Charney said. “We are anxious to get started on the two marina sites in the Keys and we are actively pursuing other opportunities throughout Florida. These may include hotels, marinas, retail and office properties, and both for sale and leased single-family, multi-family and condominium projects.”

Orion Bank, which has 23 branches in Florida, is financing the acquisition and renovation.

Summit Development is based in Southport, Connecticut, and has offices in Chappaqua, New York, as well as North Palm Beach. Since its founding in 1981, the company has developed more than 4 million square feet of commercial space and more than 1,000 units of residential housing.

See www.summitdevelopment.net.

Eat Chifles Plantain Chips From Tampa

Tasty Chips from Plantain

TAMPA - If you like potato chips, do get Chifles Plantain chips the next time you are in Florida. They were created by Segundo Argudo, a native of Ecuador, where plantain chips are plentiful, and his wife Peggy in 1963.

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Briefs: Abingdon at Tradition Partners with PGA

Port St. Lucie, FL, August 30, 2008 - Abingdon at Tradition, a master-planned, full-service retirement community in Port St. Lucie, has entered into an exclusive partnership with the PGA Country Club, whereby each independent member will be granted an associate membership to the Club which is also located Port St. Lucie, Florida.

“Many of our members are avid golfers, so this partnership is a natural fit for our community,” said Jonathan Collins, Abingdon at Tradition Executive Director. Developed by Senior Living Communities, an owner and operator of premier retirement communities throughout the southeast, Abingdon at Tradition, a gated, luxury retirement community which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2009, will offer 70 single-family homes, 160 condominium-style villas, 26 enhanced-living villas as we as 48 assisted-living apartments, 24 memory care apartments and 24 skilled-nursing apartments. See www.Abingdon-Tradition.com.

Stirling Sotheby’s Auctions Florida Condos

ORLANDO - Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty will host a global auction of selected luxury homes and properties at the renowned Ginn Resorts – Reunion, Bella Collina and Hammock Beach - all in the heart of Central Florida.

• Ginn Reunion Resort is a luxury golf community that offers recreational amenities to create the ultimate family vacations. The resort features three signature golf courses designed by Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson.
• Hammock Beach is a luxury beachside resort on Florida’s East Coast, featuring two championship golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson.
• Bella Collina is a luxury lakeside community that brings a touch of Tuscany to Central Florida, and features a golf course designed by Nick Faldo.

More than twenty homes, ranging in price from £163,500 to £2.1 million, are expected to be auctioned on October 25, 2008 at 11:00 am EDT. Stirling Sotheby’s will announce its formal house line-up on September 25. Properties will be available for sale in person or online. (SOURCE: Business Wire)

Paul Rudolph’s Beach Cottages in Sarasota

OSPREY — Those interested in beach cottages, mid-century Modern architecture and Florida will want to go to Sarasota’s Historic Spanish Point before Sept. 30, 2008, to catch the exhibition on architect Paul Rudolph entitled Paul Rudolph: Florida Houses & The Sarasota School of Architecture.

This exhibition explores the mid 1940s work of award-winning and world renowned architect Paul Rudolph {1918-1997}. After attaining his Master of Architecture degree from Harvard, Rudolph formed an association with Ralph Twitchell in Sarasota County. Known as the Sarasota School of Architecture, this style defined the look of modern Sarasota and influenced residential architecture everywhere.

The exhibit features models of the houses, as well as large photographs from noted modernist photographer Ezra Stoller. The exhibit is a companion to the book Paul Rudolph: The Florida Houses by Christopher Domin and Joseph King. Read more

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