Eleven Reasons To Move to Florida

SARASOTA - Yes, the economy stinks. And it stinks in Florida. But Florida has been in recession longer than the rest of the nation.

In recent months the state seems to have stabilized, employment-wise. That makes it the perfect time to consider that dream move to Florida. Our 11 reasons: 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

Home Sales Rise in Florida

From staff reports

Single-family existing home sales rose in Florida for the first time in more than two years: While only six more homes sold in July 2008 than in July 2007, it could indicate stabilization in Florida’s housing sector, according to the latest housing statistics released by the Florida Association of Realtors August 25, 2008.

A total of 11,498 existing homes sold statewide last month while 11,492 homes sold in July 2007, maintaining the same level of sales activity in the year-to-year comparison, according to FAR. The last time statewide sales of existing homes outpaced the previous year’s sales figure was in
the year-end 2005 report, according to FAR records, when sales were up 2 percent over year-end 2004.

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.

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