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Caladesi Island Tops Beach Destinations

With all the coastline in Florida, it’s no wonder that three beaches in the state have been selected as the top ten beach destinations.

Caladesi Island State Park located on the Gulf Coast was chosen as the best beach, Siesta Beach near Sarasota placed in third and the Key Biscayne Park came in ninth.

Other beaches selected include:

#2. Hanalei Beach, Kauai, Hawaii.
#4. Coopers Beach, Southampton, New York
#5. Coronado Beach, San Diego, California.
#6. Main Beach, East Hampton, N.Y.
#7. Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii
#8. Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks of North Carolina
#9. Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, S.C.

This means that geographically, Florida is one of the greatest places to live if you love the beach - you’re never far away from the sand and the surf.

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HomeBuyer Expo - Orange County Convention Center

If you’re thinking of purchasing a home in Florida, you won’t want to miss out on HomeBuyer Expo 5 being held in Orlando on June 7th at the Orange County Convention Center. The event attracts 4,000 consumers and over 100 exhibitors, with the result being new affordable housing opportunities for some attendees.

Steve Auger, Florida Housing Finance’s executive director, said that, with foreclosures on the rise and more restrictive lending practices, it’s more important than ever for consumers to be fully educated before they begin the homebuying process. Such people make better decisions about how much home they can realistically afford, what it takes to properly maintain their home once they buy, and how to select a fixed-rate mortgage that won’t reset at higher interest rates, Auger said.

The event is open from 10am to 5pm on June 7th. The event is free to attend for all, but pre-registration is requested. For more information: Florida Housing.

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Verizon Wireless Prepares Florida For 2008 Hurricane Season

With the 2008 hurricane season quickly approaching, Verizon Wireless just announced that they are making preparations to provide reliable wireless communications in the event of powerful storms.

Pam Tope, Florida region president of Verizon Wireless said:

“We’re not going to let our guard down because wireless communication is so important during emergencies. We’re going to continue to heavily invest, thoroughly prepare and tirelessly work to provide Floridians with the most reliable wireless service in an emergency and each time they use their phones.”

Verizon Wireless has made the following upgrades to their wireless network in Florida:

* A comprehensive emergency response plan, including preparing emergency command centers across Florida in case of a storm or other crisis.
* A $20 million enhancement to its Tampa Bay switching facility, which doubled its traffic capacity and back-up power redundancies. The facility is designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane and will serve as the region’s emergency operations center in the event of a storm or other disaster.
* A new 35-foot $150,000 Disaster Response Trailer to be used as a temporary customer service location in areas impacted by a disaster.
* Nearly 100 new digital cell sites erected during the past year, of which about 85 percent have their own on-site generators and new expanded fuel tanks to extend their power-generating capacity.
* Verizon Wireless network technicians (who serve as the inspiration for the famous TV Test Man) have traveled more than 150,000 miles across the state this past year in six vehicles ($250,000 each) equipped with phones, wireless data devices and computers to measure the quality of voice and data calls on Verizon Wireless’ network and the networks of other carriers.
* A fleet of Cells on Wheels (COWs) and Cells on Light Trucks (COLTs), and generators on trailers (GOaTS) that can be rolled into hard-hit locations or areas that need extra network capacity.
* Pre-arranging fuel delivery to mobile units and generators to keep the network operating at full strength even if power is lost for an extended period of time.
* The expansion of its EV-DO wireless broadband network, including launching its high-speed Rev. A network throughout the state. This allows the most advanced wireless services (downloads, location-based applications, video messaging, etc.) and makes the network more robust for usage by residents and emergency agencies.

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Florida Foreclosure Rate Fourth In Nation

Foreclosures in Florida are being filed at a rapid rate that placed the Sunshine State into fourth place nationally. Over 35,000 foreclosures were filed in Florida in April.

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Boca Raton Florida Real Estate

Boca Raton is a beach front community located in South Florida. Situated between West Palm and Pompano Beach, Boca Raton real estate is premium property.

No matter whether you’re looking for a rental apartment, a vacation home, a timeshare or a permanent residence, Boca Raton has no shortage of available properties. Homes in Boca Raton can be purchased for as low as $131,000 and can go as high as $1 million dollars, depending on square footage and the location of the home. Obviously, beachfront homes and condos will demand a higher
price than a property that’s within walking distance of the beach.

What are the benefits of living in Boca Raton, Florida?

• Boca Raton has excellent schools. This is a bonus for families that want their children to have a good education.
• A centrally located Town Square makes shopping and dining convenient.
• The city is billboard free. Residents and visitors aren’t bombarded with advertising messages as they drive through town.
• An average temperature of 74 degrees.
• Entertainment and beaches nearby!
• Steady employment in the area.

If you are looking to relocate to or within Florida, be sure to look at Real Estate located in Boca Raton, Florida.

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Lake Eola Park To Be Home To All Swan Species

If you enjoy watching magnificent swans, Lake Eola Park is the place to be.

City leaders in Orlando have decided to import representatives of all swan species to the small lake. Non profit veterinarians have agreed to provide care for these beautiful swimming birds.

The following breeds of swans will join the black swans that already call Eola Park home: Black-neck swans from South America, Coscoroba swans, trumpeter swans, the tundra swan from the Arctic and the Bewick’s swan. The birds’ wings will be clipped to keep them in the park.

I’m sure this will draw more people to the area - everyone loves a swan.

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ACS Hired To Refurbish North Terminal At Miami International Airport

Sources report that ACS (Actividades de Construccion y Contratas SA) has been awarded a 125 Million dollar contract to refurbish the North Terminal at Miami International Airport.

This will be ACS first contract in Florida.

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Ryder To Acquire Gator Leasing - Based In Florida

Ryder System recently announced that they will acquire Florida based Gator Leasing, a leading commercial truck rental business in the Sunshine State.

Under the terms of the agreement, Ryder will acquire Gator’s fleet of 2,300 full service lease and rental units and approximately 300 contract customers served by Gator Leasing from its nine locations in Florida.

“Gator Leasing has been a strong transportation service provider and respected competitor in Florida and we are pleased to have them become a part of Ryder,” said Ryder Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Greg Swienton. “This acquisition is a key strategic milestone for us in expanding and strengthening our core competence in Fleet Management Solutions.”

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed and the deal is expected to close in May 2008.

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Prime Florida Real Estate

Prime Florida real estate is being auctioned off Amelia RiverWalk in Fernandina Beach. You can view the listings on a new website.

The Freedom Realty Exchange today announced the launch of an online auction campaign designed to sell brand-new, grand estate homes at Amelia RiverWalk in Fernandina Beach.

The deadline for bids is May 1st., 2008.

For more information: Freedom Realty Exchange.

To view listings online Listings.

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Bankruptcy Claiming Some Florida Real Estate Firms

If you want proof that the Florida real estate market has hit a snag in certain areas, you shouldn’t have to look much further than the bankruptcy filings from a numbers of real estate firms. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Middle District of Florida already has handled 24 cases this year.

Twenty-four companies have filed for bankruptcy in the three-county area since late October, claiming assets of $12.4 million and debts of $22.2 million, according to data from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida.

That compares with 12 companies that filed for bankruptcy protection, claiming assets of $12.3 million and debts of $94.3 million, during the same period a year ago.

I’d say that’s a pretty good indication of how far some of the values of land, real estate holdings, and real estate have fallen.

Don’t expect a quick fix to the problem, either. “The number of bankruptcies will continue to go up and up,” said John Cole, a Sarasota bankruptcy attorney. “They won’t go down for maybe a year or two.”

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