M/I Homes will Open Four New Communities in 2013, Sales Up 35 Percent in 2012 Over 2011

Orlando, Fla. – M/I Homes will add four new communities this year, including new communities in Orange, Seminole and Osceola Counties. M/I Homes now has nine active communities in the Orlando region according to David Byrnes, president of M/I Homes in Florida. Byrnes said that 2012 was a good year for M/I Homes in the Orlando area with a 35 percent increase in home sales over 2011. “We’ll do even better this year,” Byrnes emphasized. At the same time, Byrnes said this year the homebuilder plans to add at least 15 new employees both in the field and at its new corporate offices on International Parkway in Lake Mary. M/I Homes moved into its new headquarters at 400 International Parkway in 2012. With nine active communities plus land which is scheduled for development in the Orlando region, M/I Homes controls more than 1,000 home sites, Byrnes added.

NAI Realvest Negotiates New Industrial Leases totaling 14,400 square feet at West Orlando’s Carter CommerCenter and Countyline Industrial Park

ORLANDO, Fla. – NAI Realvest recently negotiated three industrial lease agreements totaling 14,400 square feet at the Carter CommerCenter in Winter Garden and at Countyline Industrial Park in Oakland in West Orlando. Michael Heidrich, principal at NAI Realvest brokered the transactions on behalf of the landlords. Pullin Customs, an automotive customizing firm, signed a lease for suites 100 and 110 with 6,000 square feet in Carter CommerCenter at 890 Carter Road in Winter Garden. COP-Carter LLC of Maitland is the landlord. Heidrich also negotiated two leases in the Countyline Industrial Park, 940 W. Oakland Ave. off Highway 50 and the Florida Turnpike representing landlord Countyline Suites LLC based in Winter Garden. DJB Imports Inc., a distributor of writing instruments and marking devices, leased Suites A-10 and A-11 with a total of 4,800 square feet at the industrial park. Paladin Healthcare, LLC leased Suite A-1 and half of Suite A-2 with a total of 3,600 square feet in Countyline.

Avex Homes in Avalon Park West Reports Sales of 10+ New Homes Before Feb. 2 Grand Opening

Wesley Chapel, Fla. --- Avex Homes in Cypress Village at Avalon Park West in Wesley Chapel reports it has sold at least 10 new homes before the grand opening of the community located 3.5 miles east of I-75 on State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel, which is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 2, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Stephanie Hodson, vice president of marketing for Avex Homes, said Avex Homes will have closed on the sale or started construction of more than 10 new homes at Avalon Park West before the Grand Opening event. “We have seen a remarkable response from home buyers,” Hodson said. “We’re feeling a lot of pent-up demand, and a lot of confidence that the economy is improving, perhaps a little stronger and a little faster than the forecasters have anticipated,” she said. Avalon Park West plans to unveil two new single family model homes priced from the $160s at its family-friendly grand opening event Feb. 2. The event will feature refreshments, family BBQ, bounce park for the kids and free gifts. Hodson said admission to the grand opening is free and the public is invited. Avex Homes’ new Braden model at Avalon Park West offers three bedrooms and two baths in 1,697 square feet of living space with a two-car garage priced from $164,990. Options include a lanai, study, bonus room, extended garage and upgraded master bath suite. The Braden model home is available in three distinctive elevations. The two-story Jesup II model offers four bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths in 2,974 square feet of living space with a two-car garage and bonus room. The Jesup II features a study and media room. Hodson said Avex Homes is offering up to $10,000 in closing costs and $7,000 towards upgrades with every new home sold during the grand opening weekend. And with each new home purchased on opening weekend---and the 10 purchased so far---Avex is providing a free porch swing, a symbol of the relaxed traditional family lifestyle at Avalon Park West. Built on the rich traditions of small-town life, Avalon Park West has a pedestrian friendly character with tree-lined streets meandering around lakes and neighborhood parks, rocking chair porches on its craftsman styled homes, nearby schools, and shops that are designed to evoke the ideal of main street America. Avex Homes is building 342 homes at Cypress Village at Avalon Park West. Eventually Avalon Park West will accommodate as many as 4,400 homes and more than 700,000 square feet of commercial space in its Town Center. For information call 813-364-4918 or email Stephanie@AvexHomes.com.

CUHACI & PETERSON ARCHITECTS COMPLETE DESIGN OF GORDON FOOD SERVICES IN DAYTONA BEACH

ORLANDO, Fla. – Cuhaci & Peterson Architects Engineers Planners, based in Orlando’s Baldwin Park did the design work for a new Gordon Food Services facility on Highway 92 in Daytona Beach. Lonnie Peterson, chairman at Cuhaci & Peterson, said construction of the 20,000 square foot facility is now underway.

Residents of Del Webb Stone Creek in Ocala to unveil painted horse statue commemorating Ocala’s equine industry on Feb. 5

OCALA, Fla. --- Residents of Del Webb Stone Creek in Ocala plan to officially unveil a special monument to commemorate Ocala’s ranking as the heart of Florida’s horse country. Marge Dumbaugh, who headed the Friends of the Painted Horse committee at Del Webb Stone Creek, said the monument — a life-sized statue of a painted horse — will be officially unveiled Feb. 5 at 5 p.m. at the Reunion Center at Del Webb Stone Creek. “The Painted Horse is visible from the swimming pool, the 11th hole of the golf course and from the Churchill Downs Ballroom,” Dumbaugh said. Dumbaugh and Friends of the Painted Horse committee members Bing Svensson, Carol Spooner, Harvey Paskin, Kay Scott, Patricia Gizzi, Patti Wallner, Rita Singer, Marion Pierleoni, Sandy Lynch, Ann Kirby, Bev Wiggins, Rosemary Fisher, Terry Trissler and Beth Mueller raised more than $4,500 to create the monument. “It’s a glorious sight and we’re proud to add this monument to Del Webb Stone Creek as a legacy that will last for many generations,” Dumbaugh said. Please call 877-333-5932 for more information about the unveiling. Del Webb Stone Creek is one of the largest Del Webb communities in the U.S., featuring Reflection Bay – an amenity center encompassing almost 50,000 square feet of fitness and event/gathering areas – the Stone Creek Grille, Stone Creek Golf Club with an 18-hole championship golf course, and a planned 29 acres of open space and common areas. New homes at Del Webb Stone Creek, priced from the low $100s range from 1,157 to 2,659 square feet and 10 models are open daily for viewing.

Three New Clients Join University of Central Florida Business Incubator at Daytona Beach International Airport

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Three new businesses recently became clients of the University of Central Florida Business Incubator at the Daytona Beach International Airport. The companies – Abraham Rosa Seasonings, AquaSolve and the First Response Disaster Team – bring the total number of businesses at the site to 13, according to Connie Bernal√, the facility’s site manager. “It is very rewarding to see how this incubator is growing. I feel confident in the companies we currently have, especially because they are a group of experienced serial entrepreneurs ready to succeed. We are going to do our best to help them grow,” said Site Manager Connie Bernal who opened the Daytona Beach location 1½ years ago with one client and space for up to 18. Owned by Ana Rosa Randolph, Abraham Rosa Seasonings pays homage to her father Abraham and his secret seasoning “Adobo Abraham.” Rosa, a native of Puerto Rico, created the seasoning in 1956 and found a market for it with locals and visitors. After Rosa’s untimely death during a fishing trip, Randolph and her children decided to continue making the seasoning and market it online. Founded by Embry Riddle Aeronautical University graduate teaching assistant and engineering entrepreneur Yung Wong, AquaSolve LLC, recently received a $90,000 grant to create water purification systems. Wong plans to offer water-treatment systems for residential, commercial and municipal use. The First Response Disaster Team is a New Smyrna Beach-based emergency response company that extracts water, removes mold and restores damage from smoke. Owned by Anne-Marie and Ken Poulin, the two-year-old company has seven employees and covers all of Central Florida. A three-man crew from First Responder recently returned from New Jersey where they helped restore homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Other Daytona Beach clients are: AbM Engineering, Best3Bids, Best iProducts.com, Choose Rain, Fusion Fitness Designs, Bounce Forward, Network Custom Guns/Better Firearms Designs, Festival Designs, Delta Dynamic Developments, and Klein-Yaney Media. The Incubator – a partnership between UCF, Volusia County and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council – is designed to help start-up companies as well as established businesses. The businesses who rent space at the Daytona Beach International Airport location receive assistance in the form of mentoring and coaching; educational programs; marketing and public relations; access to seminars; networking with peers; inexpensive office space with shared reception, conference rooms, office equipment and support services; as well as paid memberships in a number of organizations.

Winston James Development signs up a Family Dental Practice at Aloma Business Center

WINTER PARK, Fla. --- Winston James Development completed a new lease agreement with a family dental practice office at its Aloma Business Center on Aloma Avenue in Winter Park. This will be the second Orlando location for Dr. Ravi Oberoi’s practice. Winston Schwartz, a principal at Winston-James Development, based in South Daytona, said Affordable Dentist LLC leased 1,200 square feet of space at Aloma Business Center.

Lennar Homes to Unveil Two-Story 3,659 Square Foot Laurel Model at Runaway Bay at Fiddler’s Creek In Naples

NAPLES, Fla. --- Lennar Homes is set to unveil its new two-story, three-bedroom Laurel model home with 3,659 square feet of living space at Runaway Bay at Fiddler’s Creek, the private, master-planned luxury residential community located off Collier Blvd. on Fiddler’s Creek Parkway in Naples. Matt Devereaux, vice president of sales and marketing for Lennar Homes in the southwest Florida region, said the Laurel is the largest residence offered within Runaway Bay with three bedrooms, four baths and a study situated around a centrally located family room, a formal living room and a gourmet kitchen with breakfast nook and monogram appliances. Professionally decorated by Soco Interiors, the Laurel luxury model home, priced from $709,990, also features a tile roof, paver driveway, designer fixtures, a home security system, a screened, covered lanai with a luxurious swimming pool and spa, along with a second level bonus room with wet bar and bath. “The interior design of the Laurel model features travertine and wood flooring and crown molding,” Devereaux said, and those features along with wood cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, and tile floors in common areas are all included in Lennar’s “Everything’s Included” pricing, he explained. Four distinctive floor plans are available at Runaway Bay. The Bougainvillea luxury model home, priced from $609,990, offers 2,800 square feet of living space with three bedrooms, three baths and a study, along with an expansive great room, separate dining room, and screened covered lanai with such options as a luxury swimming pool and spa and a winter kitchen. The 3,043 square foot Camellia floor plan, also available at Runaway Bay, offers four bedrooms and three baths with a study, a spacious family room with adjoining kitchen and breakfast nook and separate living room along with a screened covered lanai and optional pool and spa, base-priced starting from $639,990. The two-story Lantana floor plan offers 3,542 square feet in four bedrooms, three full baths, two half baths, a study and screened covered lanai, along with a bonus room. The Lantana is base-priced starting from $679,990. Fiddler's Creek features a 54,000 square foot Club and Spa with a state-of-the-art fitness center, resort style multi-pool swimming complex, tennis courts, restaurants, The Golf Club and The Tarpon Club. Visit www.lennar.com.