ICI Homes to showcase four of area’s finest luxury homes during Parade of Homes April 27-May 5

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --- ICI Homes plans to showcase four of the region’s most luxurious homes during the Northeast Florida Builders Association’s annual Spring Parade of Homes April 27 through May 5. Don Wilford, northeast Florida division president for ICI Homes, said the Parade of Homes is a chance to show off its carefully manicured neighborhoods and elegantly designed luxury homes to more than 5,000 visitors in just 10 days. “The Parade is always very popular and we’re preparing to host thousands of visitors,” Wilford said. At St. Johns Forest in northwest St. Johns County, ICI’s customizable Egret III Parade home offers four bedrooms and three baths in 2,946 square feet of living space with a three-car garage. The eFACTOR Energy-Wise Egret III is priced in the $500,000 range. The two-story, Scottish-inspired Nottingham Parade home at Highland Glen, located in the heart of Jacksonville off Beach Blvd. three miles east of I-295, is a four-bedroom, three-and-one-half bath luxury home and enough---3,888 square feet---space for a large kitchen, nook and covered porch with a summer kitchen, formal living and dining rooms, a two-story family room with a dual-mantled fireplace and coffered ceilings, and a second-floor balcony overlook. The Plantation II Parade home at Magnolia Preserve at Julington Creek ranks as one of ICI Homes’ most elegant designs, with four bedrooms and three-and-one-half baths in 3,160 square feet of space plus a three-car garage. The elegant formal dining room, chef’s kitchen, enormous lanai, grand gathering room and luxurious owner’s suite establish the Plantation II at Magnolia Preserve as one of the most desirable luxury homes in the region. Perhaps ICI’s crowning achievement in the 2013 Parade of Homes is the Preakness V Parade home at Amelia National Golf & Country Club. With four bedrooms and three baths in 2,752 square feet of space and a three-car garage, the Preakness V Parade home is the model of ‘smaller, smarter, sustainable’ design and engineering techniques ICI Homes has invested in all its eFACTOR Energy-Wise homes for the past four years. Such elegant design features as a dramatically offset courtyard entry, a huge owner’s suite and bath with dual facilities, a massive glass-walled family room and fireplace, a formal dining room with a multi-tiered ceiling, island kitchen and covered lanai will likely impress Parade judges, Wilford said “The Parade of Homes is the chance to show off your most creative and inspired ideas before an audience of very discerning home buyers and a distinguished panel of expert judges,” he said.

Rained-Out Silent Auction for Cancer Patient Rescheduled for May 4

ORMOND BEACH – Not even inclement weather could stop an outpouring of support for a fellow biker on Saturday 4/20 as hundreds turned out to help Sam Leonard, a motorcycle enthusiast who was diagnosed with lung cancer after she crashed her bike and received the revealing medical diagnosis. While the rainy weather may have postponed the silent auction portion of the event until next month, it didn’t dampen the spirit of those participating in the poker ride from Bunnell to Ormond Beach, according to David L. Sweat, whose law firm helped sponsor the fundraiser. “This is an example of how our community steps up to help others when they are in need,” said Sweat, a partner in the Port Orange-based firm of Rue, Ziffra & Caldwell. Leonard, who has been involved with the law firm in numerous benefit poker runs to help others, is facing expensive medical treatment and has no health insurance, Sweat said. The silent auction, which originally was scheduled toward the end of the poker run, will begin at 6 p.m. May 4 at the Iron Horse Saloon in Ormond Beach. For more information, visit www.rueziffra.com or call 386-788-7700.

Sales booming for Royal Oak Homes during first three months of year, 92 sales at $19 million

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Royal Oak Homes, based in Baldwin Park reported a record 92 sales in the first three months of 2013 valued at more than $19 million. Steve Orosz, co-president of Royal Oak Homes, with his brother Matt, said Royal Oak Homes is currently active in six communities but plans at least four more this year including communities in Minneola, Winter Garden, St. Cloud and Davenport. The company is on pace to meet a goal their 274 closings in 2013. The average price of a home by Royal Oak is $204,000. Royal Oak Homes is a third-generation home builder whose track record boasts more than 14,000 new homes built in Central Florida over the past 30 years under the Cambridge Homes brand, one of the region’s most successful home builders in the 1980s and 1990s. Founded in 2011, Royal Oak Homes is rapidly becoming one of the largest and most active home builders in the Central Florida area, building in ten active communities in the region.

Ryland Homes Team Takes up Kitchen Duties at Trinity Café to Help Feed Tampa Bay’s Homeless

TAMPA, Fla. --- Ryland Homes in the Tampa Bay area set aside their business suits and their work boots recently to pitch in and help Trinity Café in downtown Tampa feed some of the area’s homeless. Mike Finley, vice president of sales and marketing for the Tampa Bay division of Ryland Homes, said the experience proved personally rewarding for all involved but also makes for good business. “It was a privilege to help in any way we can for such a meaningful cause,” Finley explained. “In addition, the experience was a good team-building exercise. Taking a break from our normal workday to help others is a great way to spend time together as a team,” Finley said. Six Ryland Tampa professionals worked diligently four hours at Trinity Café. Sales professionals, department managers, clerical staff, accountants and construction team worked side by side through the day. “This is what a community is all about,” Finley said. “We work together, we help each other, and we make our community better one meal at a time,” he said. Finley, who joined Ryland Homes in Tampa this year, serves as the Treasurer of the Sales and Marketing Council of the Tampa Bay Builders Association. Ryland Homes builds single-family homes and town homes in 18 Tampa Bay communities priced starting from the low $100s to the mid-$300s.