Meritage Homes names new customer service manager, three new sales associates

ORLANDO, Fla. – Meritage Homes has named Derek Morgan, customer service manager. A former resident of England, Morgan has 14 years of experience and attended schools in England before residing in the U.S. Brian Kittle, division vice president for Meritage Homes, also said three new sales associates were appointed. Larissa Semilio with 14 years of sales experience attended Valencia College. She will be working out of the Meritage Homes community of Seven Oaks. Liberato Freda who has six years of sales experience and attended University of Central Florida will be working out of the Fells Landing community. Polly Heard, with a background in marketing and communications and new to the residential real estate industry, will be working out of the homebuilder’s Seven Oaks community, Kittle said.

Pulte Homes Redefines ‘Open Floor Plan’ with New Bedford II Model Home at Whispering Palms in Fort Myers

Fort Myers, Fla. --- Pulte Homes has taken the open plan one step beyond with its new Bedford II model home at Whispering Palms, the gated community of unique Paired Villas and Carriage Homes located near Colonial Country Club on Colonial Boulevard one mile east of I-75 in Fort Myers. Scott Mairn, vice president of sales and marketing at the South Florida division of Pulte Homes, said the single-story Bedford II model offers two bedrooms, den and two baths in 1,554 square feet of living space priced starting from $182,990 with a two-car garage. The Bedford II model home takes the open floor plan to a new level in a smaller, smarter and more efficient home, Mairn said. The central island kitchen serves a dining nook, great room and lanai that combined offer more than 500 square feet of living and entertainment space, Mairn explained. A den that can serve as a third bedroom opens onto the great room, and options include an extended patio that can offer 500 additional square feet of outdoor living area, he said. Altogether Pulte Homes plans to build 34 Paired Villas at Whispering Palms in the Bedford II floor plan, Mairn said. Among the amenities featured at Whispering Palms are a community swimming pool, spa, and cabana. A temporary off-site sales center is currently located in Bridgetown, located off of Treeline Avenue between Colonial and Daniels, east of I-75 at 10889 Rutherford Road, Fort Myers, FL 33913. For more information visit: pulte.com/whisperingpalms or call 877-256-0275.

Carter Solutions Earns Contract to Help Prominent Miami Law Firm Improve Client Agreement Process

ORLANDO, Fla., – Carter Solutions, Inc., a full-service IT solutions company based in Orlando, was chosen by prominent Miami law firm Marin, Eljaiek & Lopez, P.L., (MEL) to improve its attorney-client agreement process. The firm's attorneys have earned a reputation that reaches well beyond the Southeast region. Their business lawyers are at the helm of major transactions in all industry sectors across the country, and their litigators serve as counsel in cases of national consequence. Since its founding, Marin, Eljaiek & Lopez, P.L. has provided invaluable representation to Fortune 100 corporations, government entities and emerging growth businesses. Marin, Eljaiek & Lopez, which is currently using Legacy technology, has engaged Carter Solutions to create an innovative and mobile-friendly update to processing their attorney-client agreement. “We are excited to work with Marin, Eljaiek & Lopez, P.L.,” said Tony Carter, president of Carter Solutions, Inc. “They have established themselves as one of the most effective law firms in the nation, but are seeking to improve their firm even further.” “With our many years of experience, I am certain that Carter Solutions will be able to assist MEL’s lawyers with their ambitious vision of streamlining the process of executing contracts for legal services,” he added. Carter Solutions is a client company of the University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program in the Central Florida Research Park in east Orange County. About the Carter Solutions Carter Solutions, Inc. is a full service IT Solution Company specializing in highly effective web development on the DotNetNuke® Web Content Management Platform, successful Enterprise Content Management with Microsoft SharePoint®, and mobile application development on the iPhone and Android platforms. Visit www.cartersolutions.com. About the UCF Business Incubation Program The University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program is a non-profit community resource, which provides early-stage companies with the tools, training and infrastructure to become financially stable, high growth/impact enterprises. Since 1999, this award-winning program has helped hundreds of local startup companies (including nearly 150 current clients and 100 graduates) reach their potential faster by providing vital business development resources. With eight facilities throughout the region, the UCF Business Incubation Program is an economic development partnership between the University of Central Florida, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia Counties, and the cities of Apopka, Kissimmee, Orlando, St. Cloud and Winter Springs. From October 2011 to June 2013, the UCF network of current and graduated clients has helped create a total regional output of over $620 million resulting in a $6.16 return for every $1.00 invested in the program while sustaining (directly and indirectly) over 3,300 jobs in the Central Florida region. For more information, visit www.incubator.ucf.edu.

Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty to Open Lake Nona / Medical City Area Office in September

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty will open another Real Estate Marketing Gallery in September at Lake Nona Plaza, 13816 Narcoossee Rd. in the Lake Nona/Medical City area. Roger Soderstrom, founder and owner of Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, said the state-of-the-art office will open with 12-15 local real estate professionals and he plans to expand the office next year. Soderstrom said the new location is in the Publix-anchored shopping plaza that is the closest retail center to Southeast Orlando’s Medical City with Sanford-Burnham Medical Institute, University of Florida Research Center, Nemours Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and University of Central Florida’s medical school campus. Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty also operates luxury real estate marketing galleries at Dr. Phillips in Southwest Orlando, Heathrow-Lake Mary in North Seminole County and at the Spruce Creek Fly-In community in East Volusia County.

ICI Homes to Showcase Two New Models July 23 at Chelsea Place in Ormond Beach

Ormond Beach, Fla. – ICI Homes, one of Florida’s most active luxury homebuilders and community developers, will showcase two new model homes Wednesday July 23 at Chelsea Place, its gated community located off Granada Blvd. in the heart of Ormond Beach. Rosemary Messina, vice president of marketing for Daytona Beach-based ICI Homes, said the event, which is open only to realtors, will feature tours of two of the homebuilder’s newest models. On display at Chelsea Place from 5 to 7 p.m. will be the Amelia, a three-bedroom, two-bath plan with 2,090 square feet of living area based priced from $209,900 and the Belaire with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms in 2,498 square feet of living area based priced from $239,900. New three and four bedroom homes at Chelsea Place range from 1,762 square feet of living area to 3,031 square feet in 14 distinctive floor plans priced from $250,900 to $312,000. The community features tree-lined streets, lakes with fountains, parks, gazebos and a clubhouse with fitness center and swimming pool. For more information about the event and to RSVP, call Ed or Shannon at 386-236-2290.