Dream Finders Homes Now Selling in DeBary’s Rivington Community with Pre-Model Pricing

 DEBARY – Dream Finders Homes has made a half-a-dozen sales at pre-model pricing and started construction in Rivington, a traditional 296-acre master-planned community along the St. Johns River in DeBary.

The Jacksonville-based national homebuilder is building 42 single-family homes from its Signature Series at Rivington on 50-foot lots, according to Gerry Boeneman, President of Dream Finders Homes’ Central Florida division.

“Our six innovative one- and two-story plans at Rivington – with three and four-bedrooms and up to three-and-a-half baths – will give homebuyers between 1,856 and 2,843 square feet of living space,” he said.

Dream Finders Homes at Rivington are priced from the high $200s, Boeneman said, adding that the Anna Maria with Bonus model should be finished, decorated and open for viewing by early January.

Rivington – which features a resort-style pool, cabana, playground, clubhouse and numerous green spaces – sits along Konomac Lake and is adjacent to the St. Johns River just west of U.S. Highway 17-92. It offers easy access to Lake Mary and Sanford employment centers and is only one-quarter mile from the DeBary SunRail station.

For leisure activities, Rivington is a quick drive to Gemini Springs State Park, River City Nature Park and the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens.

“I believe many prospective buyers will find both our homes and this community the answers to their home buying needs,” he said. “With the numerous designer upgrades in our Signature Series and the floor plan variety, as well as the beautiful location of Rivington, this should be the perfect place for many dream homes.”

For more information about homes at Rivington, please call 888-214-1164.

Central Florida Developer Receives U.S. Secretary of Defense Medal

LAKE MARY – After serving two three-year terms as state chairman of the United States Department of Defense’s Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve [ESGR], James E. Dicks Jr. – a Marine and founder of DIX Developments – has been awarded the Secretary of Defense Award.

Dicks received the award for his service to the guard and reserve, defense personnel and their families, according to Maj. Gen. James O. Eifert, Adjutant General of Florida’s National Guard.

Established in 1972 and supported by a network of more than 3,600 volunteers throughout the U.S., the ESGR promotes cooperation between reserve service members and their civilian employers by assisting in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee's military commitment.

Dicks’ award cites his performance and initiative as the “driving force behind significant improvements” to essential ESGR programs, stating that he committed “substantial personal time” and “routinely went above and beyond his requirements to support the program’s mission” as an ombudsman for employers and their employees who serve in the United States Armed Forces Guard and Reserve.

“We’ve been extremely fortunate having James represent Florida’s ESGR for the past six years,” Eifert said. “His steadfast representation and advocacy will be sorely missed throughout Florida, and we wish him well.”

As he leaves one post, Dicks will take on a new one as chair emeritus, and will remain on the Florida State Committee as the boss lift director, he said. He will be succeeded as state chairman by recently appointed retired Major General Rita Broadway, who has served ESGR in various capacities for more than 35 years.

For the past 14 years, Dicks has been successful at raising capital and developing prime Florida real estate, going from landowner to a full service, multi-use real estate development, construction and management firm. As a best-selling author, he’s published nine books on financial topics, been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, USA Today and Forbes magazine, and has appeared on CNBC, NBC, ABC, FOX and CBS.

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Dream Finders Homes’ Holly Forest Amenity Center to Open Early Next Year at Silverleaf Master-Planned Community

ST JOHNS – Holly Forest – a Dream Finders Homes’ neighborhood within a larger development – soon will have its own amenity center at the master-planned community of Silverleaf, off County Road 210.

Division President Brad Muston said when the Holly Forest amenities center is completed in early 2021 it will offer a lap pool with a zero-entry, a fenced playground with a shaded sitting area, a large event lawn, and a cabana-style clubhouse.

“Those features are in addition to others at Silverleaf, including tennis and pickleball courts, dog parks, and numerous pools and water parks designed for adults, families and kids,” he said.

The 8,500-acre development that comprises Silverleaf has more than 3,500 acres of conservation and offers quick access to Interstate 95 for a 25-minute drive to historic St. Augustine or downtown Jacksonville, he added.

Dream Finders Homes currently has a total of 76 homesites [18 43-foot lots and 58 53-foot lots] available in Holly Forest, where prices start in the low $300,000s for plans ranging from 1,622 to 3,518 square feet of living area. The one- and two-story floor homes can be built from 17 different floor plans that offer three to six bedrooms and two to three baths.

For more information visit www.dreamfindershomes.com or call 888-214-1164. 

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Downtown Church Restoration Project Recycles 92% of Demo Debris

Contractors Say Less Than 8% of the Milk District’s H2O Church Renovation Project Went to Landfill

ORLANDO – Renovation usually involves demolition. And, demolition almost always involves dumpsters overflowing with debris destined for the nearest landfill. But, that’s not the case with the restoration project underway at the future H2O Church building in downtown Orlando.

The $600,000 project – to renovate the former First United Methodist Church building and demolish two education buildings at 2113 E. South St. – takes recycling to a higher level by seeing the salvaging of a whopping 92 percent of the elements removed from the structure, according to Tony Baumert, principal and project manager of Construction Development Inc. (CDI) 

“Most demolition projects are considered excellent if they recycle 50% of the debris,” Baumert said. “This project is way above a normal good percentage with only 7.83% going to the landfill and more than 92 percent of the debris tonnage either recycled or salvaged.  It is groundbreaking!”

Baumert said a total of 7,655 tons of materials (6,966 tons of concrete, 648 tons of asphalt, 11 tons of metal, and 30 tons of trusses and plywood) were sold, recycled or salvaged, while only 600 tons went to a landfill.   In comparison,  a recent (2019) CDI project involving the gutting of an office building and the construction of the new Delaney Hotel and Tavern on So. Orange Avenue had 30% of the materials recycled.  

Javier Omana who heads the engineering team at CPH, the project’s civil engineers, said he was literally astonished by the care that was taken and the amount of materials preserved.  His firm has agreed that they will submit this project for a state conservation award to Florida Planning and Zoning Assn. and the Florida chapters of both American Planning Assn. and American Society of Landscape Architects.  “CDI did an impeccable job. We’ve been around a long time and have never seen recycling to this extent.” Omana said.

The reclaimed materials from the church property will either be used elsewhere by the church, by non-profits or a few church members, according to the Rev. Jim Poorman, H2O pastor.

 “More than 200  4- by 8-foot sheets of plywood were preserved,” Poorman said. “We are planning on incorporating a number of the demo items into the new design.”  CDI is planning to donate most of the plywood and trusses to local charities.

During the renovation, Baumert said the original architectural drawing of the church was found. The drawing was done in the 1950s by James Gamble Rogers; one of the area’s defining architects. He said his firm is having the rendering and blueprint restored and framed to present to the congregation to show how much of the original church has been preserved.

Built in the mid-1950s, the Spanish/Mediterranean-style structure on nearly an acre was deteriorating when purchased in 2019 by 2113 E. South Street, LLC headed by Marisol Santiago Soderstrom, Roger Soderstrom, Jr. and John Kurtz, CCIM as part of an almost five-acre parcel acquisition. The owners are selling a 3.87-acre section to Surrey Homes USA and gifted the remaining church and land to H2O Church.

Poorman said H2O church – which has rented space in Orlando for nearly 20 years – is proud to be able to use a lot of the demoed materials in their new church.  Included are wooden roof planks refinished and installed on a wall and in the ceiling of the community meeting area, stained glass windows that were removed by a former owner restored and reinstalled, and the stump of an oak tree taken down on the property is being cut into slices to make tables for the church’s meeting center.

The renovation –  which Poorman said should be completed in early 2021 – includes a new roof, painting, stuccoing the exterior, new acid stained floors, new interior lighting, a sound system and the addition of a lobby with a coffee shop that can double as a meeting place for the neighborhood.

“We’re shooting to have everything restored, installed and completed early in 2021 along with having much of it finished in preparation for our Christmas Eve service.”  

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Crossman Career Builders Establishes Scholarship at FSU to Provide More Opportunities in Real Estate Education to Talented Minority Students

ORLANDO – One of Florida’s most successful and well-known business leaders, John M. Crossman, CCIM, who is widely known for his work with college students and his commitment to diversity, has established the Crossman Career Builders Scholarship at Florida State University for students from diverse demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Crossman, son of popular pastor and notable 1960s civil rights leader Reverend Ken Crossman, is continuing on the mission that he started decades ago and while CEO at the one of Orlando’s most successful commercial real estate firms:  Let’s get more professional real estate courses into colleges and universities and make them available to deserving and talented minority students.   

 

As a frequent speaker and lecturer on this topic throughout the South at universities and real estate industry conventions nationwide, Crossman has been emphasizing that real estate is one of the most reliable means of accumulating and expanding personal wealth.   Crossman also presented this idea in 2014 to the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington D.C.

 

“I know plenty of commercial real estate CEOs who really want more minorities and women in the industry but they can’t find enough applicants with the educational background needed,” he said. 

 

Crossman has regularly reached out to his colleagues in commercial real estate for support by articulating that “Commercial real estate is just rife with opportunity for talented minorities if we can provide them with the educational background.”

 

Crossman Career Builders pledged $54,000 for the scholarship that will provide diverse students with not only opportunities to educate themselves within such a rewarding industry, but will in turn open doors for those minorities to begin sitting at tables where decisions are made that impact their neighborhoods.  

 

Crossman, an FSU alumnus who has been listed as one of the top 500 Most Influential Business Leaders in the state by Florida Trend magazine, says this mission that he’s been so passionate about for so many years couldn’t be more important than today, as the nation struggles in an upsurge of racial tension and unrest.

 

For more information about Crossman Career Builders please visit https://crossmancb.com/ and if interested in supporting the new diversity scholarship visit the FSU Foundation’s website .  

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Hold-Thyssen Leases New Location for Top NY MedSpa at Tampa’s Covington Professional Park -- Owner Relocates Business and Permanent Residence to Florida

Tampa --- Hold-Thyssen, Inc. recently completed a long-term lease agreement at Covington Professional Park with a top ageless skin and body treatment spa moving out of Long Island, NY.

The new tenant, who will be opening their doors in early 2021, is a successful business relocating to Florida that selected the high-end medical/professional office campus with a dynamic tenant roster in a well-established area to grow. The owner who currently employs a staff of five is also moving permanent residence out of NY to Florida.

Transaction specialist Theresa Margaris at Hold-Thyssen’s Clearwater office brokered the multi-year lease of the 1,250 square foot suite at 13648 W. Hillsborough Ave. representing both the Landlord, Biji, Inc. and the tenant.

Covington Professional Park is located on the south side of W. Hillsborough Ave. approximately one-quarter mile east of Race Track Rd.

Hold-Thyssen, Inc. provides commercial property brokerage and leasing and management services to institutional and private investor clients nationwide. The 40-year old firm’s current portfolio includes more that 100 commercial properties throughout the United States.

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Dream Finders Home Opens New Model For Viewing at Amelia Concourse in Fernandina Beach

FERNANDINA BEACH – A spacious two-story Dream Finders Homes model has opened on Amaryllis Court at Amelia Concourse, a 172-home community situated between Interstate 95 and State Road A1A in Fernandina Beach.

The Fleming II with Bonus model – which is presented with four bedrooms, three baths and a two-car garage – also can be built with up to five bedrooms, four baths and a three-car garage, according to Brad Muston, Dream Finders’ Division President.

“The Fleming II is one of our most popular homes because of its versatility,” he said. “In addition to being built as a one- or two-story home, we also offer innumerable upgrades and options ranging from coffered ceilings, bay windows and hidden sliding-glass doors to extended lanais and garages, as well as a variety of changes that may be made in the kitchen.”

Located in the Nassau County School District, Amelia Concourse amenities include a clubhouse and fitness center, splash park, and a beach-entry swimming pool, along with a covered pavilion and lots of green space, all just minutes from shopping, restaurants, entertainment and Amelia Island beaches.  

Muston said homebuyers can choose from 13 floor plans at Amelia Concourse that range from 1,521 to 3,512 square feet with prices starting in the mid $200,000s.  

For more information, please visit www.dreamfindershomes.com or call 888-214-1164. 

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Central Florida Real Estate Developer Wastes No Time When Making Deals

APOPKA – As the owner of numerous real estate development and sales companies, Jerome Henin, who heads Winter Park-based Henin Group, is accustomed to making things happen quickly, but one particular transaction last month surprised even him.

After viewing a 28-acre parcel on Votaw Road near the Wekiva Reserve in Apopka, Henin made an offer on a Friday, signed a contract on Tuesday and closed the deal the following Friday.

The one-week purchase was possible, he says, because he is an independent developer.

“The advantage of landowners selling to independent developers versus selling to the nationals can be huge,” Henin said. “The large national homebuilders just can’t do this without going through their corporate process. They’ll keep land under contract usually no less than 90 days – sometimes more – while they analyze and get extensions.”

The biggest difference, according to Henin, is that independents such as Henin Group have cash readily available to move forward quickly.  

That Sept. 1^st Apopka purchase was the beginning of what he said is planned as a 95-lot, single-family subdivision worth an estimated $40 million at buildout. Still in its infancy the community has yet to be named, but Henin said it will be designed by Gary Beverly with CDS Engineering of Maitland and will offer three- and four-bedroom homes on 50- by 120-foot lots.

In addition to Henin Homes building in the new community, Henin said he is considering more than half a dozen offers from other interested homebuilders.

“It will take a year or more to complete the various studies and then we’ll start developing,” he said.

In the meantime, it will be business as usual, which includes shopping for the next one-week purchase.

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Dream Finders Homes to Start Development in Late October at Newly Acquired Hartwood Marsh Road Subdivision in Clermont

CLERMONT – Dream Finders Homes will start land development the end of October on its newly acquired Hartwood Marsh Road Subdivision located on the southwest corner of Hartwood Marsh Road and the future Hancock Road Extension.   The 116-acre subdivision with 321 single-family homesites is the homebuilder’s first community in Clermont. 

 

Dream Finders Homes will offer three product lines at the Hartwood Marsh – a PUD approved for 86 lots with 40-foot widths, 135 lots with 50-foot widths and 100 lots measuring 60-feet wide.   New homes will likely range from the high $200s to the low $500s, according to Gerry Boeneman, President of Dream Finders Homes’ Central Florida division.

 

“We’re very excited about offering some new, innovative home designs at Hartwood Marsh, along with some of our current popular Orlando division floor plans,” Boeneman said. 

 

Hartwood Marsh will be divided into two phases with the first comprising 174 lots and the second with 147.  Construction of models and sales are expected to launch in the first phase by next summer. 

 

Homebuyers can look forward to community amenities that include a swimming pool with cabana along with the convenient location that offers an easy commute to downtown Orlando, Disney and other popular Orlando attractions and employment centers.

“We’ve been waiting for the right opportunity in Clermont.  The demographic of homebuyers moving into this area is well-suited for the products we’re offering,” Boeneman said.

For more information, visit www.dreamfindershomes.com.

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Hold-Thyssen Negotiates Multi-Year Lease Agreement with a Global Luxury Brand Real Estate Firm at Phillips Place

Orlando / Winter Park, Fla. -- Hold-Thyssen, Inc. – a full service commercial real estate services firm headquartered in Winter Park – negotiated a multi-year lease agreement with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty.      The global luxury real estate firm that recently expanded its presence in the area leased a 1,000 square foot suite at 7575 Dr. Phillips Blvd.   Darby Hold, Senior Director for Hold-Thyssen, Inc. brokered the transactions on behalf of the landlord Financial Way Realty, Inc.    Hold-Thyssen, Inc. is the leasing and management representative for the 56,000 square foot Phillips Place office building.

 

Crossman Career Builders Establishes Endowed Scholarship Fund at Florida State

Scholarship Fund to Honor Life of the Late High School Teacher and Mentor Dr. Les Kozlow

 

ORLANDO/ TALLAHASSEE -- Influential business leader John Crossman CCIM, CRX, founder of the Orlando-based career development organization Crossman Career Builders, along with Barb Kozlow, wife of the late Dr. Les Kozlow, has established a leadership scholarship at Florida State University.

 

The Dr. Les Kozlow Leadership Scholarship at FSU will honor the renowned educator’s impact as a teacher and mentor throughout his career. 

 

Dr. Kozlow of Palm Beach Gardens died tragically last summer in a traffic accident. He taught and inspired Crossman as a student in Forest Hills High School’s class of 1989, a turning point in Crossman’s education and career. 

 

“I decided to create this endowed scholarship not only because it’s what I am passionate about, but I would not be in the FSU Hall of Fame without the inspiration and mentoring of Dr. Kozlow, who saw something in me I couldn’t see myself.  He changed my life forever and he only wanted to be remembered for the positive influence he had on his students.”  

 

Successful North Carolina Attorney Andrew Fine who was one of Dr. Kozlow’s debate students says: “His impact on my life is immeasurable. I still use today things I learned from him over 30 years ago.” 

 

Crossman Career Builders focuses on mentoring and coaching college students and young professionals.  The organization has endowed scholarships at FSU, FAMU, B-CU, UCF and Valencia College.  Crossman plans to continue to help fund scholarships for promising students, especially diverse students.

 

For more information about the Dr. Les Kozlow Leadership Scholarship fund go to: https://one.fsu.edu/foundation/donate/college/business/dr-les-kozlow-leadership-scholarship-fund 

 

Crossman, who wrote a best-selling book: Career Killers / Career Builders, was named CEO of the Year 2018 by the Orlando Business Journal and one of Florida’s top 500 Most Influential Business Leaders by Florida Trend in both 2018 and 2019. 

Dream Finders Homes Offers New Phase with 70-Foot Lots at St. Augustine’s Shearwater Community

ST. AUGUSTINE – Dream Finders Homes recently started building on 70-foot wide lots at Shearwater, a premiere master-planned community off State Road 210 in St. Johns County.

Dream Finders’ homebuyers may choose from 40 lots in a brand new phase of Shearwater and select from seven different floor plans to create their dream home, according to Brad Muston, the company’s division president.

“We’re excited to be building seven of our most popular plans at this beautiful resort-like community,” he said, adding that two professionally decorated models – Boca II and Montauk II – should be ready by early 2021.

Dream Finders Homes’ one- and two-story floor plans at Shearwater are priced from the $400,000s and range in size from 2,754 to 3,688 square feet of living space. The homes there will offer three to five bedrooms, three to five bathrooms plus two- or three-car garages, with some of the latter being tandem parking garages.

Muston said Dream Finders Homes’ professional interior designers work with homebuyers to customize their new homes with state-of-the-art upgrades and options that range from coffered ceilings, bay windows and hidden sliding glass doors to fireplace niches, wet bars and butler’s pantries.

Social and recreational happenings are the hallmark at Shearwater with a spacious clubhouse and café, a high-tech fitness lodge, kids’ playroom, and many other healthy living amenities, he said. The countless outdoor activities take center stage with a trail system and preserved habitat, Har-Tru clay tennis courts, spacious playgrounds and picnic areas.

But, according to Muston, the best of Shearwater’s outdoor activities is the four distinct water features that should meet everyone’s needs: a relaxing resort-style lagoon, a multi-lane lap pool, a winding lazy river and a three-story water slide tower.

For more information, please visit www.dreamfindershomes.com or call 888-214-1164.