Cecily Crossman’s New Day – A Collection of Poetry Written Some 50 Years Ago – Made No. 1 New Release on Amazon.com

ORLANDO – A collection of Cecily Crossman’s poetry was just republished. Written in the 1960s and 1970s, Mrs. Crossman’s poems will make most people today laugh, some people cry, and many will see a little of themselves.

New Day was ranked as Amazon’s number one new release in its first week.

Crossman says she wrote poetry as a personal release of her feelings during the turbulent decades of unrest for minorities and women as she and her husband served in ministry with the United Methodist Church. The book offers her unique perspective on life as a dedicated wife, raising a family of four while defining and preserving her own identity, and pursuing a career at a time when it was not the popular thing to do.

Several reviewers said the poems present real issues with humor and sentiment and are as relevant today as they were 50 years ago. Crossman self-published the initial thin book of poetry in 1978, “which was no small task prior to PCs and the Internet,” she said.

New Day is priced at $9.98 on Amazon.com and is also available at Barnes and Noble. “After 50 plus years I was encouraged by friends and family to add a few new poems and republish New Day. It’s very gratifying to see how it has been received,” she said.

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Blackton to Provide Flooring Products for D.R. Horton’s Next “Express” Community in Davenport

Davenport, Fla. --- Blackton Inc., the Orlando firm that ranks as one of Central Florida’s largest distributors of materials to homebuilders has been selected for the eighth time within the last year as the supplier of flooring at a new D.R. Horton community.

Michael “Micky” Blackton, chief executive officer, said his firm will provide an estimated $900,000 worth of ceramic tile and carpeting in the construction of some 188 single-family homes at Meadow Walk Express, D.R. Horton’s newest Davenport community located on 4 Corners Boulevard in Davenport.

Blackton has been supplying D.R. Horton with building materials for more than 40 years. “We’re like neighbors in the community working together, contributing to each other’s success and we plan to do everything we can to sustain that,” said Blackton.

D.R. Horton’s Express Communities feature energy saving homes in a convenient location at an affordable price.

Blackton, Inc., a family owned business headquartered on Alden St. near Ivanhoe Row north of downtown Orlando, has been supplying the home building industry from Jacksonville to Tampa for six decades. This past April Blackton opened a 15,000 square foot location in Leesburg.

Professionally Decorated Model Ready for Tours at M/I Homes' Estuary at St. Johns Community in Sanford

SANFORD – M/I Homes’ Halifax model is open and ready to welcome prospective home buyers at The Estuary at St. Johns off East Lake Mary Boulevard and State Road 46 in East Seminole County.

The two-story, 2,954-square-foot model – which has four bedrooms, four baths and a two-car garage – features an over-sized great room, a chef’s kitchen, a flex room, upstairs laundry room and walk-in closets. Pricing for the Halifax starts at $391,990.

While the spacious model already has nearly 3,000 square feet of living area, David Byrnes, M/I Homes’ area president, said the flexibility of the Halifax’s open-concept floor plan can create an even greater sense of space.

“Our homes are customized to fit individual needs,” he said. “Some buyers may choose to extend the owner’s suite with tray ceilings and upgrade the bathroom to create a spa-like retreat, while others might want to extend their lanai for more fun outdoors.

In addition to the Halifax model, The Estuary at St. Johns also offers four other single- and two-story floor plans ranging from 1,610 to nearly 3,000 square feet with prices from $330,990 to more than $400,000, Byrnes said, adding that multiple elevations are available for each plan.

Located in the Markham Woods corridor, just minutes from I-4 and 417, Estuary at St. Johns is conveniently situated in the Lake Mary High Tech Corridor and easily accessible to historic downtown Sanford, the University of Central Florida, two international airports and downtown Orlando.

For more information, visit www.mihomes.com.

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Sales Started for Homes with up to Seven Bedrooms at Dream Finders Homes' New Talichet Community in Lake County

Howey-in-the-Hills – If you’re looking to build an expansive new home in a resort-like community, then you don’t want to miss the plans now being offered at Dream Finders Homes' Talichet community.

Five distinctive floor plans – the Avalon, Avalon with Bonus, Montego, Sweetwater and the Wimberley – will offer just the right size for nearly every family with living space ranging from 2,475 to more than 5,000 square feet, according to Gerry Boeneman, president of Dream Finders Homes’ Central Florida division.

The one and two-story designer series plans, which offer spacious lofts, flex rooms and upgraded options, are being built on 75-foot-wide homesites. The plans have between four and seven bedrooms, three and four-and-a-half bathrooms, and two or three-car garages, he added.

“This truly is a beautiful area right in the heart of Howey-in-the-Hills and some of Florida’s best golf courses.” Boeneman said. “And, it’s just a few minutes away from the Howey Mansion, Lakeridge Winery, the Mission Inn Resort and a number of historic landmarks, lakes and state parks.”

For more information about homes at Talichet, or to have your name placed on a VIP mailing list for updates, please call 888-214-1164.

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Lincoln Property Company Names New Director of Brokerage Services In Tampa Bay

TAMPA BAY – Lincoln Property Company Southeast, (LPC) a full service commercial real estate firm based in

Orlando, which recently re-opened to start expansion again in Tampa Bay has hired Thomas B. Grandoff as Director of Brokerage Services at their downtown St. Petersburg office. 

Jon Slater, Senior Vice President of Brokerage Services in the Tampa Bay region said Grandoff has more than seven years of industry experience as a Broker-Associate with both JLL and KW Commercial.   

“He will focus on occupier and landlord representation and will broaden Lincoln Property’s footprint here by bringing in new third-party landlord leasing and management assignments,” Slater said. 

Grandoff, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Auburn University’s College of Business, also has more than four years of experience in logistics and supply chain management in Tampa. 

“Thomas has a well-rounded background with exposure to a wide range of businesses and he will play a significant role in our growth in Tampa Bay,” said Scott Stahley Executive Vice President of LPC.

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About Lincoln Property Southeast

Lincoln Property Southeast is a commercial real estate firm offering a comprehensive suite of value-added services for clients.  With a substantial local presence and history in the Southeast region, the company is ideally situated to provide superior service, which comes from striving to understand the goals and challenges of tenants, investors, lenders and owners of commercial real estate. 

H2O Church Moves Forward as Building Gifted Them is Renovated

ORLANDO – After nearly two decades of leasing worship space downtown, the non-denominational H2O Church in downtown Orlando soon will have a home of its own.

Built in the mid-1950s, the former First United Methodist Church at 2113 E. South St. sat empty the past three years. But it is currently undergoing a $250,000 transformation and will become the new home of the H2O Church, as well as a community gathering place for residents and others in Orlando’s Milk District.

“We love downtown and we’re very excited to be able to stay here,” said the Jim Poorman, one of the Pastors of H2O Church. “We’re just really fortunate to be gifted this church with a new neighborhood being built around it.”

The congregation’s good fortune came earlier this year in the form of a “gift” from a group of church members headed by Marisol Santiago Soderstrom, John Kurtz and Roger Soderstrom, Jr. after their real estate firm coordinated the purchase of nearly five acres that included the property the former Methodist church was built upon.

Since its inception 19 years ago, H2O Church has held services at the former EDGE/ 8 Seconds country western bar before moving to their current venue, in The Abbey below the Sanctuary condominiums, six years ago.

Many of H2O’s parishioners, some between 20 and 40 years of age, have little or no church background and, according to Poorman, would never have set foot in a traditional church. He refers to them as being “spiritually curious.” And, that fits perfect with Poorman and his Co-Pastors John Hever and Steve Reed.

“John, Steve and I didn’t grow up in Christian homes. We don’t have church backgrounds. So, we know what it’s like to be on the outside looking in,” he said. “We think people appreciate a place where they can explore what they believe.”

Poorman said he has shared plans and drawings with some of the neighbors, who said they were dismayed to have looked at the deteriorating Spanish/Mediterranean-style structure with overgrown shrubs for the last few years.

“They’re very excited too,” he said. “We want them to be able to look out their windows and see something attractive.”

“We’ve had between 40-50 people – church family and their friends – helping us the last couple of weekends cleaning and removing items that were left behind. We’ve hauled unusable items out and cleaned and finished the prep work for the renovation which will be completed by CDI Construction Development,” Poorman said, adding that beautiful stained-glass windows which were removed by the former owner now have been reinstalled.

Improvements to the church – which may be completed in early 2021 – will include a new roof, painting, stucco repairs to the exterior, new floors, new lighting, sound system and building a lobby with a coffee bar that can double as a meeting and work space for the neighborhood, Poorman said.

“We want the lobby to be a place where the community can just come and hang out and study, have business meetings or if they want to get a group together to watch a movie, an Orlando City Soccer game, hold a wedding, reception, concert or whatever, they can rent it out. We just want the facility to serve the residents of our downtown community.” 

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Dream Finders Homes Opens St. Augustine Community with Two New Model Villas

Villages of Valencia

ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH – Two professionally-decorated model villas are open and ready for viewing at Dream Finders Homes’ newest community, the Villages of Valencia on Modesto Drive, between U.S. Highway 1 and Shores Boulevard.

Siesta Kitchen

The new models – the two-bedroom, two-bath Largo and the two- or three-bedroom Siesta – feature 1,326 and 1,784 square feet, respectively, and offer lower-level owner’s suites and two-car garages, according to Brad Muston, Dream Finders’ Division President.

Only 70 Dream Finders Homes’ homesites will be available there with prices for the one- and two-story units starting in the low $200,000s.

 “We’re very excited to open our brand new community with three maintenance-free villa floor plans,” he said. “Overall, Valencia is a highly sought after, well-established community in the St. Augustine Beach area.”

Largo Living Room

Residents of the Villages of Valencia can make use of amenities there such as a pool, playground, volleyball and bocce ball areas and a covered pavilion, Muston said, adding that the low $118 monthly HOA fee covers landscaping, lawn care, exterior paint and roof maintenance. 

Only minutes away from Canopy Shores Park, the Matanzas River and State Road A1A, the location also offers quick access to shopping and dining in historic St. Augustine, as well as a day of rest and relaxation at Anastasia Island, St. Augustine Beach or Vilano Beach.

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

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Hold Thyssen Fills Longtime Vacant Retail Space in Rosemont Village Shopping Center With Quality Tenant

Vik Mahadeo

ORLANDO --- Hold Thyssen, Inc., a full service commercial property firm based in Winter Park, recently negotiated a new multi-year lease agreement for 4,480 rentable square feet at Rosemont Village Shopping Center, 4459 N. Pine Hills Rd. in Orlando.

Hold Thyssen leasing associate Vik Mahadeo brokered the transaction on behalf of the landlord and the tenant in the transaction.  Mahadeo negotiated relocation of the well-established church – Center for Israel United in Christ -- placing the quality tenant into the space that was vacant for more than three years.

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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Orlando Business Journal Guest Column