Beazer Homes hosts more than 100 at Grand Re-Opening of Dupree Lakes in Land O’Lakes, two new model homes unveiled

TAMPA, Fla. --- Beazer Homes hosted more than 100 current residents and potential home buyers recently at the grand re-opening of Dupree Lakes, a residential community located in Pasco County off Collier Parkway in Land O’Lakes.

Ed Suchora president of Beazer Homes in the Tampa Bay region said the home builder hosted the recent weekend event to showcase two new model homes in the new third phase at Dupree Lakes.

Suchora said 75 home sites are available in the new phase at Dupree Lakes. New three, four and five bedroom homes priced from the $150s range in size from 1,400 square feet of living space to 3,200 square feet and are built with Beazer’s eSMART features that include elements to increase energy and water efficiency and indoor air-quality.

Dupree Lakes features a community sports complex and clubhouse that includes a resort-style swimming pool and splash zone with playground area, tennis courts, basketball and volleyball courts. The community is convenient to shopping, entertainment a new hospital and 15 minutes from three highly rated schools.

Visit www.beazer.com or call 813-929-0710 at Dupree Lakes which is open 10-6 Tuesday through Saturday and Noon to 6 Sunday and Monday.

About Beazer Homes:

Beazer Homes, headquartered in Atlanta, is one of the country's 10 largest single-family homebuilders with operations in 17 states. Beazer Homes is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "BZH."

Celebration Golf Management eyes major growth, will focus on southeast region

CELEBRATION, Fla. --- Celebration Golf Management LLC plans to expand the business model that has grown the four year old company into a well-respected regional management firm with six central Florida courses and two more in Myrtle Beach and Kingsport, Tenn.

Gene Garrote, president and principal of Celebration Golf Management LLC, launched the company in 2007 while he was operating the Celebration Golf Course in the unique Disney community near Orlando.

Garrote, 39 grew up in Miami, of Spanish and Italian heritage, where he started playing golf as a 15 year old and took jobs at local courses to earn more playing time.

“I started as a bag attendant, worked in the cart barn, in the golf shop, in food and beverage and finally worked my way into management,” Garrote said. That’s where he found his passion

Today, Celebration Golf Management employs more than 300 co-workers. More than 30 managers at Celebration Golf followed Garrote’s career path “up through the ranks.”

“Golf course management is a relationship business,” Garrote said. “Every visit to one of our courses presents the opportunity for us to help create a lifetime memory for the golfer. Every detail of our business aims to achieve that,” Garrote said.

Garrote said Celebration Golf enjoys modest growth and profitability thanks to a conservative approach that keeps the customers — and the courses — first.

“Our priorities are first making sure the guest is number one, second, making sure our co-workers have all the resources they need to provide excellent services and a memorable golfing experience on every visit, and third, to generate a profit,” Garrote said.

“We dissect our business and look at every single element, every expense,” he said. “We put our profits back into the courses, our guest facilities, our equipment and our co-workers,”

The U.S. economic downturn has separated the good golf management companies from the great ones, Garrote said, and Celebration Golf’s top managers have become expert at out-of-the-box thinking.

“We don’t look at golf courses as the sole revenue center,” Garrote said. “There are so many things we can do to generate revenue if we create our own opportunities.”

Celebration Golf hosts its own golf academies, corporate and institutional golf leagues, tournaments, banquets and a wide range of special and seasonal promotions and events, Garrote explained.

Garrote said Celebration Golf Management is currently considering acquisition of some six additional courses in Florida and outside the state. “We’re looking at two opportunities right now,” Garrote said.

Celebration plans to focus its growth on the Sunbelt states.

Right now Celebration Golf Management includes Celebration Golf Course, in Celebration, The Golden Bear in Windermere, Kings Ridge Golf Club and Legends Golf Club in Clermont, Stoneybrook West in Winter Garden and Eagle Creek Golf Club in Southeast Orlando.

Crossman & Company Negotiates 10 Long Term Leases for Publix Super Markets that Total 24,577 Square Feet of Retail Space

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Crossman & Company, the Orlando-based commercial real estate firm that ranks as one of the largest retail property specialists in the southeast, turned in a strong 2011 first quarter for client Publix Super Markets, Inc.: 10 long-term agreements that total 24,577 square feet of retail space.

John Crossman, president of Crossman & Company, said associate Ashley Thornburg and Justin Greider, vice president and director of leasing at Crossman & Company negotiated the lease agreements in Brevard, Seminole, Palm Beach, Sarasota, Pinellas, Duval and Martin Counties in Florida and in Atlanta, Ga.

Thornburg negotiated five lease agreements at three Publix-owned retail centers in Florida:

At Publix at Town Commons, 8899 Hypoluxo Rd. in Lake Worth, Wildberries leased 1,572 square feet for three years and Prime Time NY Deli, 3,869 square feet for 10 years.

At Cornerstone at Stuart, 1501 NW Federal Highway in Stuart, Festival Music Centers leased 1,200 square feet and Surf Ratz, 3,600 square feet and both were for five-year terms.

At University Walk, 2875 University Parkway in Sarasota, AT&T signed a four-year lease for 1,000 square feet.

Greider negotiated five lease agreements at five Publix-owned retail centers in Florida and Georgia:

At Palm Springs Crossing, 482 East Altamonte Dr. in Altamonte Springs, Miracle Ear leased 1,025 square feet for five years.

Sound Advice Hearing Aids leased 1,761 square feet for five years in the Pinellas retail center at 857 West Bay Drive in Largo;

At OakLeaf Plantation Center, 9518 Argyle Forest Blvd. in Jacksonville, Fro-Yogi leased 1,725 square feet for five years.

Anytime Fitness signed a 10-year lease for 4,025 square feet at Rockledge Crossing retail center, 3820 Murrell Road in Rockledge.

Sherwin-Williams leased 4,800 square feet for five years at Paces Ferry Center, 2451 Cumberland Parkway in Atlanta.

Publix Supermarkets owns or operates retail centers throughout the Southeast that total more than 11 million square feet.

About Crossman & Company

Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Crossman & Company is a commercial real estate brokerage firm that specializes in the retail industry. Currently their portfolio under leasing and/or management exceeds 150 shopping centers throughout the Southeast US. Founded in 1990, Crossman & Company focuses solely on landlord representation and serves clients including Publix, PREIT, and GE. Please visit www.crossmanco.com, or call 407-423-5400 for more information.

Ryland Homes Eyes Entry into Raleigh Market, Appoints New Vice President of Land Acquisition

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Ryland Homes has appointed Mitch Huff vice president of land acquisition in the Raleigh region.

Jay Thrower, division president for Ryland Homes in Charlotte, said Huff earned his MBA degree from the College of William & Mary and has more than 30 years of experience as a homebuilding executive and developer.

“Mitch Huff is one of the most experienced land acquisition experts in the Raleigh region and we are delighted he has joined the Ryland Homes team here,” Thrower said.

Thrower said Huff, who will be based in the Raleigh office, has a lot to do: Ryland Homes is expanding to include the Raleigh market, and Huff’s efforts in securing new land positions will lead the process.

“We are currently negotiating to acquire home sites in the Raleigh market,” Thrower said.

Currently, Ryland Homes builds single-family homes priced from the $120s to more than $300,000 in 12 communities throughout the Charlotte area.

The homebuilder recently hosted grand opening events at Traditions in Pineville, Baden Village at Regent Park in Fort Hill, Christenbury Mews in Concord, The Reserve at Morrison Plantation in Mooresville and Westland Farm in Mount Holly.

Visit www.ryland.com.

About Ryland Homes

With headquarters in Southern California, Ryland is one of the nation’s largest homebuilders and a leading mortgage-finance company. The company currently operates in 28 markets across the country and has built more than 275,000 homes and financed more than 230,000 mortgages since its founding in 1967. Ryland is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “RYL.”

Grub Taxi Adds TooJay’s Gourmet Deli in Waterford Towne Center for Business and Home Delivery Services

ORLANDO, Fla. - Grub Taxi LLC, the Orlando restaurant home and business delivery service that launched in June 2008 in the UCF area, announced that TooJay’s Gourmet Deli in Waterford Lakes joined the company as a restaurant partner.

David Gray, marketing manager at Grub Taxi, said Grub Taxi mobile waiters are now making home and business deliveries for TooJay’s in Waterford Towne Center to any of Grub Taxi’s standard delivery areas in the Orlando area.

Grub Taxi’s 25 to 30 drivers currently deliver in East Orlando, Oviedo, Casselberry, Winter Springs, Winter Park, East and Southeast Orlando communities including Avalon Park, the Lake Nona, Lee Vista and Airport areas.

Grub Taxi now serves more than 90 restaurants and plans to expand delivery service into Osceola County in June.

Gray said the firm projects sales for 2011 will exceed $1.2 million, which is a 60 percent increase over sales in 2010.

Grub Taxi is a client company of the University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program. For more information visit www.grubtaxi.com.

About Grub Taxi LLC

Grub Taxi partners with more than 90 Orlando area restaurants to offer customers choices beyond traditional pizza and Chinese delivery, although Grub Taxi does offer those restaurants. They deliver non-traditional cuisines such as BBQ, Bar & Grill, Ice Cream, Smoothies, Deserts, Diner meals, Sushi, Mediterranean, Latin and more. Grub Taxi also provides convenient drop-off and corporate catering – parties, social events, office meetings – for large groups at discounted prices. Visit www.grubtaxi.com

About the UCF Business Incubation Program:

Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Business Incubation Program has helped more than 160 emerging companies (including nearly 100 current clients) create over $800 million in annual revenue and more than 1,600 new jobs with an average salary of $59,000. With eight – and soon nine – facilities opened across the Greater Orlando community, the Business Incubation Program is a collaboration in economic development between the University of Central Florida, Orange County, the City of Orlando, Seminole County, the City of Winter Springs, The City of Sanford, Lake County, the City of Leesburg, Osceola County, the City of Kissimmee, City of St. Cloud, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council and will be adding Volusia County. For more information, please visit www.incubator.ucf.edu.

Mattamy Homes earns five top awards in Northeast Florida Home Builders Association’s 2011 Parade of Homes

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --- Mattamy Homes earned five top awards in the Northeast Florida Home Builders Association 2011 Parade of Homes, which ended recently.

Steve Parker, president of Mattamy Homes U.S. Group, said Mattamy entered six model homes in this year’s parade, which drew a total of 70 entries.

Mattamy Homes earned Gold Awards — the highest given — for its 2,189 square foot Emerald model home at Sevilla in St. Augustine and its 2,116 square foot Rosebury model home at Old Sebastian Point in St. Augustine.

Mattamy Homes earned Silver awards for its 2,306 foot Lancaster model home at Cedar Bay in northern Duval County, the 3,195 square foot Sydney model home with bonus room at the Colony at Greenbriar in St. Johns County, and the 2,483 square foot Kaila model home at Greenleaf Village in Nocatee in Ponte Vedra.

“We are extremely pleased with the awards,” Parker said. “The Parade of Homes generated hundreds of visitors to our communities and we think five top awards for six entries is a very powerful showing,” Parker added.

About Mattamy Homes

Mattamy Homes expanded into the U.S. in 2003 and has divisions in Jacksonville, Orlando, Charlotte, Phoenix and Minneapolis. The homebuilder is the largest and most active in Canada with annual revenues exceeding $1.3 billion.

Hendricks & Partners negotiates sale of 444-unit Pine Hills Apartment Property for $5.5 million

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Hendricks & Partners, the nation’s leading multi-family property advisory group, recently negotiated the sale of Seville Place Apartments at 3124 N. Pine Hills Rd. in Orlando.

Cole Whitaker, partner at Hendricks & Partners, who heads the firm’s southeast region, said Associate Partner Hal Warren negotiated the sales transaction. Bob Hold of Hold Thyssen of Winter Park acted as Receiver for Seville Place Apartments.

Seville Place Holdings, LTD of Orlando paid $5.5 million to acquire the 444-unit property.

Built in 1973, Seville Place features five swimming pools, a playground, basketball and tennis courts, seven laundry facilities, car care center and a community clubhouse.

Tolaris Homes Remodeling Division Completes $1 million Renovation at Alaqua, Launches More Projects

LAKE FOREST, Fla. – Tolaris Homes, a division of Tolaris International who builds luxury homes throughout Seminole and Orange Counties, launched a renovation division and recently completed a $1 million remodeling project at Alaqua County Club community in Seminole County.

Richard Bavec, president of Tolaris Homes based at Lake Forest west of Sanford, said the Alaqua Country Club community renovation project totaled 10,000 square feet of space.

Tolaris has started a second remodeling and addition project at a residence in Baldwin Park that includes a swimming pool, balcony and outdoor living facilities for a total cost of over $200,000.

MERITAGE HOMES PLANS GRAND OPENING FOR MODEL HOME AT CYPRESS LAKES IN ORLANDO

ORLANDO, Fla. – Meritage Homes will hold a grand opening for its new model May 14 at Cypress Lakes, located off Chuluota Rd. in east Orlando.

Brian Kittle, director of sales for Meritage Homes in the Orlando region, said the model will offer 4,163 square feet of living space with eight bedrooms, four baths and a three-car garage.

Meritage Homes has 67 single-family home sites at Cypress Lakes with homes ranging from 3,055 square feet of living space to 5,107 square feet, priced from $236,990 to 290,990.

Volusia Law Firm Joins Firefighter Motorcycle Club to Sponsor May Benefit Poker Run For Shands Burn Center

FLAGLER COUNTY – The law firm of Rue & Ziffra P.A. and Chapter 11 of the Red Knights Motorcycle Club will sponsor the 7th annual Shands Burn Center Poker Run on Sunday, May 1.

Beginning at 9:30 a.m. with pre-registration at the White Eagle Lounge on U.S. Highway 1, Korona in Flagler County, the event will have participants stopping to play their hands at four restaurants/bars in Volusia, Flagler and St. Johns counties before returning to the White Eagle Lounge by 4 p.m.

“This poker run will raise money for the Shands Burn Center in Gainesville, and it’s also a fun event for all who will be participating,” said Allan L. Ziffra, president of the Port Orange-based firm.

According to national statistics, burn injuries – caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, radiation or fire – are the third largest cause of accidental death in the United States. More than two million people are injured each year; 6,000 of them fatally.

Tickets for the May 1 three-county ride – one of many sponsored annually by Rue and Ziffra in support of the motorcycle-riding community – are $15 per person and include one poker hand, food and live entertainment. Prizes will be awarded to the best hands and a raffle will be held.

For more information, contact RKMC Chapter President Paul Metzner at 410-591-2676 or h43huskie@yahoo.com. Details also are available from the club’s website at www.krmcfl11.org.

About Rue & Ziffra: Founded by John D. Rue and Allan L. Ziffra, the personal-injury law firm of Rue & Ziffra has served the Central Florida community for more than 25 years. The firm’s commitment to its profession and its clients has earned it a reputation as one of the top personal-injury law firms in Central Florida. Known for handling everything from automobile and motorcycle accidents to medical malpractice, wrongful death, and social security and disability cases, Rue & Ziffra has recovered millions of dollars for injured clients and their families. With a staff of nine attorneys, the firm maintains offices in Port Orange and Orange City. For more information, visit www.rueziffra.com.