Developer Seeks Approval of a $400 Million Project in Osceola County

Plan calls for construction of more than 1,200 single and multi-family homes and allows for sizeable amounts of commercial and civic space at Roan Bridge

ST. CLOUD – DIX Developments is looking for approval of a plan that would bring both home buyers and business owners to Roan Bridge, a 276-acre mixed-use development off Old Hickory Tree Road.

The 17-parcel tract – which was annexed into the city of St. Cloud in 2017 – is partially cleared and has been permitted for 625 single-family homes and 599 multi-family units, according to James Dicks, president of DIX Development LLC in Lake Mary.

Dicks said he named Javier Omana of CPH Inc., a Sanford-based engineering firm, as manager and land planner for the Roan Bridge project. The environmental consulting is being done by Young Bear Environmental of Edgewater, and Johnston’s Surveying Inc. in Kissimmee is conducting the survey of the property.

The Roan Bridge project also provides for a gathering area with retail and office space topped with 96 condos “along four city blocks in the heart of the project,” Dicks said.  

“There will be 1.5 million square feet of civic space,” Dicks said, adding that 26 acres have been set aside for a K-8 school with additional acreage for a new city fire station.

The $400 million development – which is one-half mile from U.S. Highway 192 and 25 miles from the attractions – is in the direct path of growth with property developing all around.

“The original goal of the Roan Bridge conceptual master plan – to balance social, environmental and economic sustainability – can be achieved by using long-range, large-scale planning,” Dicks said. “This plan will provide sustainable economic development, a sound tax base, ease the pressure for urban sprawl and reduce vehicle miles traveled by linking with road and transit networks,” he explained.

“When Roan Bridge is complete, this truly will be a great place to live in Florida.”

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About DIX Developments LLC: DIX Developments – an award-winning firm that focuses on land acquisition, real estate development and investment – has been developing Central Florida real estate for seven generations with creative vision, acquisition strategy, expert due diligence, and superior results.

New UF Warrington, FAMU partnership to address diversity in real estate

GAINESVILLE / WINTER PARK – The University of Florida Warrington College of Business is proud to announce a new scholarship for students who attended Florida A&M University (FAMU) or other Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCU) and are interested in studying real estate. The Bergstrom-Crossman Real Estate Scholarship will be awarded annually through the Kelley A. Bergstrom Real Estate Center to support students qualified for the Nathan S. Collier Master of Science in Real Estate (MSRE) program with undergraduate degrees from Florida A&M University or another HBCU.

The scholarship will cover all costs of attendance, including tuition, fees, books and supplies, a computer, a room and board stipend and a professional development supplement.

The Bergstrom-Crossman Real Estate Scholarship aims to address the lack of diversity in the real estate industry in addition to making a real estate education more equitable and accessible to exceptional students.

This scholarship is available thanks to the efforts of John Crossman, Founder of Winter Park-based Crossman Career Builders and UF Real Estate Advisory Board Member, in partnership with Kelley Bergstrom, namesake of the Center and longtime Chairman’s Circle member of the Bergstrom Center. Crossman and Bergstrom have long been passionate about supporting real estate programs at HBCUs and are excited to expand opportunities for students interested in studying at the University of Florida.

“The partnership of FAMU, UF and Kelley Bergstrom is an outstanding example of leaders providing actionable steps with measurable results to deal with systemic issues,” Crossman said.

Bergstrom added, “This is an example of Florida’s two Land Grant Universities, Florida A&M University and the University of Florida, joining together to increase talented professionals in the real estate industry.”

Like Bergstrom and Crossman, the Warrington College of Business is committed to increasing and expanding the pool of talented professionals in the real estate industry by supporting opportunities for students in the MSRE program across all aspects of diversity, including ethnicity, gender, race, socioeconomic status, professional experience, geography, class and other characteristics.

“Increasing the diversity of the real estate industry is critical to its future,” said Tim Becker, Executive Director of the Kelley A. Bergstrom Real Estate Center. “Partnering with FAMU on this scholarship is a first step in providing more opportunity for a diverse group of students to access a career in real estate. Through the leadership of Kelley and John, the Bergstrom Center and the No. 1 ranked Collier MSRE program will strive to continue providing exceptional, diverse talent to the real estate industry.”

Florida A&M University is equally as proud to offer this opportunity to students who are interested in pursuing a career in real estate after their time at the highest-ranking public HBCU in the nation.

“We are honored to partner with our good friend, John Crossman and Kelley Bergstrom along with the University of Florida in providing this outstanding resource to our students,” said Larry Robinson, Ph.D., President of Florida A&M University. “John Crossman is a long-term member of our Foundation Board of Directors and is constantly pursuing opportunities such as this to support this institution.”

Learn more about the Bergstrom-Crossman Real Estate Scholarship and pursuing a real estate education through the MSRE program.

Dream Finders Homes’ Cambridge II Model Now Open at Dunns Crossing

 

JACKSONVILLE – Dream Finders Homes has opened for sales at Dunns Crossing with the premiere of their 2,188-square-foot, two-story Cambridge II model at the Duval County community off of Dunn Avenue.

The spacious home has three bedrooms and two baths downstairs and a generously-sized upstairs bonus room complete with a walk-in closet and full bath. The home’s large kitchen, expansive great room and cheery café overlook an airy lanai, according to Brad Muston, Dream Finders Homes’ Jacksonville Division President.

Muston said there are approximately 235 single-family homesites in this phase of Dunns Crossing with prices from the $230,000s for homes ranging in size from 1,657 to 2,500 square feet.

“By offering eight very diverse floor plans in one- or two-story models and either three or four bedrooms, we believe one of these will be just what prospective homebuyers are looking for,” he said.

Located off of Interstate 295 and Dunn Avenue, Muston said Dunns Crossing offers quick access to Interstate 295 and is just a short drive to downtown Jacksonville, historic Riverside, the massive River City Marketplace, Jacksonville International Airport and the Jacksonville Zoo.

“Between its central location and affordability, these homesites will not be available for very long.”

For more information about Dunn’s Crossing, please visit www.dreamfindershomes.com or call 888-214-1164.

INNOVATUS CAPITAL PARTNERS TEAMS WITH VERDIGRIS TECHNOLOGIES TO REDUCE ENERGY COSTS THROUGH BRINGING ENERGY INTELLIGENCE TO ITS BUILDINGS

Nationwide building portfolio leverages real-time energy and AI for deep insights and autonomous facility operations

DALLAS / ORLANDO -- New York based Innovatus Capital Partners (“Innovatus”) a boutique specialty finance firm with over $1.5 billion in assets under management, is deploying Verdigris’ artificial intelligence (AI) technology across its national commercial building portfolio.   With a diversified portfolio of U.S. commercial office properties located in emergent top-tier markets, Innovatus is focused on creating value in special situations, emergent asset classes and asset-based investments.

Verdigris, a global leader in real-time responsive energy intelligence, combines its IoT energy sensors and adaptive and autonomous building solutions to cost-effectively manage energy consumption and optimize operations in smart buildings.

“Innovatus has seen tangible reductions in our energy costs, along with other unexpected benefits such as identifying equipment scheduling issues at several of our buildings. The Verdigris deployment model, analytics and automation are extremely valuable to our investment strategy for identifying disruptive growth opportunities,” said Bradley Seiden, Managing Director at Innovatus Capital Partners. “Verdigris is a tested and proven energy management solution, delivering real-time insights and automatic optimization that are ahead of other solutions in the marketplace and are adaptive to the needs of our buildings in each market.”

In the first phase of energy-saving automation, Innovatus has deployed Verdigris’ Adaptive Automation^TM at the Westwood Corporate Center, a premier five-story, 120,000 square foot, Class A office building on Forum Drive in south Orlando. During this phase, Verdigris AI has already identified measurable annual savings in both baseload and peak demand optimization. These savings are achieved automatically, with no additional effort or attention by the facility engineering team, freeing them up to focus on other projects. To expand on the success of this first phase, savings can be further enhanced by automating additional HVAC equipment. Innovatus and Verdigris look forward to creating a truly “self-driving” building. Westwood Corporate Center is managed by Lincoln Property Company.

“Lincoln Property Company is very excited to be working with Innovatus Capital Partners and Verdigris on these very unique AI enhanced energy initiatives that we truly believe sets on a unique path to maximizing energy conservation while effectively maintaining tenant comfort within our office building,” said Edward J. Price, Senior Vice President for Lincoln Property Company Southeast. 

By applying AI and machine learning in real-time to the precision data that Verdigris sensors capture, Verdigris delivers insights on granular energy issues that other systems miss. Facility and property managers can act at optimal times or implement automated responses to improve energy efficiency, address potentially critical issues, and reduce downtime.

Commercial real estate owners increase net operating income by cutting energy costs. Meanwhile, occupants enjoy an optimized environment enabled by AI-enhanced building controls. Verdigris' non-intrusive IoT sensors work alone or in synergy with building management systems. Customers have achieved fast ROI, often within months, by decreasing energy costs 20 percent or more.

“We’re helping companies survive and thrive in a dynamic period of digital transformation while navigating Covid, economic turbulence, the increasing impact of climate change, and sustainability legislation. To do that, buildings and industry need cost-effective and scalable data and AI solutions that enable intelligent environments to align the interests of building owners, operators and occupants,” said Thomas Chung, Head of Growth at Verdigris.

Verdigris’ patented technology monitors granular energy consumption and power quality details for individual devices at thousands of times per second, detecting hidden issues that most other systems miss and automating responses for optimized “driverless” buildings. 

About Innovatus

Innovatus Capital Partners, LLC is a boutique specialty finance firm focused on creating value for investors in emergent asset classes, private credit and asset-based investments, based in New York.  Innovatus has assets under management in excess of $1.5 billion. Innovatus has a dedicated team of real estate investment professionals with deep experience in commercial real estate acquisitions, recapitalizations and asset management across core-plus and opportunistic real estate investments amongst all property types including office, retail, hotel, medical, industrial and warehouse. Innovatus and its principals have significant real estate experience with ventures that range from the creation of a CMBS lending group and servicing platform to making equity investments in developments and single asset purchases. Further information can be found at www.innovatuscp.com  

About Verdigris

Verdigris Technologies is a leading AI company that empowers the world’s smartest buildings with data, insights and automation. Through artificial intelligence and IoT-enabled sensors, Verdigris ‘learns’ and distinguishes the equipment components of commercial buildings, providing rich data streams about critical equipment. Powerful analytics constantly scan this data to find hidden inefficiencies, produce actionable reports and empower building managers to optimize facilities management. Among other honors, Verdigris was named one of the top ten Most Innovative Companies in Energy

 

 by Fast Company and selected as the Frost and Sullivan Technology Innovation Leader in the North American AI-based Energy Management and Automation Industry. Verdigris is headquartered at the NASA Ames Research Park in Silicon Valley, California with offices in the US and Taiwan. See verdigris.co for recent press and testimonials. For more information, please contact Media Relations at press@verdigris.co.

About Lincoln Property Company

Lincoln Property Company is one of the largest and most diversified real estate services firm in the United States and is the only national real estate company to rank concurrently in the top 10 of Management/Ownership of Office, Industrial, Multi-family, and Retail.  With an international footprint that includes offices in 45 cities across the United States and 6 cities in Europe and South America, LPC remains a privately and closely held company. As a matter of corporate intention and philosophy, the company has operated virtually debt-free since the early 1990’s, uniquely positioning itself to provide focus and performance as well as consistency and stability to its clients and employees in the economically challenging times of today. This corporate philosophy combined with over 50 years of global real estate is what differentiates LPC from other service providers and real estate companies.

Site Development Underway and Home Builder Named for New Single-family Home Community in Tavares

TAVARES – Plans for Elmwood, a 115-homesite community off of David Walker Drive in Tavares, are moving along smoothly, according to developer Jerome Henin.

“We’ve selected Ciraco Underground of Belleview to handle the site development and D.R. Horton has been named as the community’s preferred builder,” he said.

Henin – founder and CEO of The Henin Group – purchased the 32-acre parcel in 2020 for $2 million with a vision of providing housing that would appeal to the demographic of homebuyers moving into that area of Lake County.

“We’re confident the 1,800- to 2,200-square-foot homes that D.R. Horton will be offering at Elmwood will be well received by prospective buyers,” Henin said.

Construction of the subdivision started in late December with platting of the community and the development of lots set to begin in July, Henin said, adding that the three- and four-bedroom models – priced starting in the low $300,000s – should be open in September.

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About the Developer: France native Jerome Henin, the founder and owner of several companies involved in real estate development and sales, has more than 30 years of experience in property development in Europe, Florida and Virginia. His largest Central Florida development – the award-winning Riviera Bella – is divided into villages with production homes’ pricing from the mid $200,000s and custom homes that are priced up to $2 million.

New Townhomes near Lake Monroe Planned by Henin Group, Moving Forward Now with National Homebuilder M/I Homes

SANFORD – Henin Springview LLC, a subsidiary of The Henin Group which focuses on unique luxury neighborhoods and multifamily developments, has sold its planned Sanford townhome development to a national homebuilder.  The 18-acre parcel was approved last year for 150 townhomes on the site at 2300 W. First Street in Sanford.

The Orlando Division of M/I Homes closed the last week in January on the shovel-ready property located along the shores of Lake Monroe.   The area is highly desirable with a hospital, historic downtown Sanford, a lakefront park and trails, employment corridors, and a mall nearby, said Jerome Henin, CEO of the Henin Group.

“We were delayed on the approvals and permitting during 2020 with the Covid-19 shutdown and the governmental agencies working from home,” Henin said.  Plans for the townhomes were approved and permitted after being rezoned from industrial to residential.

Construction is getting underway soon, according to Henin. “This development is a good fit for M/I Homes as they are currently building The Towns at White Cedar just a few minutes west on White Cedar Road off of SR 46. 

M/I Homes’ Towns at Lake Monroe Commons (a name in the process of being approved) will provide reasonably priced starter homes for Seminole County residents. They most likely will be priced starting in the mid $200,000s and include the homebuilders 15-year structural warranty. The three-and four-bedroom units are anticipated to start at 1,800 square feet.

M/I Homes also builds in the Henin Group’s award-winning Riviera Bella in DeBary where production homes are priced from the mid $200,000s and custom homes up to $2 million.

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About the Developer: France native Jerome Henin, the founder and owner of several companies involved in real estate development and sales, has more than 30 years of experience in property development in Europe, Florida and Virginia. His largest Central Florida development – the award-winning Riviera Bella – is divided into villages with production homes’ pricing from the mid $200,000s and custom homes that are priced up to $2 million.            

About M/I Homes  

M/I Homes, Inc. is one of the nation’s leading builders of single-family homes, having sold over 110,000 homes.  The Company’s homes are marketed and sold primarily under the trade names M/I Homes and Showcase Collection (exclusively by M/I Homes), and also currently are sold under the name Hans Hagen Homes in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota market and Pinnacle Homes in the Detroit, Michigan market.  The Company has homebuilding operations in Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; Chicago, Illinois; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota; Detroit, Michigan; Tampa, Sarasota and Orlando, Florida; Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, Texas; Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; and the Virginia and Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C.

Site Developer Named for Final Phase of Riviera Bella Community Swift Sales in Previous Phase Put the Community More Than Two Years Ahead of Initial Projected Sell Out

DEBARY – The Henin Group has retained Jon M. Hall Construction of Sanford to handle site development in the final phase at Riviera Bella, a flourishing upscale new- home development along the St. Johns River in DeBary.

The construction company will create the infrastructure for 153 new home sites in phase 9 that will mark the completion of the entire community’s 710 single-family homesites off Fort Florida Road, according to Developer Jerome Henin, president and CEO of The Henin Group.`

“We’re extremely happy with the reception the community has received from enthusiastic buyers,” Henin said. “According to D.R. Horton – the builder for phase eight – less than 16 available homesites remain there.” We also congratulate M/I Homes for their exceptional success in the previous phases of Riviera Bella and magnificent architectures.

Henin said the company’s successful endeavors have put the projected sell-out of the total community more than two years ahead of projection. “We now expect everything to sell out by next year.”

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About the Developer: France native Jerome Henin, the founder and owner of several companies involved in real estate development and sales, has more than 30 years of experience in property development in Europe, Florida and Virginia. His largest Central Florida development – the award-winning Riviera Bella – is divided into villages with production homes’ pricing from the mid $200,000s and custom homes that are priced up to $2 million.

Dream Finders Homes Now Selling 4-6 Bedroom Homes at Lakeside at Hamlin in Winter Garden

 

WINTER GARDEN – In the first couple of weeks of sales, Dream Finders Homes sold 14 homesites in Lakeside at Hamlin, the company’s newest luxury-home community just off State Road 429 near the intersection of County Road 545 and Porter Road.

With the community in its infancy, sales currently are being handled from Dream Finders’ Wincey Groves at Hamlin development on Orange Orchard Drive in Winter Garden, according to Gerry Boeneman, president of Dream Finders’ Central Florida division.

“We’re excited to offer a mix of 151 spectacular 40- 50- and 60-foot homesites in Lakeside at Hamlin,” he said. “This is a fantastic location near Winter Garden, Horizon West and the Disney World™ area.”

Boeneman said new homes at Lakeside at Hamlin will range from 2,235 to 4,443 square feet and can be built with four to six bedrooms, two and one-half to four bathrooms and two-car garages. Pricing starts in the low $400,000s.

Buyers can choose from a variety of one- and two-story floorplans and select from numerous structural options including stone exteriors, private swimming pools or spas, bonus rooms, wet bars, gourmet kitchens and disappearing sliding-glass doors.

Altogether, Dream Finders Homes will be building on a total of 151 homesites at Lakeside at Hamlin. “Our 40-foot homesites will feature newly designed floorplans and elevations with rear-loading garages,” Boeneman said.

For more information about Lakeside at Hamlin, please call 888-214-1164.

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M/I Homes is Building at Rivington in DeBary

 

Photo caption: M/I Homes’ Chatham plan can be built at Rivington with 3-5 bedrooms and up to 4 baths.

DEBARY – M/I Homes started construction in January at DeBary’s new Rivington community along the St. Johns River.

Rivington, a 296-acre master-planned community just west of U.S. Highway 17-92, is being presented by M/I Homes and two other builders. Together they will build five phases comprised of townhomes, alley-loaded single-family homes, and traditional front-load garage homes, according to David Byrnes, M/I Homes’ area president.

“The variety of homes being built here is diverse and creates pleasing curb appeal,” he said. “The master-planned community concept consists of neighborhoods within the community, which essentially provides more amenities for homeowners, such as a clubhouse, playground, a resort-style pool, and miles of nature trails.”

Byrnes said M/I Homes plans to build a total of 95 homes in Rivington, 40 of which will be in phase one. Floor plans there will range from 1,857 to 3,611 square feet for homes with up to six bedrooms and up to three-car garages. Prices will start at $298,990.

M/I Homes offers a 15-year transferable structural warranty on its six distinct one- and two-story floor plans. They also offer personalization of each home with assistance from one of the company’s knowledgeable interior designers.

The community, which is close to Interstate 4 and State Road 417, offers easy access to Lake Mary and Sanford employment centers and is just a quarter of a mile from the DeBary SunRail station.

For more information about Rivington, visit www.mihomes.com.

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