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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Orlando Humanitarian, Businessman Receives “Best of Central Florida” Award

ORLANDO – John Crossman, a real estate executive, speaker, author and former principal of Crossman & Company, has received a “Best of Central Florida” award from Orlando newspaper The Orlando Local News.

The award – for philanthropic excellence – was presented to Crossman at a recent luncheon at the University Club in downtown Orlando. Awards were presented in partnership with the Agents of Innovation podcast, which featured John on episode 26.

“One of my great passions in life is supporting FAMU, B-CU, and HBCUs across the nation. I am so grateful for this recognition as it gives me more opportunities to expound on the important role HBCUs play in our country,” Crossman said of receiving the honor for philanthropy.

With a reputation as one of the most influential business leaders in Florida on the subjects of leadership development, civil rights and social justice, Crossman is no stranger to accolades and honors.

So far this year, he has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Central Florida Commercial Association of Realtors, launched an audio version of his award-winning, best-selling book Career Killers / Career Builders, was appointed to the Advisory Council of the Peace and Justice Institute at Valencia College, moderated a virtual panel of experts for a webinar for landlords and tenants in the Covid-19 shutdown.

He also has served on a panel at the Second Annual Servant Leadership Conference at Palm Beach Atlantic University and delivered the keynote speech at the International Council of Shopping Centers’ CenterBuild Conference.

Crossman, 48, was at the helm of Crossman & Company for two decades before retiring in 2019. He has since launched Crossman Career Builders and CrossMarc Services based in Winter Park.

Crossman Career Builders, which initially focused on mentoring and coaching college students and young professionals, expanded during the pandemic to provide CEOs with coaching and consulting. The company has been busy the past nine months training on topics like addiction, mental health, suicide and race issues.

CrossMarc Services focuses on real estate investments, brokerage, and advisory work and has published a Guide to Commercial Real Estate that is used at universities across the country. The company provides consulting for complex real estate projects and has been retained by Fortune 500 companies to provide training on handling tenant relationships during Covid-19.

His companies provide endowed scholarships at FSU, FAMU, B-CU and UCF that total approximately $500,000. The FAMU and B-CU real estate scholarships are the first of their kind in school history.

The youngest alumnus to be inducted into the FSU College of Business Hall of Fame, Crossman is recognized nationally for his work on civil rights and makes regular appearances on TV and radio talk shows. He also is sought after to speak about his book, Career Killers/Career Builders: The Book Every Millennial Should Read.

Hold-Thyssen Closes on Ten Year Lease With Arby’s Restaurant at Enterprise Plaza in Orange City

 

ORANGE CITY, Fla. --- Hold-Thyssen, Inc., a full-service commercial property firm based in Winter Park, negotiated a ten-year lease agreement for 3,156 rentable square feet at Enterprise Plaza, 2499 Enterprise Rd. in Orange City. The tenant is ranked as one of the best fast casual dining restaurants in the U.S.

RTM Operating Company d/b/a Arby’s which is headquartered in Atlanta, has been a tenant at Enterprise Plaza over two decades, and they will continue to provide their signature sandwiches of quality meats and a variety of side dishes to the West Volusia area. Arby’s has locations nationwide.

Hold-Thyssen Senior Director Darby Hold negotiated the agreement representing Landlord Florida Premier-Enterprise LLC based in Fraser, Mich.

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.

Dream Finders Homes Now Selling in Upscale Bella Collina - New Anna Maria with Bonus model is underway

 MONTVERDE – If luxury is what you’re looking for in a home and community, then look no farther than Dream Finders Homes’ offerings at the Tuscan-inspired Bella Collina community west of Orlando.

The Anna Maria with Bonus model is the builder’s first of seven floorplans to be built in the gated, master-planned community, according to Gerry Boeneman, president of Dream Finders Homes’ Central Florida division. “We’re excited to offer some of our most upscale plans in beautiful Bella Collina.”

Boeneman said Dream Finders Homes will offer three- to five-bedroom homes with optional bonus room on 40 and 50-foot lots in the well-appointed community of nearly 2,000 acres. “Our luxury floorplans are designed to fit in perfectly with our homesites that front on either the incredible views of the Nick Faldo-designed championship golf course or some of the most supreme conservation views in all of Lake County.”

Dream Finders plans to build a total of 149 new homes ranging from 2,500 to 3,412 square feet of living area in the luxury community. The homebuilder will build two new models with the first – Anna Maria with Bonus – slated for completion by March. Pricing will start in the low $500,000s.

Bella Collina’s crown jewel is an expansive 75,000 square foot clubhouse that encompasses six buildings including three dining facilities, a 500-person ballroom with dedicated banquet team, a wine cellar for private ballroom events, a full-service spa and state-of-the-art fitness center. Six Har-Tru tennis courts and an oversized resort-style pool anchor the community’s outdoor amenities.

Located north of SR 50 just off the Florida Turnpike, Bella Collina is convenient to upscale shopping and dining in Montverde, Mount Dora and Winter Garden, 30 minutes from downtown Orlando and Walt Disney World, and 90 minutes from beaches on the Gulf of Mexico or Florida’s East Coast, via SR 429 and SR 528.

For more information about Dream Finder Homes’ new home designs at Bella Collina, please call 888-214-1164.

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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