Dennis's Blog

Why Should you advertise on the Florida Real Estate network website at www.flarren.com ?

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 12:43:03 -0500

As a fellow agent-i get about a zillion emails promising me fame and fortune if i just sign here.

Florida Real Estate Network is not about that.

The idea for this Florida Relocation site started out in 2005--

As an agent in the Keys and also having moved many times while working for CBS, I knew that "everyone who relocates to an area wants information about the area"

Not just listings and mortgage calculators but real information that would help give them an idea of what it would be like to live there.

For example if you were retired you'd want to know about transportation and health-medical and cost of living.

Anyway--if you type in the search term in google or yahoo Florida real estate which gets over 6 million results-you'll see the www.flarren.com is on the front page-

It does fluctuate between 1st page and middle of the 2nd page.

If you enter the search term relocating to Florida--you'll find www.flarren.com on the front page of both Google and Yahoo.

To sum it up www.flarren.com has the most amount of information regarding relocating to Florida of any site out there.

PS--Site Stats (source visistat.com)

On average 7000 to 10,000 people a month access the site

People looking at the site came from:

USA 74%

Canada 11%

UK 6.18%

The Average visitor spent 3 minutes on the site.

24.8% were return visitors

75.2% new visitors

The most looked at areas in order were as follows:

Tampa
Orlando
Sarasota
Ft Meyers
Fl Keys
Ft Lauderdale
West palm Beach
Naples
Melbourne
Pensacola
jacksonville
Daytona

Go to http://www.flarren.com/head_info/advertising.html for more information

Florida Real estate network advertising rates

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:08:45 -0500

ADVERTISING INFORMATION--
Remember-75% of the buyers are online and 78% of them find their agents and lenders online!
To read a groundbreaking article about the power of internet Advertising,
Internet power

To think about: "Just one more deal a year, makes this the most effective and affordable way to market yourself!

*For a short Demo, explaining the features and benefits of Advertising with us, click here Demo Slideshow

*To see what the Ads look like on a page (including Banner ads)
click here Demo Advertising Information Page

*Three Advertising Plans to reach your online buyers-see plans and rates below.

Plan 1. Preferred Listing.
Your listing in the Top Ten listings per page.
Price $39.00 per year (Payable one payment)
Plan 2. Business Directory Listing
Your listing on the Business Directory page.
Price is $19.00 per year. (Payable one payment)
Plan 3. Banner Ads. Banner Ads may be placed on an initial Area index page for $295.00 per year, payable one payment. Example Florida Keys Real estate main page.
.The price for a banner ad in an individual City index page and or classification is $99.00 per year, payable one payment
* All listings will include a Web link and email: address.
* All Currrent Advertisers that choose to upgrade (if space is available) will receive full credit for the previous money spent or an additional ad-space of their choice.
* All Listings are placed on a first come first served basis
*Limited Text advertising available on the home/Indexpage, For rates contact us

Cocoa Beach Florida general information

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:06:40 -0500

Cocoa Beach

Cocoa Florida is really two areas, a beach town and a mainland town separated by yet a third town. And geographic terminology can be somewhat confusing too. Let’s try to sort it out for you!Cocoa Beach is a town on the barrier island located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Banana River Lagoon on Florida's Central East Coast, just south of Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center.

The city of Cocoa is on the western (mainland) side of the Indian River. Merritt Island, a long pointed piece of land and town parsing inland bay or lagoon waters into the Indian (Westside) and Banana (Eastside) “rivers” separates Cocoa from Cocoa Beach. Got that?

Cocoa Beach
This beach town has made it to the radar screen of most Americans with any knowledge of Florida. Like many of the towns in the area, it was more or less a service town for NASA and a nearby air force base, but has now really found its identity as Orlando’s beach, a popular resort town, and a main center of Space Coast night life.

Just six miles long and mostly less than one mile wide, Cocoa Beach is really an adventure in diversity. You can swim, surf, cruise out to sea on a gambling boat, catch a cruise to the Bahamas, enjoy the 800’ long Cocoa Beach Pier, choose fine dining or a beach joint, listen to music, find an art gallery or fly a kite. The place is laid back.

Other options here range from watching a space launch from the beach with hundreds if not thousands of folks from all over the world, to the intensely personal solitude of watching/photographing marine and bird life in their natural habitats. And then there’s good golf, boating, and fishing too.

When thinking about real Estate here, it helps to remember that Cocoa Beach is both a residential community and a tourist destination. The base population is just over 13.000 but it grows to as high as 30,000 during the tourist high season (January through March) and on many weekends.

The City of Cocoa
Located west of Merritt Island, this small multicultural city has a population of just over 17,000 and fronts 4 miles of the Indian River. The city was long a bedroom community for various NASA facilities and Patrick Air Force Base, but it’s in the process of reinventing itself. It’s still that, but it’s also a destination, a great place to live, and you can even commute to Orlando if you want to live here and work there. It’s got its own great shopping and other good shopping varieties at nearby Viera on the mainland side or Cocoa Beach or Merritt Island.
Recreational opportunities abound too: They include boating, fresh water fishing on the nearby St. Johns River and salt water fishing in the Indian River and the Atlantic Ocean, golf, and minor league and major league baseball spring training. Because of its mainland location, Cocoa also has great access to Canaveral National Seashore (north of the Cape), to the NASA space complex at Cape Canaveral, and to nearby wilderness areas.

Cocoa has a unique downtown historic area which is referred to as Cocoa Village. Over 60 restaurants, art galleries, clubs, theater and unique shops in a great atmosphere make this an enjoyable place to spend a day or an evening for residents as well as tourists. Most weekends in Cocoa Village there are street celebrations, art exhibits, parties and fund-raisers.

All this and Orlando is a straight shot (about 45 minutes) on the Beeline expressway-highway 528. This proximity means that you have easy access to the smorgasbord of entertainment that a major metropolitan center can offer, including concerts, dining, sports, and other entertainment activities. Orlando’s major international airport is only about 30 minutes away; Melbourne’s, easier to use because it’s smaller, is about the same distance.

Cocoa really lets you have your cake and eat it too. World famous beaches, fishing, entertainment and shopping are right here or nearby. You can work locally, or easily commute to Melbourne or Orlando. This plus a quality lifestyle in a small town atmosphere makes Cocoa a stand out community. To top it all off, real Estate here still offers a good range of options and prices.

For more stats countywide (Brevard) go to the Melbourne general info links.
For Real Estate information and related businesses see the Real Estate section.“Think about the possibilities of living in an area where most people go for vacation.”

Melbourne fl Information

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:03:58 -0500

Melbourne

Historically, the place that gives this entire area its “name” is Melbourne, the oldest and best-known community on what Floridians call the “Space Coast”. Melbourne is right in the center of a long north-south corridor – coastal Brevard County – that is sandwiched between the St. Johns River Basin to the West and the Atlantic Ocean. It stretches from Palm Bay and other smaller communities in the south through Melbourne, West Melbourne, and Melbourne Village in central Brevard to Viera, Cocoa and Titusville in the north.

And it includes a half dozen beach communities on one long, fabulous barrier island stretching from Sebastian Inlet to Cape Canaveral. This “greater Melbourne” is one of the most rapidly growing residential areas in Florida, and it currently boasts the fifth most rapidly appreciating home property values in the entire United States [USA Today, Sept 2, 2005]!

Yet Melbourne itself is reminiscent of an older not so built up Florida.
The main streets are wide and the city is well maintained. It has Arts, Fine Dining Health and Educational facilities that compare with the best Florida’s larger cities offer. It’s just an hour from Orlando and three hours from Miami.

The location makes anywhere in the state very accessible. Even remote Key West is just a 5 or 6 hour drive. As to Outdoor and recreational opportunities, in my opinion it’s one of the best places in Florida. The beaches are not jammed, there is plenty of access and it’s not wall to wall development.

When you approach the Ocean over the high bridge across the Indian River (the Intra-Coastal Waterway or ICW), your view is sweeping. It is not blocked by condos and hotels, thanks to strict zoning laws enacted well before the current rapid growth and development. For one thing, there are 3- and 4-story height limits, unlike what you find throughout much of South Florida.

For another, there is lots of easy to find, easy to use “forever” beach access. Before development there was conservation, and Melbourne and its beachside communities have some of the nicest public beaches in all of Florida

Melbourne also has a great Old-Town, downtown area with specialty shops, antique stores, theaters, restaurants and more. There are dining places overlooking both the Indian River Lagoon (the IntraCoastal) and the Ocean. Another Old Town section, Eau Gallie, features art galleries and the county art museum.
In a recent study, with a major space employer in Melbourne, the employees had this to say.

Melbourne is a safe place to live
It has great weather and lots of sun
It’s easy to travel and get to work and there are good job opportunities..
There is a wide variety of recreational facilities.
It’s easy to get involved in the community.
It’s a great place for creative people.
Three out of four would recommend a friend or family member to relocate to Melbourne.
Melbourne has the amenities that a larger town would have yet it has a small town atmosphere.
I call it user friendly.
All that and the Real Estate is a good deal. As of this writing (summer 2005) single-family homes, minutes from the beaches can be had from 200,000 up.

Melbourne, and its landside communities of West Melbourne and Melbourne Village, plus its beachside communities of Indialantic, Melbourne Beach, and Floridana (going south), or Indian Harbor Beach and Satellite Beach (going north) is simply a great place to live. Ditto for the greater Melbourne area from Sebastian Inlet to Cape Canaveral. What a great place to relocate or retire to.

Check out the dropdown menus to the left for more information. Better yet, come down and take a look for yourself! See the google map to the upper right.

Florida Keys Outdoors and Recreational Opportunities

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:56:17 -0500

Miles of oceanfront and Gulf front access await you in the Keys.
Recreational opportunities in the outdoors are the most important assets of the Keys.
The fishing and boating here is incredible-both in the Ocean and the back-country (the Gulf). There is something to catch year round and our weather lets you do it. If you like the water, this is the place
Recreational Opportunities:

47 Marinas
13 Parks,
3 Golf Courses
10 Campgrounds and recreational vehicle parks
13 public Tennis Courts
18 Boat Ramps
To see a complete list of parks and recreational opportunities see
the sites below
http://www.floridastateparks.org/FndaParkRegion.cfm?Dist=Southeast
Things to do outdoors:

Fishing-saltwater, freshwater-Ocean, lakes and the Everglades
Boating-Ocean, Gulf or Bay
Diving
Hiking
Tennis
Bike riding
Birding
Photography and Wildlife watching
Kayaking—canoes-there are good rental locations and lots of places to launch.
Air boating into the Everglades
Windsurfing the flats

Other places to visit.

Audubon House- original Audubon engravings (not Audubon's residence)
Conch Tour Train-
Curry Mansion Inn - 305 294-5349 511 Caroline Street, Key West FL 33040
Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum - 305 294-1136, 907 Whitehead St., Key West FL

Flagler's Station Historeum®-901 Caroline St., 1-305-295-3562.
Haitian Art Co. - 305 296-8932, 600 Francis St., Key West FL 33040
Heritage House Museum - 305 296-3573, 410 Caroline Street, Key West FL 33040
Historic Seaport at Key West Bight.
Key West Aquarium - 1 Whitehead St., Mallory Market
Key West East Martello Museum - 305 296-3913, 3501 S. Roosevelt Blvd.
Key West Lighthouse Museum - 305 294-0012, 938 Whitehead Street
Key West Museum of Art & History - 305 295-6616
Custom House - 281 Front Street, Key West FL 33040
Key West Shipwreck Historeum - 305 292-8990, 1 Whitehead Street
Little White House Museum - 305 294-9911
Wrecker's Museum - 322 Duval St., 294-9502. Built in 1829. This is Key West's oldest house.

Pro Sports

A 2-3 hour drive to Miami:
Florida Marlins
2269 Dan Marino Blvd, Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL 33056 · 305-626-7400

Miami Dolphins
2269 Dan Marino Blvd, Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL 33056 · 305-620-2578

Miami Heat
601 Biscayne Blvd, American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL 33132-1801 · 786-777-432

Florida Keys and Monroe County Cost of Living

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:52:16 -0500

The cost of living index is based on the composite price of groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, clothing and entertainment.

Florida Keys and Monroe County Cost of Living

The cost of living index is based on the composite price of groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, clothing and entertainment.
Cost of living indexes will generally be higher in areas that offer access to beaches, culture, arts and recreation. In addition areas, that offer a wider variety of services such as health and education will run higher due to higher wages, and increased quality of living.

Cost of living indexing explanation
A figure of 100 points is used as an average both for the USA and Florida. For example:
Boise Idaho is ranked at a 99
Boston Mass is rated at 127.60
San Francisco at 187.23
• Statewide, Florida cities come in from a low of 90 and up.
• One way to compare Florida areas to salary requirements

For example-If you were relocating from Portland Oregon (whose rate 1s 94.0) to Orlando, and you currently make $50,000 per year, the formula is as follows
Take the destination index, in this case Orlando-94.0 and divide by Portland’s index-120, then multiply by a salary of $50,000. This will give you a figure of $39,166 which would be required to make in Orlando to have the same quality of life.
See comparable Florida statewide
* Re cost of living--in some areas Real Estate has went up dramatically however costs that factor in such as food, transportation, rents etc have not increased at the same rate-so in some areas, even though housing is expensive, the overall rating may still be low

2007 stats per Sperlings best Places http://www.bestplaces.net/

Boca Raton-154.74
Bradenton-114
Cape Coral-Ft Myers-108.0
Ft Lauderdale-132.0
Fort Walton-Destin-120
Jacksonville metro-94.0
Big Pine Key fl-132.46
Key Largo-146.0
Key West-168.0
Marathon fl-162.06
Miami metro-138.0
Melbourne-92.72
Naples Fl-250.59
Orlando metro-94.0
Palm Bay-84.56
Palm Coast-Flagler-125.01
Panama City-86.35
Pensacola metro-82.0
Sarasota-108.75
Tampa 94.60
St Pete-Clearwater-91.58
Vero-Beach Indian River-122.87
West Palm Beach metro-112.05
(Population Weighted-State Average=100
See national comparisons
Cost of living (100 = nationwide average)

* New York, NY -164.50
* Long Beach, CA -135.71
* Palo Alto, CA -234.42
* Boston, MA -127.60
* Malibu, CA -492.80
* San Francisco, -187.23
* Greenwich, CT 215
* Chicago, IL -126.45
* Dallas Tx -92,94
* Atlanta Ga -112.21

For more information about cost of living go to either
Sperlings best Places http://www.bestplaces.net/
or Accra's site at http://www.coli.org

The median 2007 home cost in Key West is $899,000.
Home appreciation the last year has been -4.26 percent.
• Beach front condos, from $650,000 to 2 million
• Inland homes from $500,000 up
• Inland condos start at $400,000

For Utility charges
Water
• The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority provides water for the entire Keys:
• Tavernier.....305 852-8068
• Marathon.....305 743-5409
• Lower Keys.....305 296-2454

For Electric
• The Florida Keys Electric Cooperative
• provides power for the upper Keys:
• Tavernier.....305 852-2431
• Marathon, 3421 O/S Hwy.....305 743-5344
• Key West City Electric
• provides power for the Lower Keys
• 1001 James St, Key West.....305 294-5272

Gas.
Propane is available from local dealers

Telephone Companies:
• Bell South
• Residential Services.....305 780-2500
• Business Services.....305 780-2800

Florida Keys Electric Cooperative
Keys Energy
Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority
BellSouth
Most homes in the Keys are on septic tanks with a few exceptions-Key West-Marathon. Garbage pickup is included in your taxes

About Boca raton

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:18:37 -0500

Boca Raton
Boca Raton is Palm Beach County's southernmost city. It is located 17 miles north of Ft Lauderdale, 215 miles south of Daytona Beach, 192 miles south of Orlando and 42 miles north of Miami, on the Atlantic.
The City is growing rapidly. Its open-air shopping and dining districts, combined with a strong arts scene plus sports activities ranging from boating to tennis have helped establish it as a stylish area.

In addition to those amenities, it enjoys a strong business community. In fact in 2004 it was voted the number 4 best place in the country for working, per the Job search site at
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/jobsbystate/a/bestcities.htm
Some statistics

5 miles of coastline
Population is approximately 75,000 within city limits
Approximately 125,000 in the unincorporated area
Total Area: 27.14 square miles within the city limits. Slightly over five miles at widest point.
Average Annual Temperature: 74.7 degrees; low: 66.6 degrees, high: 82.9 degrees
Average Annual Rainfall: 60.75 inches
Average Household income: $62,594
Median Household Income: $62,800
Median Age: 42.9
3 colleges in Boca Raton
2 major hospitals
31 parks
36 Golf courses
It has a Museum of Art and it’s own orchestra (Boca Pops)
As of Sept 2005, per an MLS search the least expensive 2/2 was $310,000
A good site to get more information is the Boca City site at http://www.ci.boca-raton.fl.us/
The cost of living here is approximately that of Palm Beach-ranging towards 110
However on comparison with other parts of the country it is still a deal.
http://www.eflorida.com
See comparable Florida statewide CGI’s below:

Monroe 112.43
Dade 106.28
Broward 15.80
Pinellas 103.74
Sarasota 102.90
Palm Beach 102.69
Collier 100.99
Hillsborough 100.86
Seminole 99.48
Manatee 99.22
St. Johns 99.18
Orange 99.04
Brevard 97.92
Lee 97.80
(Population Weighted-State Average=100
See national comparisons
Cost of living (100 = nationwide average)

New York, NY 364
Long Beach, NY 340
Palo Alto, CA 268
Menlo Park, CA 265
Los Altos, CA 261
Saratoga, CA 261
Boston, MA 240
Malibu, CA 233
San Francisco, CA 217
Greenwich, CT 215
Cambridge, MA 211
Santa Monica, CA 197
Keystone, CO 194
San Rafael, CA 192
Weston, CT 192
Darien, CT 192
Wellesley, MA 192
Fort Lee, NJ 189
Arlington, VA 184
Honolulu, HI 184
Washington, DC 181
Princeton, NJ 180
Vail, CO 178
Chicago, IL 166
Sunnyvale, CA 164
San Mateo, CA 163
Marathon, FL 161
Ridgewood, NJ 159
Mystic, CT 159
Key West, FL 149
For a complete list go to http://verticals.yahoo.com/cities/categories/costofliving.html

Transportation-The same roads 195 and the Florida turnpike connect Boca north and south.
Airports

Palm Beach International Airport, the primary commercial passenger serve airport in the northern portion of South Florida's metropolitan area, is just 25 miles north of Boca Raton and serves more than 5.8 million passengers.
Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Just 20 miles south.
Miami International, 47 miles south of Boca Raton,
Trains

AMTRAK
561/USA-RAIL, 800-872-7245
Metrorail
305/770-3131
Tri-Rail
800/TRI-RAIL
In conclusion, this area tends to be expensive. But in return it has all the amenities of a suburban life style yet you’re close to Miami and Ft Lauderdale and all they have to offer.

.©2006. Florida Real Estate Network Inc. All Rights Reserved
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Hollywood Florida Information

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:11:33 -0500

Hollywood
Hollywood sits on Florida's Gold Coast, just south of Ft Lauderdale and just north of Miami. The population estimate for 2003 was 143,400. The median age is 39.

The weather averages 77 degrees year round and that combined with miles of waterways makes it a great place to enjoy all types of water-sports. There are 46 parks, 7 golf courses and professional sports nearby including the Miami Dolphins, Florida Marlins, Miami Heat and the Florida Panthers. There's also Gulfstream Racetrack, Caulder Racetrack, Hollywood Greyhound Track and Dania Jai-Lai
Hollywood is easily accessible from the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport and 1-95 or the Florida Turnpike. Miami International Airport and the Port of Miami are less than twenty-five miles away.

The area has substantial educational opportunities, including Florida Atlantic University, Florida International University, the University of Miami and a number of smaller private universities, colleges, and a community college system.
Hollywood has seven miles of sand beaches and Florida's only Oceanfront Broadwalk (a 27-foot wide path where no cars come between you and the beach).
The boardwalk is dotted with restaurants, music and shops. Personally, I’ve found that spending an evening at the boardwalk is really a great way to relax and take in the “Florida Lifestyle.”

In addition to the beaches, there are art galleries, festivals, restaurants, hotels and nightlife in a downtown with a European atmosphere.

Economic data:
Hollywood, though very distinctive, is just one of several small towns and cities within the Boca Raton-Ft.Lauderdale-Miami metropolitan area, so it is difficult to break out economic data that is explicitly Hollywood.
If you are considering starting a new business, or relocating an existing business to Hollywood, you should know that there are important incentives available. You can find these summarized at this online link: http://www.hollywoodbizcouncil.org/incentives.htmLocal taxes

For other related and relevant information please consult:

The city’s Website is at http://www.hollywoodfl.org/
Another very good site covering general information is: http://www.hollywoodfl.org/living_hollywood.htm
In conclusion
Hollywood has it’s own identity. Just driving into the beach area or the downtown will tell you that. In other words although it’s close to Miami and Ft Lauderdale, Hollywood has its own ambience. There are few places in Florida with such a distinctive identity.
So if you want easy access to the big city life but want to retreat to a quieter area, Hollywood could be the perfect spot.

.©2006. Florida Real Estate Network Inc. All Rights Reserved

Ft Lauderdale Information

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:53:15 -0500

Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood - Boca Raton Home Page
Blessed with a semi-tropical climate and outstanding cultural and recreational opportunities, Ft Lauderdale is indeed a great place to live, work, play and raise a family.
Ft Lauderdale offers a vibrant business environment, good jobs and a great quality of life. From Fortune 500 companies to small Art galleries,

Ft Lauderdale is one of the fastest growing areas in Florida. It is also home to a largely upscale, diverse, multiethnic population that helps create its cosmopolitan, international flavor. Its own major international airport connects it to the world. Technorati ProfileIf you never went anywhere else in Florida, Ft. Lauderdale would suffice – it’s that good!

“The Venice of America”
More than 300 miles of navigable inland waterways wind through Ft Lauderdale, accommodating boats of all sizes. Lots of sun and great weather. Take a water taxi, bus service downtown to shop or your favorite restaurant. For schedules and stops go to http://www.watertaxi.com/FortLauderdale/FLLMap.Asp

Ft. Lauderdale is also frequently regarded as the yachting capital of America, at least the East Coast USA variety. It’s a boating “jumping-off” place for cruising the Bahamas, as well as the fabulous American Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), which you can take through protected inland water, all the way to the Keys or the Carolinas.

The Hinterlands
Nobody really thinks about a Ft. Lauderdale “backcountry,” but there is one: the fabulous Everglades National Park. The Park and the preserve areas north of it provide opportunities for hiking, biking, airboating, and driving adventures.

There are even Indian reservations and casinos! And while Miami probably wouldn’t be regarded as a hinterland (!), it is if we’re talking about Ft. Lauderdale. Miami complements Ft. Lauderdale’s own impressive list of cultural and nightlife offerings, and adds the dimension of major league professional sports with the NBA football and MLB baseball.
Finally, the Florida Keys and Key West are an easy drive south.

General Information.

Located in the east-central portion of Broward County, 23 miles north of Miami and 42 miles south of Palm Beach. Fort Lauderdale is the seventh largest city in Florida
Area in Square Miles 1285
Average Temperature 76°F
Average Annual Precipitation 53 in
Average Rain Days 131
Population projection 2005 -1,793,500
Average home cost-June 2005-$378,000
Cost of Living-103-3rd in the state
Median age-25-44 years old or approximately 1/3 the population
Major Employment by Industry in order of numbers

Education, Health, Social Services
Retail Trade
Administrative, Waste Management Services
Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Accommodation, Food Services
Professional, Scientific, Management, Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing
Construction
Manufacturing
So, if you’re interested in life in a Metropolitan area mixed in with great weather, and you like the outdoors, you should check out Ft Lauderdale.

About Stuart Fla cost of living

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:59:24 -0600

Stuart, Ft Pierce, Port St Lucie and Martin County Cost of Living

The cost of living index is based on the composite price of groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, clothing and entertainment.

Cost of living indexes will generally be higher in areas that offer access to beaches, culture, arts and recreation. In addition areas, that offer a wider variety of services such as health and education will run higher due to higher wages, and increased quality of living.

Cost of living indexing explanation
A figure of 100 points is used as an average both for the USA and Florida. For example:
Boise Idaho is ranked at a 99
Boston Mass is rated at 240
San Francisco at 217
Statewide, Florida cities come in from a low of 90 and up.
One way to compare Florida areas to salary requirements
For example-If you were relocating from Portland Oregon (whose rate 1s 120) to Orlando, and you currently make $50,000 per year, the formula is as follows
Take the destination index, in this case Orlando-104.2 and divide by Portland’s index-120, then multiply by a salary of $50,000. This will give you a figure of $43,416.00 which would be required to make in Orlando to have the same quality of life.
See comparable Florida statewide
* Re cost of living--in some areas Real Estate has went up dramatically however costs that factor in such as food, transportation, rents etc have not increased at the same rate-so in some areas, even though housing is expensive, the overall rating may still be low
2006 Fourth quarter stats per ACCRA and Council for Community Economic Research

Bradenton-100.6
Cape Coral-Ft Myers-108.0
Ft Lauderdale-117.0
Fort Walton-Destin-97.3
Jacksonville metro-96.3
Miami metro-115.0
Orlando metro-104.2
Palm Coast-Flagler-98.5
Panama City-96.6
Pensacola metro-96.0
Sarasota-107.0
Tampa 98.5
St Pete-Clearwater-99.9
Vero-Beach Indian River-103.4
West Palm Beach metro-117.5
(Population Weighted-State Average=100
See national comparisons
Cost of living (100 = nationwide average)

(Population Weighted-State Average=100
See national comparisons
Cost of living (100 = nationwide average)

* New York, NY 364
* Long Beach, NY 340
* Palo Alto, CA 268
* Menlo Park, CA 265
* Los Altos, CA 261
* Saratoga, CA 261
* Boston, MA 240
* Malibu, CA 233
* San Francisco, 217
* Greenwich, CT 215
* Cambridge, MA 211
* Santa Monica, CA 197
* Keystone, CO 194
* San Rafael, CA 192
* Weston, CT 192
* Darien, CT 192
* Wellesley, MA 192
* Fort Lee, NJ 189
* Arlington, VA 184
* Honolulu, HI 184
* Washington, DC 181
* Princeton, NJ 180
* Vail, CO 178
* Chicago, IL 166
* Sunnyvale, CA 164
* San Mateo, CA 163
* Marathon, FL 161
* Ridgewood, NJ 159
* Mystic, CT 159

For more information about cost of living go to Accra's site at http://www.coli.org

The cost of living across the city areas in Florida's Treasure Coast averaged only 98% of the national average or 20th in the state of Florida, With housing, Real Estate prices substantially below the national average,
Stuart and Martin County is a great place to live, work and play.
MARTIN COUNTY

Ad Valorem Millage Rates (2004):
Government 5.6020
Schools 7.5920
Special 1.0692
Total 14.2632
Ad Valorem Tax Exemption: Yes
Retail Sales Tax (Local Option) 0.0
Local Communications Service Tax 1.8
As of 2004, the total Cost of living index was 99.82
Above stats from http://www.eflorida.com/profiles/CountyReport.asp?CountyID=67&Display=allSee For more information about cost of living stats go to http://www.coli.org

Housing. Minimum two bedroom single family homes in Martin/St Lucie Counties.
As of August 2005, the median sold price is $267,600
Utilities.
For water and sewer go to
Indiantown Company
City of Stuart Water Dept.
Martin County Utilities & Solid Waste Dept.
South Martin Regional Utilities
Hobe Sound Water Company
Hydratech Utilitie
For electric go to Florida Power & Light
Gas Companies:
TECO/People's Gas
Tri-County Gas
Martin County Petroleum & Propane
In conclusion, with the recreational and job opportunities and the quality of life, mixed in with low housing costs, the Treasure Coast is a great option.

What if you never had to go back from your vacation? You can! You can live the vacation.

About the Arts in Stuart fla

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:57:50 -0600

Stuart and Ft Pierce and Port St Lucie Arts and Culture
Stuart its surrounding areas are definitely not a metropolis, but due to their strong economy and tourist base, the Arts are a primary here are definitely a primary part of the culture.
Stuart is home to

55 antique shops
72 art galleries
14 museums
15 live theatre, playhouses.
For upcoming events go to http://www.historicdowntownstuart.com/events.html
The art Council for martin county is at http://www.martinarts.org/resources_local.asp
Performing Arts

Treasure Coast Performing Arts Center
772 335-1887 1666 SE Port St Lucie Blvd
Port Saint Lucie, FL
Sunrise Theatre for the Performing Arts
772 461-4884 210 S Depot Dr
Fort Pierce, FL
Martin County High School and Performing Arts. Visual Arts, Band, Chorus, Drama. Martin County High School 2801 South Kanner Highway Stuart, Florida 34994
Lyric Theatre
772 286-7827 59 SW Flagler Ave
Stuart, FL
Indian River Community College: Performing Arts Academy
772 462-7695 Fort Pierce, FL
Art Centers and museums in Stuart and within 25 miles

Stuart Heritage Museum
161 SW Flagler Ave, Stuart, FL 772-220-4600
Maritime & Yachting Museum
3250 S Kanner Hwy, PO Box 1448, Stuart, FL 772-692-1234
Art War & Peace Museum
2000 NE Jensen Beach Blvd, Jensen Beach, FL 772-225-3200
Elliott Museum
825 NE Ocean Blvd, Stuart, FL 772-225-1961
A E Bean Backus Gallery
500 N Indian River Dr, PO Box 3411, Fort Pierce, FL 772-465-0630
Lighthouse Center For the Arts
373 Tequesta Dr, Tequesta, FL
561-746-3101
Loxahatchee River Hst Museums
805 N Us Highway 1, Jupiter, FL 561-747-6639
UDT Seal Museum Assn Inc
3300 N Highway A1a, Fort Pierce, FL 772-595-5845
Burt Reynold's Museum
100 N US Highway 1, Jupiter, FL 561-743-9955
Hibel Museum of Art
1200 Town Center Dr, Jupiter, FL 561-622-1380
Hibel Museum of Art
5353 Parkside Dr, Jupiter, FL 561-533-6872
Hibel Museum of Art
5353 Parkside Dr, Jupiter, FL 561-622-5560
Music and arts

Treasure Coast Symphony
P.O. Box 4169
Fort Pierce, FL   34958
Information   561-465-0497
Trasure Coast Opera Society
1309 Indiana Avenue
Fort Pierce, FL     561-465-6204
In conclusion, the Treasure coast of martin and Port St Lucie counties have lots of cultural and artistic opportunities. The relaxed atmosphere and ambience of the area is attractive to creative pursuits.
If you are the creative type such as a writer, actor, musician, photographer, painter or just want to make sure there are good cultural opportunities around you, Stuart and its areas have the answer.

About Port St Lucie

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:56:22 -0600

Port St Lucie
Port St Lucie is approximately 120 miles southeast of Orlando and 120 miles north of Miami, along the Atlantic coast. A convenient highway network--including Interstate 95, the Florida Turnpike and State Road 70--makes it easy to travel throughout Florida.
To the east of the city lies the attractive Atlantic Ocean barrier island and beaches known as Hutchinson Island (bridges at Jensen Beach and Stuart, both a few miles east and south). To the west lies the Lake Okeechobee area, and its recreational options. The area offers plenty of golf and other outdoor recreation, as well as significant arts and cultural resources.

The area shares advantages of both the small scale of some of its Old Florida smaller surrounding towns and its own larger scale as a rapidly growing mid-sized city. Add to this its ready access to the metropolitan areas – the Palm Beaches, Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami – of the rest of Southeast Florida, and you have a recipe for an attractive relocation possibility.
Some quick facts
The Port St. Lucie (and by extension Ft. Pierce and Stuart) area has recently become a significant growth area in Florida, for both new permanent and snowbird residents, and for business owners and investors.

There are many reasons for people to relocate to Port St. Lucie, including climate, modern amenities, affordable prices, transportation convenience and accessibility to South Florida’s urban centers, and attractive business incentives.
For example:

The year-round climate makes for great living and working conditions. The average annual temperature is 73.2 degrees, with a drop of only 16.7 degrees between the extremes of winter and summer temperatures.
Port St. Lucie is a young city, incorporated in 1961; and it’s a young city in terms of its residents too, having a median age of just 42 years old.
Port St. Lucie, Fla., had the nation’s fastest growth rate among large cities (100,000 or more population) between July 1, 2003, and July 1, 2004, according to new U.S. Census Bureau population estimates.
More than 125,000 residents make up Port St. Lucie, ranking it as the 15th largest city in the Sunshine State. Projections for the county’s population, currently 214,000 are 314,000 by 2010
Transportation

As noted above, major highways criss-cross this area, making north-south and east-west travel convenient for both personal and business distribution purposes
Airport travel, considering the advantages of Port St. Lucie’s location outside South Florida’s metroplex, is relatively convenient. St. Lucie County International Airport’s commercial commuter service is rapidly expanding. Other nearby airports include: Vero Beach Municipal Airport, some 20 miles north of St. Lucie County, with round-trip daily flights to Miami; Palm Beach International Airport, 60 miles south, with 80 scheduled departures daily; and, Melbourne International Airport, 55 miles north, serviced by Delta with connecting flights through Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and New York.
Education

Extensive information about the schools in this area is online at the state's Department of Education (http://www.firn.edu/doe/doehome.htm)
Business Incentives

In its continuing efforts to provide an atmosphere that supports business, the St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners assists companies with expansion or relocation expenses through its Job Growth Incentive Grant Program.
The Commissioners may issue grants ranging from a minimum of $1,000 to $2,000 per new job created in St. Lucie County. A minimum of five or more new jobs must be created in order to be eligible, with a minimum average county wage of $10.88.
Bonuses are also offered for companies that exceed the minimum requirements. For example, if: 75% of the new employees hired live in St. Lucie County; the company is a St. Lucie County "Targeted" industry; the company's average salary is 115%, 125% or 150% of the St. Lucie County average.
A grant to an individual company may not exceed $500,000.00 For more detailed information, go to http://www.stluciecd.org/BusIncentives.asp
Employment

The local economy is heavily services oriented, and the top 10 employers in St. Lucie County are:

St. Lucie County School District
St. Lucie County
Liberty Medical Supply
Indian River Community College
Wal-Mart Stores (includes Sam's Club)
State Government
Lawnwood Regional Medical Center
City of Port St. Lucie
QVC   975
Publix Super Markets
For more information, please see:
http://www.edcstlucie.org/relocation.html
In conclusion
If you like a modern way of life without all the crowding but at the same time don’t want too small of a town, Port St Lucie could be the place. It has some of the benefits of its smaller surrounding towns and yet has the advantages, for many people, of a place of somewhat larger scale.

To see additional information about the area go to (on this Website) the Stuart info links, and to the general information on Ft. Pierce, whose cultural life, parks, and ease of access to outdoor recreational choices Port St. Lucie shares. For a good general site on St Lucie county on line, go to http://www.stlucieco.gov

.©2006. Florida Real Estate Network Inc. All Rights Reserved

About Ft Pierce Florida

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:54:27 -0600

Fort Pierce
The city of Fort Pierce is a historic waterfront city, incorporated in 1901.
Quick facts:

It is located in the Port Saint Lucie metro area, just a short distance from the hustle and bustle of both West Palm Beach and Orlando.
It is a diverse city, taking on a rich historical heritage combined with the incredible growth of St. Lucie County
The downtown sits just off the waters of the Indian River Lagoon, and offers unique shops, restaurants and a range of entertainment activities
Its transportation network includes, Florida's Turnpike, Interstate 95, Highway 70, US1 and the St. Lucie County airport and the Port of Fort Pierce. Palm Beach International and Melbourne International are the closest bigger airports.
Fort Pierce has approximately 39,000 residents and encompasses over 20 square miles
Education:

Modern educational and research facilities, like the top-ranked Indian River Community College, the $6 million Smithsonian Institute Research Center, the Manatee Observation and Education Center and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, live in harmony with the completely renovated 1925 City Hall and the current restoration of the historic, 1,200 seat Sunrise Theatre, which will serve as a regional performing arts center.
See http://www.cityoffortpierce.com/ for more details
Employment:

Construction 8.3%
Education & Health Services   22.9%
Financial Activities 5.6%
Information         1.2%
Leisure & Hospitality 9.0%
Manufacturing 4.6%
Natural Resources & Mining 5.9%
Other Services 2.6%
Professional & Business Services 8.3%
Public administration 8.1%
Trade, Transportation and Utilities 23.5%
As you can see, Ft. Pierce has a balanced and diverse economy, and the area as a whole offers significant employment and investment opportunities.

Real Estate and Cost of Living:

There is a great diversity of both homeownership and commercial real estate possibilities, and there are significant investment opportunities in both.
Homes and condos range from the very new to “Old Florida”. Ft. Pierce is an Old Florida town, and if your taste runs to the traditional at all, and despite a lot of new construction in the area, this is a wonderfully different world from southeast Florida’s Gold Coast.
As is true in much of non-urban Florida, day to day living expenses can be slightly higher than the state averages, but housing is definitely less expensive and still very affordable
Components of the Cost of living index (100 is average)
Total      98.20
Food       103.08
Health Care     99.80
Housing 93.12
Personal Goods and Services       103.38
Transportation 98.19
For more details, http://www.eflorida.com/profiles/CountyReport.asp?CountyID=36&Display=all
Environment and Outdoors Recreation
One of the best things about Ft. Pierce is its easy access to the beaches at the northern end of Hutchinson Island, the wonderful barrier island which lies south of Ft. Pierce Inlet; and equally easy access via another bridge to the islands just north of the Inlet, including a couple of very good beaches and a mangrove wilderness area. Advantage Ft. Pierce! Many communities up and down Florida’s East Coast require long drives north or south to bridge to the Oceanside barrier islands, so these two bridges are real community assets.

Another outdoor advantage to Ft. Pierce is exceptional access via State Road 70 directly to Lake Okeechobee and its fresh water recreational options

The Savannahs Recreation Area provides some unique birding and hiking and paddleboating that would be the envy of many other parts of Florida

Ft. Pierce has, by dint of its Inlet, quick and easy access for its sport fishing fleet to Atlantic deep-sea fishing as well as, obviously, the ICW Indian River that Ft. Pierce sits on. Again, some communities on Florida’s east coast are more or less bound to inland (bay and river) waters because of the length of the barrier islands and the long distance between inlets.

And if water is not your thing, there are lots of other alternatives ranging from excelent golfing to spring training and minor league baseball
Arts

The arts and culture of the area is strong. In addition to its own events it draws on neighboring Port St Lucie. See info at http://www.stluciechamber.org/visitors-culture.html
AE Backus Gallery: he was the Ft. Pierce art teacher and guru who in the 1950s helped launch the highly successful “Highwaymen,” a loose designation for local African-American landscape artists whose work has become the most recognizable Florida genre, and very collectible. See www.backusgallery.com
During winter, a monthly ArtWalk brings residents, tourists, and local artists and their works together for wine, cheese, and culture
In conclusion
This is an area offering a small town atmosphere with everything you’d ever need in the way of shopping, arts, culture, education and health just minutes away. In particular if you like boating and fishing the nearby Ft Pierce and Sebastian inlets give you access to the Atlantic.
For more specific information on general topics about the area go to Stuart and the general information links.

.©2006. Florida Real Estate Network Inc. All Rights Reserved

About Stuart Florida

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:51:38 -0600

A small town feel with the amenities of an upscale metropolitan area. That is an apt description of Stuart.
Stuart and St. Lucie (St Lucie and Martin counties) are commonly called, “The Treasure Coast” (after the Spanish treasure galleons sunk offshore hundreds of years ago, whose coins still wash up occasionally on the beaches). Here, the diversity and quality of life is what it’s all about.

If you like recreational activities, especially the water, then this is the place. From the Atlantic, to the Indian River Aquatic Preserve, to the North Fork of the St. Lucie River, to Lake Okeechobee, your options are incredible. And they also include some 45 miles of those aforementioned beaches, which to this day are mostly left unspoiled. Add in lots of sun and great weather.

Downtown Stuart or the historic district is filled with unique shops, and great restaurants. There is also a vibrant night life scene going on here. Jensen beach, St Lucie and Fort Pierce just to the north all have their own ambience. Ft. Pierce is where the African-American landscape painters known as “The Highwaymen” got their start in the 1950’s.

In conclusion, your choices here are broad. As to real estate, you can go from golf course town-homes and condos to living near the downtown or the beach.

The price ranges are broad here. And you have the best of two worlds: the easy accessibility of metropolitan Florida to the south, and the still old-Florida ambiance of a quieter, more hinterland area of the State where access to the full range of outdoor activities is not yet restricted by too many people.
Incorporated areas

Town of Jupiter Island
Town of Ocean Breeze Park
Town of Sewall's Point
City of Stuart
Unincorporated areas

Hobe Sound
Indiantown
Jensen Beach
North River Shores
Palm City
Port Salerno
General Information.

Located in the central east coast portion of Florida, 100 miles north of Miami, 115 miles southeast of Orlando and 250 miles southeast of Jacksonville.
556 square miles (Martin county)
Average summer Temperature 82°F
Average winter temperature is 63
Average yearly temperature 74
Average Annual Precipitation 49 in
Average Rain Days 127
Population projection 2005 -140,00 Martin County
Stuart population-14,600
Average home cost-June 2005-$261,000
Cost of Living-almost 98.39-20th in the state
Median age-47 for Martin county median age county, 48 for Stuart
Major Golf center
Major job Employment By Industry in order of numbers

Construction 9.6%
Education & Health Services   18.3%
Financial Activities 4.8%
Information 1.9%
Leisure & Hospitality 13.5%
Manufacturing 5.5%
Natural Resources & Mining    1.8%
Other Services 5.1%
Professional & Business Services 11.5%
Public administration 5.0%
Trade, Transportation and Utilities 23.0%
An unusually good quality of life, a strong and rapidly growing economy, good schools, nearby colleges, safe neighborhoods and a vast array of protected natural environments are what Stuart and Martin and St.Lucie counties are all about.

For specifics in other general categories, see the links to the left.

©2006. Florida Real Estate Network Inc. All Rights Reserved

Expanding a Business in Florida and using Government help

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:25:30 -0600

Expanding Business:

A manufacturer that adds a minimum of ten new employees and increases employment by 10% or increases productive output by a minimum of 10%.

A business with more than 50% of its sales outside the State that adds a minimum of 25 new employees and increases employment by 10% or increases productive output by a minimum of 10%.

The expansion must be on the same or a co-located site of the business’ current operations.

If a business meets one of the above definitions as a new or expanding business, it may then file an application for the Economic Development Property Tax Exemption with the local County Commissioners or the appropriate municipality or both. After the city or county commission receives this application, it must submit the application to the county property appraiser for review. After the property appraiser makes the report as to the fiscal impact of granting the exemption, the county or city commission shall then adopt an ordinance in the usual manner-granting the exemption.

A business cannot receive exemption from school taxes or water management district taxes. Also, a business must pay taxes that were approved by the voters of a city or county to pay for bond issues and other special tax levies authorized by the voters of a city or county.

The exemption can only be for the improvements to the real property and for tangible personal property. The land on which the new or expanding business is to be located will still be taxed.
The State offers programs such as the Qualified Target Industry (QTI) Tax Refund Program (tax refund), a Sales Tax Exemption on Electricity and Steam (exemption), a High Impact Performance Incentive (grant) and more.
Tax Information: State

Corporate Income Tax 5.5%
Personal Income Tax 0.0%
Retail Sales Tax 6.0%
Intangible Tax (per $1,000) $1 - $1.50
Groceries and medicine exempt from retail sales tax
Small Business Assistance
Below are nine resources proven helpful to start up and maintain a succesful small business!

Small Business Administration - www.sba.gov
Small Business Development Center - www.fausbdc.com
US Chamber of Commerce Small Business Center - www.uschamber.com/sb
(The US Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Center is a one-stop shop for small businesses, containing everything from practical business advice to the latest small business news from Washington, D.C.)
Florida Small Business - www.floridasmallbusiness.com
Enterprise Florida - www.eflorida.com
The Florida Venture Forum - www.flvencap.org
SCORE Counselors to America's Small Business - www.score-chapter412.org
Odeon Group (Small Business Administration Intermediary) - 305 681-9600
Micro Business USA - 305 438-1407
First Florida Capital - (888) 320-5504
Below is a great site explaining why you should be in business in Florida.
http://eflorida.com/aboutthissite/sitemap/default.asp?tn=1

Starting a business in Tampa and Florida in general part 3

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:23:31 -0600

Sales and Use Tax Exemption

Silicon technology-based industry transactions involving manufacturing or research equipment
Purchases of machinery and equipment used by a new or expanding Florida business to manufacture, produce or process tangible personal property for sale
Labor, parts and materials used in repair of and incorporated into machinery and equipment that qualify for sales tax exemption upon purchase (phased in over four years, 25% exempt on July 1, 1999)
Electricity used in the manufacturing process (phased in over five years, 80% exempt on July 1, 1999)
Aircraft parts, modification, maintenance and repair, sale or lease of qualified aircraft
Commercial space activity - launch vehicles, payloads and fuel, machinery and equipment for production of items used exclusively at Spaceport Florida
Labor component of research and development expenditures---------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary of Florida's Tax Incentive
Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund Programs
This program provides an inducement for target industry to locate new facilities in Florida or to expand existing facilities in Florida. The program provides tax refunds of $3,000 per new job created. The incentive is increased to $6,000 per job if the company locates in a rural county or an Enterprise Zone. Higher awards are available to companies paying very high wages. To qualify for the “QTI” program, a company must create at least 10 new jobs (or a 10% increase for expanding Florida companies), pay an average of at least 115% of area wages, have a significant positive impact on the community and have local support.

Quick Response Training Program
The Quick Response Training Program provides grant funding for customized training to new or expanding businesses. The program is flexible and structured to respond quickly to meet business training objectives. A local training provider – community college, area technical center or university – is selected and available to assist in the application process and program development or delivery. If the business has a training program in place, a state training provider will supervise and manage the training program and serve as the fiscal agent for the grant funds. Reimbursable textbooks/manuals, materials/supplies and training equipment.

Economic Development Transportation Fund
This grant program provides up to $2 million to local governments for the construction or improvement of transportation infrastructure needed to accommodate new or expanding industry.

Expedited Permitting Assistance
State and local permit streamlining procedures are available to assist businesses in obtaining necessary permits and approvals in a quick, efficient and predictable manner.

Specialized Incentives
Your project may qualify for opportunities such as urban or rural tax credits, and incentives for brownsfields and enterprise zones.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Local Property Tax Incentive
New and expanding businesses can be granted an exemption from property taxes on improvements to real property and for tangible personal property. In order for a company to be eligible for this incentive, it must first meet the definitions of a new or expanding business as defined below:

New Business:
A manufacturer which establishes ten or more full-time jobs.
A business with more than 50% of its sales outside the State of Florida which establishes 25 or more jobs.
Office space of a new Florida corporation housing 50 or more full-time employees of the corporation.
The above are applicable if the business is on a site clearly separate from any other facility owned by the same business.

Any business located in a slum or blighted area as defined by Section 163.355, Florida Statutes.

Starting a business in Tampa Part 2

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:20:52 -0600

The market and potential:

Total Population Tampa area 1,073,000 (2003 per census bureau)
Population Forecast (2010) 1,228,000
Population Growth (2000 to 2003) 7.5%
Median Age 41
Median Household Income $40,663
Business Assistance:

Hillsborough County Economic Development council.
The Economic Development Department administers programs that sustain and encourage the economic growth of the local economy, including programs that stimulate the creation of quality jobs for the skilled and semi-skilled work force. It supports agriculture, small business, minority, and financial sectors. It works in concert with local chambers of commerce, disadvantaged minority / women and small business enterprise programs, and spearheads Workforce Investment Act Programs.

Gene Gray, Director
County Center, 13th Floor
601 E. Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33602
Tele 813 272-7232
fax: 813 276-2638 http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/econdev/
Tampa Chamber of Commerce list of links and information regarding business incentives.
http://tampachamber.com/business_information.asp

Advantageous Tax structure both state and local

No state income tax
No corporate income tax on sub-chapter S corporations
First $5000 of taxable income apportioned to Florida is exempt
No state property tax on inventory or equipment
No business inventory tax
No corporate franchise tax on capital stock
No corporate tax on limited partnerships, individuals, estates and private trusts
No collected or assessed state property tax
No sales tax on "boiler fuels" used at a fixed Florida location in an industrial manufacturing, processing or compounding process
No sales and use tax on goods manufactured or produced in Florida for resale or export outside Florida
Corporation accounts receivable (one third) exempt from intangible property tax
Exemption of employee stock options from employer
No property tax on goods-in-transit for up to 180 days
While these are in themselves incentives, the following are additional incentives offered by the State and local government working together to provide you with an environment conducive to your success.

Ad Valorem Tax Exemption (real and personal property) is offered by the local government and is based on the financial impact projected on the County (number of employees, capital expenditure, etc.).

Starting a business in Tampa Part 1

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:17:11 -0600

Starting a Business in Tampa and it's surrounding areas
The Tampa area is one of the most developing and expanding areas in the US and in fact the world. With over three million residents, the two county region offers constant expansion, incredible opportunities and a great lifestyle.

Whether you’re considering relocating a company or starting a business from scratch, Tampa and it’s neighboring communities has a place for your business.
Employees:
Over 1.8 million in the greater Tampa area. This includes Pinellas county.
Average Annual Wage (2003)

All Industries $35,796
Construction $38,089
Education & Health Services $35,952
Financial Activities $48,575
Information $57,276
Leisure & Hospitality $18,436
Manufacturing $38,680
Natural Resources & Mining $14,169
Other Services $25,224
Professional & Business Services $35,259
Public administration $42,464
Trade, Transportation and Utilities $34,884
Unclassified $29,135

Major industries in Hillsborough county

Construction 5.6%
Education & Health Services 16.8%
Financial Activities 9.3%
Information 3.8%
Leisure & Hospitality 9.0%
Manufacturing 4.9%
Natural Resources & Mining 2.1%
Other Services 2.6%
Professional & Business Services 21.8%
Public administration 4.4%
Transportation and Utilities 19.7%

Source http://www.eflorida.com/profiles/CountyReport.asp?CountyID=54&Display=all

About different Florida areas and Advertising on Florida Real Estate Network

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 10:31:31 -0600

ABOUT WWW.FLARREN.COM

The site has the state divided up into 14 major areas and 32 sub-areas.
There are four ways to access these areas.

1.The area links to the left.

2. The map above. Click on the city of your choice

3. The site map above. This lists all the 46 areas and their dropdowns.

3. The Florida Map( upper right menu) Find the area you like and click on it. The areas are listed to the left.

4. The Florida google map (above right) is zoomable down to street names.

About the Sub areas.
Each major Area has its sub-areas. While including or not including a particular Sub-area may initially seem somewhat arbitrary, we have followed some general rules:

The Sub-area is usually considered part of the Area’s metro
And/or the Sub-area is in the same County, close by the Area
And/or the Sub-area is well-known by its own name
The Sub-area is either the most important or among the most important sub-areas normally associated with that Area’s metro
We have NOT included every Sub-area candidate in a metro region
Examples of Areas and Sub-areas which we included would be Miami Beach and Homestead in the Miami Area. At this time we have not included other logical candidates in the Miami Area such as Coral Gables or Kendall. For Ft. Lauderdale the sub-area we have included is Hollywood; for Jacksonville it’s St. Augustine, etc.
There are a few exceptions, where we have not followed our rules.
One is the Pensacola area. On our site we've included Tallahassee as a sub-area.
The reason for this is that Tallahassee is in the Panhandle and most guidebook references to Florida speak to just that -- the panhandle of Florida. We might just as well have called this Area “Panhandle”, or reversed our focus to emphasize Tallahassee with Pensacola as the sub-area, or we might even have included a 15th Area in our geography, covering north central Florida from Ocala to Tallahassee. There are many ways to slice and dice the State of Florida!

The other exception is the Sarasota “Area”. Sarasota does not have a metro in the normal sense, although this site identifies Bradenton, Venice, and Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda as “sub-areas”.
These nearby towns of Port Charlotte, Bradenton and Venice are considerably spread out from each other, although each is reasonably close to Sarasota and influenced by it. Moreover, none of these towns is big enough to define an “Area”; nor are they generally thought of as being in either the Tampa or the Ft Myers metros.

Finally, there are certainly cities that we have not covered as yet. These will be added in the future.
To understand how the menu and the dropdowns work,

Basically the menus and the dropdowns that appear when you click on an area are self explanatory however instructions are below:

Read this before you Click on an area .

When you click on an area.....that areas overview page will come up plus you'll see a small dropdown arrow appear.
Hold your cursor over that
Notice the names of the Cities included in that area plus a home page link.
If you Click on any of the city names it will open to an overview of that particular city.
If you Click on the Home page link, it will give an overview of that area.
Now put your cursor over the major Area of your choice again.

When the dropdowns appear, hold the cursor over Information.
Notice, there are 11 different information pages. These pages cover the general Area and its sub-areas.
For example, the pages on employment, weather, transportation, health, education etc. for Ft Myers – the major Area – are the same as the corresponding topical page for each sub-area, Sanibel and Cape Coral and Bonita Beach
.
The Real Estate Links
To get acquainted with the Real Estate links:
Put the cursor over the Area of your choice again.

Notice the names of the Area and the sub-areas.
Put your cursor over one of these.
Notice the term Real Estate shows up.

Moving your cursor to the right will show you 6 categories.
Opening any one of these up will give you a listing of REALTORS, 1031 Agents, Commercial agents, Banks, Property Management specialists and a Business directory of Real Estate related companies.
Now you'reready to go.
Your questions and feedback
If you have any questions about the content of the site or suggestions, please go to the Contact Us page link at the top. This is your site and we do appreciate your input. Thank you and good searching.
©2006. Florida Real Estate Network Inc. All Rights Reserved

About Florida recreation

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 10:26:55 -0600

Florida Outdoors and Recreational Opportunities
Florida is the outdoor capital of the US!
Why? Because Florida has the following:

1700 rivers and streams
3 million acres of lakes
105 state park sites 30 million plus acres to hunt and fish in
320 freshwater springs
Over 500 miles of beaches.
For a complete listing of all parks by area go to http://www.floridastateparks.org/
Geography

Coastline: 1,197 statute miles
Tidal Shoreline: 2,275 statute miles
Beaches: 663 miles
Total Land Area: 54,136 square miles
Total Water Area: 4,424 square miles
Rank Among States In Total Area: 22nd
Number of Lakes Greater Than 10 Acres: 7,700 (approx.)
Length North and South: 447 miles
(St. Mary’s River to Key West)
Width East and West: 361 miles (Atlantic Ocean to Perdido River)
Participant sports

Ballooning
Biking
Birding-330 official sites
Boating-
Camping
Canoeing-over 60 state trails
Fishing. Over 600 species of fish. Florida is considered the best state in the country for fishing.
Flying
Gardening-3000 species of plants and 300 species of trees
Golfing-Over 1000 courses
Hiking-Scenic trail-
Horseback riding-over 50 public Equestrian trails
Hunting-.
Kayaking
Photography
Surfing
Swimming
Scuba Diving-over 600 Ocean and spring dive sites
Snorkeling
Tennis
Spectator sports

Drag racing
Football-college-NFL
Baseball-MLB-Major and minor league and Spring training (Jan through April)
Horse racing
NASCAR racing
Dog racing
NBA Basketball
NHL Hockey
Link to all 18 national teams and their spring training locations
http://flasports.com/page_prosports_springtraining.shtml
Link to all Florida pro Sports teams
http://www.funandsun.com/1tocf/sportf/spts.html
Being outside is better for your health!
The really good news is that you can do most of these things year round. Sorry no mountain climbing or white water rafting!

.©2006. Florida Real Estate Network Inc. All Rights Reserved

About Florida education

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 10:23:41 -0600

Florida Education
Due to the incredible growth rate, Florida has had to adjust its Education systems to meet the needs of it’s new and existing residents. The result is a success story.
In Fact, 9 Florida Colleges rank among the Top 100 Entrepreneurial Colleges and Universities for 2004. 825 entrepreneurship programs and curricula were researched and ranked on more than 70 separate criteria. Florida universities among Top 50 Regional Programs: Florida Atlantic University, Florida State University, University of Florida. Florida universities among Top Entrepreneurship Emphasis Programs: University of South Florida, Nova Southeastern University, Stetson University. Top Florida colleges with Limited Curriculum programs are: Bethune-Cookman College, Rollins College, Eckerd College.
(Entrepreneur Magazine, May/2004)

As it stands today (2005) Florida is one of the leading states in both private and public education.
Regardless of your needs, be it for your children (public or private) higher education, adult education or trade/medical/law schools, there is a learning facility here for you.
For stats on Florida education and accountability go to http://www.firn.edu/doe/eias/eiaspubs/reports.htm
Or http://www.fldoe.org/arm/default.asp
A few quick facts about our higher education facilities.
Florida has 28 community colleges.
Florida has 16 State universities.
Florida has 120 plus private colleges and universities.
Florida has 18 adult and community education locations.
Florida has 18 health care schools.
Florida has 13 Legal and criminal justice schools.
Florida has 22 technical schools
Florida has 19 business schools with over 56 locations.
Florida has 10 Law schools
Florida has 5 Art schools
Florida has 2 (among the best in the country) Culinary schools
Florida has 4 computer schools
Florida has 70 Aviation schools
Florida has 13 higher education facilities.
In addition, the Community college system in Florida is one of the best in the world. Basically it has been set up so that wherever you reside, there’s a college within commuting distance.
Link to Florida state universities
http://www.flbog.org/univ_info/univlist.asp

Link to public and private law schools
http://www.flbog.org/univ_info/lawschools.asp

Link to independent colleges and universities
http://www.flbog.org/univ_info/icuflist.asp

Link to all Florida public schools by county
http://www.fldoe.org/schoolmap/flash/schoolmap_text.asp
In conclusion, regardless of where you live, Florida has education opportunities for you. Be it public or private, pre school or higher learning, including adult education.

For specific educational information, including trade schools, go to the different areas and see the education link drop down list.

.©2006. Florida Real Estate Network Inc. All Rights Reserved

Florida cost of living

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 10:22:06 -0600

Florida Cost of Living
The cost of living index is based on the composite price of groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, clothing and entertainment.
Cost of living indexes will generally be higher in areas that offer access to beaches, culture, arts and recreation. In addition areas, that offer a wider variety of services such as health and education will run higher due to higher wages, and increased quality of living.

Cost of living indexing explanation
A figure of 100 points is used as an average both for the USA and Florida. For example:
Boise Idaho is ranked at a 99
Boston Mass is rated at 240
San Francisco at 217
Statewide, Florida cities come in from a low of 90 and up.
One way to compare Florida areas to salary requirements
For example-If you were relocating from Portland Oregon (whose rate 1s 120) to Orlando, and you currently make $50,000 per year, the formula is as follows
Take the destination index, in this case Orlando-104.2 and divide by Portland’s index-120, then multiply by a salary of $50,000. This will give you a figure of $43,416.00 which would be required to make in Orlando to have the same quality of life.
See comparable Florida statewide
* Re cost of living--in some areas Real Estate has went up dramatically however costs that factor in such as food, transportation, rents etc have not increased at the same rate-so in some areas, even though housing is expensive, the overall rating may still be low

2006 Fourth quarter stats per ACCRA and Council for Community Economic Research

Bradenton-100.6
Cape Coral-Ft Myers-108.0
Ft Lauderdale-117.0
Fort Walton-Destin-97.3
Jacksonville metro-96.3
Miami metro-115.0
Orlando metro-104.2
Palm Coast-Flagler-98.5
Panama City-96.6
Pensacola metro-96.0
Sarasota-107.0
Tampa 98.5
St Pete-Clearwater-99.9
Vero-Beach Indian River-103.4
West Palm Beach metro-117.5
(Population Weighted-State Average=100
See national comparisons
Cost of living (100 = nationwide average)
* New York, NY 364
* Long Beach, NY 340
* Palo Alto, CA 268
* Menlo Park, CA 265
* Los Altos, CA 261
* Saratoga, CA 261
* Boston, MA 240
* Malibu, CA 233
* San Francisco, 217
* Greenwich, CT 215
* Cambridge, MA 211
* Santa Monica, CA 197
* Keystone, CO 194
* San Rafael, CA 192
* Weston, CT 192
* Darien, CT 192
* Wellesley, MA 192
* Fort Lee, NJ 189
* Arlington, VA 184
* Honolulu, HI 184
* Washington, DC 181
* Princeton, NJ 180
* Vail, CO 178
* Chicago, IL 166
* Sunnyvale, CA 164
* San Mateo, CA 163
* Marathon, FL 161
* Ridgewood, NJ 159
* Mystic, CT 159

For more information about cost of living go to Accra's site at http://www.coli.org/

In conclusion, given Florida’s climate and Job opportunities and the outdoor recreation prospects, Florida can really make sense.
Why not live in a vacation spot?
For specific Florida area cost of living index information, use the area drop down lists to the left.
.©2006. Florida Real Estate Network Inc. All Rights Reserved

About Florida Arts and culture

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 10:20:26 -0600

Florida is a cultural society and embraces it’s writers, artists, photographers, musicians and actors. Just look at how many people from the Sunshine state, who excel in these areas. In short, Individualism is one of our best assets.
Why are the Arts important to us?
Economics:

Florida’s arts and cultural industry is one of the fastest growing in the state. Its annual statewide economic impact has grown from $1.7 billion in 1997 to over $2.9 billion and now supports over 28,000 full-time equivalent jobs.
Florida’s arts and cultural organizations, which constitute a small fraction of the state’s entire arts and entertainment industry, expended $1.2 billion in FY 2001.
Attendees at the programs and events of not-for-profit cultural organizations exceeded 400 million in 2000-01. Audience participation is significant because attendance at these events generates related commerce for local businesses such as hotels, restaurants, and shops.
An estimated 7 million out-of-state tourists visited Florida’s cultural facilities or attended cultural events as a primary activity. These “cultural” tourists spent $4.5 billion, adding $9.3 billion to the state's gross regional product and creating 103,713 full-time equivalent jobs with a payroll of $2.6 billion.
State of our Arts
Due to the influx of people relocating here with varied tastes our facilities have grown to where they rank among the best in the world The Arts in Florida is a powerhouse business for both residents and tourists.
From major Art museums, to world class Symphony orchestras to ballet and theatre companies, writer’s conferences, and outdoor festivals, we have it all.
A few quick facts about what we have.

7 professional Opera companies.
16 major symphony orchestras.
35 Theatre companies.
33 dance companies.
4 major film studios
16 major sports and entertainment arenas/stadiums
200 outdoor festivals per year.
Hundreds of galleries, craft shops and small owner operated business that specializes in the Arts.
Music-From Jazz to Blues to Art exhibits; there is definitely something for everyone.
Link to county Art agencies http://www.florida-arts.org/resources/FloridaLocalArtsAgencies.htm
Link to all Florida Art museums http://www.florida-arts.org/resources/museumsartcentersgalleries.htm
Link to Florida dance organizations http://www.florida-arts.org/resources/FloridaDanceOrganizations.htm
Link to Florida music organizations (symphonies, community orchestras, etc)
http://www.florida-arts.org/resources/FloridasMusicOrganizations.htm
Link to Florida Theatre venues (playhouse etc) http://www.florida-arts.org/resources/FloridaTheatres.htm
Links to Florida state organizations and associations
http://www.florida-arts.org/resources/StateOrganizations.htm

In conclusion:
If you love the arts and want Cultural opportunities, Florida definitely has a place for you.
So, if you’re creative or possibly want to pursue another career or lifestyle…this could be just the place for you.
One other thing-You can enjoy the majority of all this outdoors!

.©2006. Florida Real Estate Network Inc. All Rights Reserved

What makes a good vacation rental

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:31:26 -0600

What makes a good Vacation Rental

A clean, well maintained home on a canal or open water.
Typically one of the bedrooms should have a set of twin beds if the renters are bringing children.
Good linens and towels and a backup set. This is especially important for monthly renters.
The washer, dryer and refrigerator should be newer if possible.
A good Television hooked up to cable (about $35.00 per month) and a CD or tape stereo system.
The kitchen must be completely outfitted. A microwave is also very important for renters.
Patio and/or Lawn-Deck furniture. If there is an upper deck, a table and chairs plus loungers.
On the waterside, a set of loungers and chairs.
Repeat renters

If the renters have a good experience, they will come back. We see this especially with people that book two to three months a year.
The Rental laws-what is going on in your area now and what is proposed? Ask your agent!!!!
For specific agents and property management/1031 see the real Estate links under each area.

#For commercial investment opportunities, look at the Real Estate links under 1031 or commercial for agents who can direct you to investments and ROI.

To find agents that can manage your investment, See the real Estate section in the area you like and then property management.

Renting a Florida home out as a seasonal or long term rental

Dennis Handa (Florida Real Estate Network) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:29:56 -0600

Renting your home out as a seasonal (vacation rental)or long term.

Long-term renters are generally easier to find as there is a shortage of homes for rent. So, if you want to buy something for retirement or a vacation home and rent it out to help your payments-this is typically the easiest way. (Long term rentals are considered to be anything over 6 months, as the tenants don't pay the 11.5% Florida tax)
Generally long-term rentals should be unfurnished.
Initially your agent’s company will do a credit check before submitting a lease to you, then with your approval of the lease, they typically collect the first and last months rent plus a security deposit which is typically a months rental amount.
As to utilities- The tenants generally take the lease to the water, electric, phone and cable people and have the utilities put in their name and of course they pay their own deposits. In most areas of Florida, garbage is included in the tax bill-so there is no separate garbage bill.
Seasonal rentals. Most residential areas can only rent monthly or 28 days, meaning the owner can only rent the home out 12 times per year. This means about 5 months of income-Jan-Feb-Mar and July-August. There are some April and June monthlies. .
As to what is the best rental situation , that is size, which areas, views, pools, how water and boating accessibility affects rental amounts and the typical rental amounts for both long and short term, plus the fees involved, ask your agent.
As to extra costs and what is necessary to have a Home as a Rental.
When you rent your home out you generally need to license it through the County. This costs is typically minimal and your agent’s company should be able to handle the paperwork for you.
The County and the Tax people want the homes licensed so they know where there may be tax dollars coming in. When your home is used as a rental, in effect you are operating the same as a hotel or motel and so they come under their safety guidelines.
This applies to the Keys but may be the cases statewide:
Every bedroom and the main living area must have a hardwired smoke detector and there must also be an escape light. This light comes on in case of a power outage-this also must be hardwired. (About $450.00 installed smoke detectors and escape light for a 2/2)
There also needs to be a professional quality refillable fire extinguisher that is approved by the fire department (about $55.00). This would be the same as you'd find in a restaurant or hotel room. There needs to be a dead bolt on the door that works from the inside and is a different key than the main door. All of these issues help protect your liability in cases of fire/break in.
When the home complies with all of the above and your agent has a signed contract from you authorizing them as a rental agent, then it can go into the rental pool.
What about Hurricane preparation?
In the event of an impending Hurricane, a handyman or someone else can be hired to put up the storm shutters, bring in the lawn and patio furniture, etc for a fee-most agents have too many homes for them to do it individually.
*This agreement should be set up in advance by the homeowner and the handyman. Your agent can find someone to do this.