south florida: Ficus Hedges and Trees - 07/17/12 10:59 AM
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south florida: Why hire a landscaper instead of choosing plants yourself? 3 reasons - 07/10/12 11:33 PM
Why hire a landscaper instead of choosing plants yourself? 3 reasons 1. They know how mature plants will look year-round.
A landscaper will be familiar with the structure of a plant and how it will look throughout the year. You might not know until the plant grows and you've had a chance to see it during each season. Certain plants only bloom for a small part of the year, and some plants do not grow well at all in certain regions. How will it look in respect to the rest of your landscaping when it is and is not blooming? … (0 comments)

south florida: *Anniversary Special* - 06/28/12 04:31 AM

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south florida: Barbeque Cleaning - 06/27/12 01:52 AM
 
It is the first really warm spring weekend, the flowers are blooming, the grass is green, the bugs are biting, what a perfect day for a barbeque! Only after dragging out the patio furniture, grabbing a cool drink and pulling a couple steaks out of the freezer do you open the cover on the barbeque. The thoughts race through your mind….. we actually ATE food cooked on this thing? Did winter begin before we cleaned up after our last barbeque? Can we afford a new barbeque?
I actually had a lengthy conversation with a friend on the merits of buying … (0 comments)

south florida: Stay Cool Summer Cleaning Tips - 06/27/12 01:48 AM
Stay Cool Summer Cleaning Tips
 
Dehumidify.
 Want to cut down on mold growth in your bathroom grout and shower tracks? Keep your bathroom exhaust fan running while you take a bath or shower and for 30 minutes afterward. It helps eliminate excess mold.
Stop dirt in its track.
 Your best home investment in summer, bar none, is a sturdy nylon mat—one for each doorway. A no-shoes rule also helps cut down on dirt; create shelving near an entrance where shoes can be left and retrieved easily.
No-scrub showers.
 There's nothing I hate more than cleaning a hot humid shower … (1 comments)

south florida: Play adult All- Star sports - 06/27/12 01:45 AM
The South Florida All-Star Softball Club seeks adults ages 21 and older for its upcoming summer season in a semi-competitive United States Specialty Sports Association-style slow-pitch softball league with some travel involved.
Playing sites include Bamford Park in Davie, Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek and Miller Park in Delray Beach. Games will take place Sunday mornings starting July 15.
Interested teams should have their captains email Doug Grant at allstarssoftballclub@yahoo.com, or call 786-380-0035.
Visit allstarsoftballclub.com for information.
springs offers soccer camps
Registration is open for the 24th year of the Simply Soccer Summer Camps in the city of Coral Springs. … (1 comments)

south florida: reasons not to get that super cheap mortgage re-fi - 06/25/12 12:43 AM
Be on guard against those low, low mortgage rates -- you may end up spending more by refinancing than if you had stuck with your current mortgage, even if your new interest rate would be under 3 or 4 percent, South Florida financial planners warn.
Here are 3 warning signs for not refinancing your home at a lower rate, they say.
You're one of the many South Floridians who owe more than what the home is worth. Lenders may ask you to pay a higher rate of interest, perhaps a quarter or half percent more than the average national home loan … (3 comments)

south florida: items often get broken during a move - 06/24/12 11:46 PM
Which items often get broken during a move?
If you're moving to a new house or apartment, be advised: Some things are made to be broken.
When it comes to moving, you've got to be careful.
That's because some things - no matter how sturdy they appear on the surface - are made to be broken.
"People don't realize how big of a job it can be," says John Bisney, a spokesman for the American Moving and Storage Association. "They think, 'No big deal, load up a U-Haul and we're good to go.' "
But breaking items during the moving process … (0 comments)

south florida: Landscape lighting without experts - 06/19/12 04:28 AM

Adding lighting to your landscaping is like adding jewelry to your home's exterior. Pathway lights illuminate your sidewalk to welcome your guests. Spotlights aimed up at the canopy of a tree will showcase its beauty. And lights placed inside your planting beds set the mood and reveal beautiful colors after dark. Plus, a well-lit house is a deterrent to thieves.Landscape lights come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Most path lights spike into the ground and have a top hat that directs the lighting downward. Innovation has brought new path lights that are actual paver bricks that illuminate at … (1 comments)

south florida: Local soldier returns to South Florida - 06/15/12 05:55 AM
A South Florida soldier received a hero's welcome upon his return home. Carlos De Jesus returned to South Florida after serving in tours in Iraq and Afghanistan for nearly a year.
His family greeted him with a special banner at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Wednesday.
De Jesus said he is just happy to be home. "I feel happy to be back, and there's not much to see over there," he said. "It's definitely good to be back home where I have the freedom to do whatever I want."
Last July, De Jesus' reserve unit from Perrine was deployed for Iraq … (0 comments)

south florida: Father, daughter meet for first time - 06/15/12 05:43 AM
A social media site is responsible for bringing a South Florida woman face-to-face with her father for the first time.
Fifty-year-old Zoraida Soto of Pompano Beach waited anxiously at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Thursday, for a man whom she had never met. "My mind is going a million miles a minute. I'm excited," she said.
She was waiting for the arrival of Jose Quiles, her father. She said, "I'm gonna meet my father after 50 years, for the first time."
Soto was only two months old when she and her mother had to leave her father behind in Puerto Rico to … (0 comments)

south florida: ABCs of Hurricane Preparedness - 06/12/12 11:25 PM
    Hurricane Season is here again! Before you hit the delete key and proclaim, “Been there. Done that.” do you know your Hurricane ABCs? This list of thoughtful tips will help you “jump start” your hurricane plans and avoid last minute scrambling. Be sure to explore the Broward County Hurricane Preparedness website, A-Z Guide or Hurricane Preparedness Guide for more details. All you need to know is right at your fingertips!
Animals:Make plans for all of your animals, both large and small. Prepare a Pet Survival Kit - even if staying at home.
 
Boats: The U.S. Coast Guard coordinates … (1 comments)

south florida: Tough-to-develop property gets a new lease of life - 06/06/12 01:02 AM
Coral Springs has thanked a developer who took up a 30-year old abandoned housing project by writing off the water charges which had accrued since 2003.
Officials voted unanimously on a special exception petition to waive $34,000 that Paragon Homes, which purchased the property in Nov. 2010, would have had to otherwise pay. The development, originally known as La Placida and now called Daniela Springs, will have 36 zero-lot line residential homes.
Along with building the homes, the developer has repaired the existing water lines under the neighboring La Placida North and also repaired and resurfaced the roadway. Street lighting has … (1 comments)

south florida: Why selling now could be a smart move - 06/01/12 06:03 AM
Q: Is now a good time to put my house on the market, or should I wait another six to eight months?
A: Generally speaking, now is a great time to put your house on the market because the inventory of homes for sale has declined in South Florida and other areas. Buyers don’t have the choices that they did a year or two ago. That’s boosting prices and helping sellers. Contact a real estate agent who has experience in your specific neighborhood. He or she can pull the data that show how many other homes are for sale in … (1 comments)

south florida: Banks prefer short sales to foreclosures - 05/30/12 11:29 PM
 
Short sales are exceeding the number of foreclosure sales in South Florida, another sign that the region’s battered housing market is healing.
Broward County had 1,831 short sales in the first quarter, compared with 1,476 foreclosure deals, according to the RealtyTrac listing firm.
In Palm Beach County, there were 1,777 short sales from January through March, compared with 1,369 foreclosure deals.
RealtyTrac, of Irvine. Calif., noticed the trend with the release of January figures. On a quarterly basis, this is the first time short sales have outnumbered foreclosures in Broward since early 2008, the firm said.
“Banks are more motivated … (0 comments)

south florida: Citizens removes insurance discounts - 05/22/12 06:20 AM
More than 100,000 Florida homes re-inspected by the state-run insurer of last resort have lost windstorm discounts, resulting in average premium increases of $600 a year, according to data released this week.
Citizens Property Insurance Corp.says it has removed improper discounts from 62 percent of 173,000 homes. About 32 percent had no change, while 6 percent ended up with lower premiums because the insurer found additional discounts.
The insurer expects to net roughly $81 million from eliminating the discounts. The figures are as of April 30.
  Citizens, which has been unable to schedule nearly 7,100 inspections, says it offers $1 … (1 comments)

south florida: Homeowners try to sell by themselves - 05/21/12 07:25 AM
As the once-beleaguered housing market improves, homeowners are showing more interest in selling solo. Delray Beach-based BuyOwner.com says home sales in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties are up 200 percent this year, compared with the same period of 2011. Listings have increased 150 percent, the company said.
ForSaleByOwner.com, a Chicago-based site, has seen a 400 percent increase in Florida sellers visiting the site from January through April, compared with the same period a year ago. That far outpaces the 183 percent increase in sellers nationally. The two websites declined to release specific figures.
 
"People are starting to hear more … (0 comments)

south florida: books without pages - 04/30/12 07:14 AM
Checking out a book at midnight in your pj's? It's possible now.
Three city-run libraries — Parkland, Oakland Park and Wilton Manors — have joined forces to share the cost of providing audiobooks, e-books, music, and video available by free download from the library or city websites and mobile applications.
This has already been available at county branch libraries, but the smaller independent libraries had to band together to lower subscription costs, said Edenia Hernandez, Parkland library director.
Now, readers with modern technology, such as Nooks, tablets, e-readers, smartphones, iPads and Kindles, can check out almost everything, anytime.
"You can … (0 comments)

south florida: Coral Springs, Nova wins district championships; Latest District Baseball results (April 26) - 04/30/12 07:00 AM
Dalton Wolchik pitched three solid innings of relief as Coral Springs baseball inched past Douglas 7-5 Thursday in the District 11-8A finals. The Colts (16-6) picked up their third consecutive district title with the two-run result.
Wolchik shut the door on the Eagles (15-8) by striking out five and allowing only two hits.
Tre Dingus had a double and two RBI for the Colts.
Nova tops St. Thomas to win District 16-7A titleNova defeated St. Thomas Aquinas 2-0 in the District 16A Championship Tuesday behind the strong pitching efforts of Dean Pelman and C.J. Chatham, who combined to hold … (0 comments)

south florida: South Florida well represented on national stage!!! - 04/30/12 06:54 AM
  Area hockey players have made quite an impact in national tournaments. Two regional clubs in particular — the Florida JR. Panthers Midget Major 18-Under AA squad and the Palm Beach Hurricanes Women's B team — finished as national runners-up in their respective USA Hockey showcase events.
Meanwhile, two other local entries, the South Florida Golden Wolves Midget 16-Under AA and North Broward Prep School, also competed for national bragging rights.
Here is a rundown of the results:
Florida JR. Panthers Midget Major 18-Under AA:
The JR. Panthers were the beneficiary of an at-large bid that ultimately launched them into the … (0 comments)