Florida RealEstateRama

TALLAHASSEE, FL - September 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater today announced the 2011 Unclaimed Property Auction held on Saturday in Ponte Vedra Beach was the third highest-grossing auction in the 50-year history of Florida’s unclaimed property program, drawing about 350 attendees, including 205 bidders, and raising $1.09 million for Florida’s public schools.The auction, held at the Sawgrass Marriott, also produced the highest-ever sales percentage above reserve at 338.62 percent

TALLAHASSEE, Fl - September 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater today announced that Florida will hold the annual unclaimed property auction on Saturday, Sept. 17, in Ponte Vedra Beach at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa. The auction, which is open to the public, will feature more than 37,000 individual items, including jewelry, watches and rare coins, with a minimum reserve value in excess of $327,000.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - September 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced today the appointment of Carlos Lacasa as the Chairman of the Board of Governors for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Lacasa, from Miami, is a former state representative and has more than 20 years of experience as an attorney with expertise in the insurance industry

September 5, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Hillsborough County’s Office of Neighborhood Relations is offering FREE training to help homeowner association (HOA) board members become knowledgeable leaders and build strong communities.

September 5, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Hillsborough County’s Office of Neighborhood Relations is offering FREE training to help homeowner association (HOA) board members become knowledgeable leaders and build strong communities.

ORLANDO, FL - September 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- For three recent Florida high school graduates, their freshmen year in college may be a little easier thanks to the $5,000 state scholarship awards each received from Florida Realtors®. The students’ winning essays were written on the topic “How Does a Realtor Professional Benefit the Community?”

TAVARES, FL - September 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- All offices of the Lake County Board of County Commissioners, Clerk of Courts, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections and Tax Collector will be closed Monday, Sept. 5 to observe Labor Day.

ORLANDO, FL - August 31, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Realtors® recognized Wendell Davis, CRB, GRI and the 2010 president of the state Realtor association, as its 2011 Realtor of the Year. CRB and GRI are special designations awarded to Realtors who complete additional training; they stand for Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager and Graduate, Realtor Institute.The Realtor of the Year award was presented at the state association’s 95th annual Convention & Trade Expo at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla.

ORLANDO, FL - August 31, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Realtors® has honored Claudette Bruck, broker-owner of Multiple Choice Realty Investments Inc. and a 35-year member of the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale (RAGFL), with its 2011 Commercial Realtor Achievement Award. The award was presented at the state association’s recent 95th annual Convention & Trade Expo at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla.The Commercial Realtor Achievement Award honors a Realtor’s lifetime of contributions to commercial activities at the local, state, national and community levels

ORLANDO, FL - August 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Realtor, the Business Magazine of Florida Real Estate and monthly trade publication of Florida Realtors®, recently won six awards in the 2011 Florida Magazine Association’s (FMA) competition.Florida Realtor won a total of four Charlie Awards, the competition’s top honor or gold standard, including one for Best Overall Magazine and one for Best Written Magazine in its Trade/Technical category. Under writing excellence, the magazine received a Charlie Award for Best Department (Makeover) and another Charlie Award for Best Column (Tech & You).

JACKSONVILLE, FL - August 22, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces that Cynthia Darlene Strickland (age 45, Jacksonville) pleaded guilty on Thursday to bank fraud. Strickland was a licensed title agent and the owner of Premier Title Group, Inc., a title agency in Jacksonville. She faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison.

Miami, FL - August 22, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federated Companies, a leading national real estate investment and development firm, is pleased to announce that its Founder/Chairman, Jonathan Cox, has been named as one of four finalists in the South Florida Business Journal's 2011 Entrepreneur Awards, $1 to $10 Million Revenue category. Mr. Cox founded The Federated Companies in 1999 with the vision of creating a vertically integrated organization capable of developing and constructing institutional quality assets while maintaining the agility and cost controls of a smaller organization.

PAISLEY, FL - August 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Lake County Board of County Commissioners is inviting the public to a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the three recently opened public lands properties of Ellis Acres Reserve, The Pasture Reserve and Lake May Reserve. The ceremony will take place at the Ellis Acres property, located at 25302 County Road 42 in Paisley on Wednesday, Aug. 24 at 9 a.m.

Miami, FL - August 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Cervera Real Estate hosted its quarterly top producer awards celebration dinner to recognize their associates for outstanding sales performance in the real estate industry. The event was held at the Brickell Bridge Bistro and Bar located on 500 Brickell Avenue on July 12, 2011. The awards recognize real estate agents for their top sales performance from various branch offices in South Florida.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - August 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater today announced the arrest of an Oviedo business owner for overbilling State Farm Insurance Company for fraudulent sinkhole claim repairs. Michael Hodge, owner of A&M Contracting Company, is charged with multiple counts of racketeering and insurance fraud involving billings of materials he never used to repair properties in Orange, Seminole and Volusia counties.

ORLANDO, FL - August 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida’s existing condo sales rose 8 percent in June with a total of 7,922 units sold statewide compared to 7,330 sold in June 2010, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. The statewide existing condo median sales price last month was $94,100; a year earlier, it was $92,300 for a 2 percent increase. The national median existing condo sales price was $165,400 in May 2011, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR).Statewide home and condo sales in the second quarter also increased over 1Q 2011’s sales figures, Florida Realtors’ records show. For 2Q 2011, statewide sales of existing homes rose 17.7 percent over the previous quarter’s activity; statewide existing condo sales increased 8.1 percent over the 1Q 2011 level.

WASHINGTON, DC - August 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Four Florida men were arrested today on charges that they defrauded homeowners in Massachusetts and elsewhere in connection with a home loan modification scam, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz for the District of Massachusetts and Christy Romero, Acting Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP).

Tampa, FL - August 3, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- To create jobs in the Tampa Bay region, we must reinvigorate our efforts to heal the housing market, Congresswoman Kathy Castor said today as she sent a letter to the White House. Following up on a recent discussion with President Obama, Castor’s letter contains suggestions to tackle the housing crisis in Florida and the nation. Castor outlined viable ways to spur the housing market, help distressed homeowners, improve property values and, as a result, help our community and our country’s economy toward more jobs and economic recovery.

TAVARES, FL - July 28, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Beginning Monday, Aug. 1, the Lake County Department of Growth Management, Building Services Division, located on the fifth floor of the Lake County Administration Building at 315 W. Main St. in Tavares, will change the days that building inspections are performed to Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

July 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) — Hillsborough County Affordable Housing and the Tampa Housing Authority (THA) are considering a merger of their Section 8 programs - the housing assistance program for low-income families. Following are answers to some questions that are important in the decision.

TAVARES, FL - July 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Lake County Parks & Trails Division is set to open three public land properties beginning July 26 for passive recreation. The properties include Ellis Acres Reserve, located off County Road 42 in Paisley; The Pasture Reserve, located off Lake Erie Road in South Lake; and Lake May Reserve located off County Road 44A in Eustis.

Washington, D.C. - July 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- This week, Rep. Ted Deutch (FL-19) and Rep. Tom Rooney (FL-16) announced new legislation to strengthen federal efforts to end homelessness among America’s veterans.

ORLANDO, FL - July 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida’s existing condo sales rose 8 percent in June with a total of 7,941 units sold statewide compared to 7,330 sold in June 2010, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. The statewide existing condo median sales price last month was $93,900; a year earlier, it was $92,300 for a 2 percent increase.

ORLANDO, FL - July 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The latest gadgets, motivational advice from top trainers and a chance to network with other real estate professionals: That’s what the Florida Realtors® 2011 Convention & Trade Expo has to offer – opportunities to learn new best practices, discover innovative marketing approaches and boost business.Realtors® from across Florida are expected to attend the state association’s 95th annual convention on Aug. 24-28, 2011, at the Rosen Shingle Creek resort in Orlando. The event features more than 54 educational sessions on topics as varied as handling short sales, social media trends, personal branding and home pricing strategies.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - July 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced today that he is expanding the availability of Spanish-speaking staff to the Department of Financial Services’ Unclaimed Property Helpline.

TAVARES, FL - July 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Lake County Board of County Commissioners launched today, the GO GREEN GET GREEN energy efficiency rebate program for Lake County small commercial business owners and residents. Participants who GO GREEN by installing energy efficient products can GET GREEN through the new rebate program funded by an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG).

ORLANDO, FL - June 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Many families across Florida and the rest of the nation will spend the Fourth of July holiday away from home, basking on the state’s beautiful beaches, traveling to see relatives or maybe just visiting friends for a backyard barbecue.To fully enjoy those activities and other summertime pursuits spent away from home, Florida Realtors® suggests that homeowners take precautions to safeguard their residences when they’re not around. Crime rates across the country often start to peak as temperatures rise during warm weather months – the same time that many families leave their homes unoccupied and unprotected.

Miami, FL - June 27, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Cervera Real Estate leadership welcomed new additions to the team with a new agent cocktail reception, held June 2 at the new, upscale Kyma lounge at the EPIC Miami Residences and Hotel in Brickell. Cervera’s new agents had the opportunity to network and mingle over wine and hors d’oeuvres. Discussions centered around reasons for joining the company and the work Cervera’s commercial division played in leasing the lounge.

Oak Brook, IL - June 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In adramatic expansion outside its established markets in the Midwest, triple-playmedia provider Access Media 3 has merged with Peoples Choice Cable in BocaRaton, Florida. The deal,completed June 14, 2011, nearly doubles AM3’s addressable market, stretchingthe company’s footprint far beyond its existing customer bases in Chicago andMinneapolis/St. Paul. Merging withPeoples Choice brings AM3 approximately 7,000 new subscribers in 180 buildingslocated between Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida.

ORLANDO, FL - June 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida’s existing home and existing condo sales rose in May, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. Existing home sales increased 3 percent last month with a total of 17,228 homes sold statewide compared to 16,790 homes sold in May 2010, according to Florida Realtors.