Oct 31st, 2011

Homes by Deltona Giving Back to the Communty

Posted By: Karen Palmer in Deltona Realty, Grand Ravine, Homes By Deltona, Isles of the World, Laterra Links, Portofino, San Savino

With its reputation as Florida’s top-performing school district, the fact that homeless children attend St. Johns County schools came as somewhat of a surprise to me when I attended my granddaughter’s open house at Wards Creek Elementary.

I asked Don Campbell, the principal, what the school’s needs were, and that’s when I learned about the homeless children. With school starting, these children didn’t have the supplies they needed.

The quality of the St. Johns County school system is a major factor for our homebuyers in each of our five Florida golf communities – Laterra Links, San Savino, Portofino, Isles of the World and Grand Ravine. And while we’re extremely proud of the school system that our residents enjoy, it’s important not to overlook the needs that still exist, even in such a prosperous community.

After getting the supplies list from the principal, I’m proud to say that the Homes by Deltona sales agents stepped up to the plate to purchase the school supplies that these children needed.

There are so many ways to give back to our community, and this is just one example. How do you give back? Please share your experiences helping to meet the needs in our community and let others know how they can contribute.

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Oct 15th, 2011

SAM Tram Visits World Golf Village!

Posted By: Alayna Oram in Deltona Realty, Grand Ravine, Homes By Deltona, Isles of the World, Laterra Links, Portofino, San Savino

We were excited to host top Jacksonville Realtors on October 7 when the SAM Tram came to World Golf Village. The Northeast Florida Builders Association’s Sales and Marketing Council organizes the “SAM” (for Sales and Marketing) Tram two to three times a year, providing tours of new communities in St. Augustine and Jacksonville to Realtors and affiliates. On the tours, builders and developers showcase their homes and answer questions for Realtors.

On the October 7th tour, we provided breakfast at the Laterra Links clubhouse and showcased the Pinehurst model, which recently won the overall “Judge’s Choice” award at the St. Johns County Builders Association Parade of Homes. This home has 2,160 square feet, all on the ground level. It includes a screened lanai, attached two-car garage, 10-foot ceilings, three bedrooms, two baths and a large flex space that can serve as a dining room, office or den.

We also showcased the Barton Creek model in Isles of the World (pictured above), which offers five bedrooms, three and one-half bathrooms, a first-floor master bedroom, a grand room that can be open or divided with a fireplace and entertainment wall, and a large private courtyard.

If you are interested in seeing the homes for yourself, please contact Karen Palmer at 904-940-5388.

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Oct 9th, 2011

Florida Blue Offers Community Health Fairs

Posted By: Alayna Oram in Homes By Deltona, Laterra Links, San Savino

Have you seen the Florida Blue center at the St. Johns Town Center? Ever been curious about what they do in there? I guessed that they sold Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance, and I was right. But this past weekend they were having a Health Fair, so I decided to learn more. My friend and I stopped in on our way to shop at the Town Center.

They were offering no cost flu shots to all Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida members and $15 flu shots for the rest of the community. Part of their mission is to provide “wellness” to the community. Isn’t that great? They are going to offer the no cost/low-cost flu shots to the community again in two weeks!

Florida Blue was also offering Personal Health Assessments to everyone who came by. Apparently, Blue members can have these done anytime they want to stop in, but they offer them free to the community during the Health Fairs, which are the second Saturday of every month.  

They take your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, height, weight, and BMI. They also have you answer a questionnaire about your personal health habits. They run it all through a computer and give you a print out of the results. If you would like, a registered nurse will sit down and review the results with you. My friend did this and she learned so much! I talked to her this morning and she was preparing her healthy menu for the week, since she learned she needs to lose 10 pounds to hit her optimal weight.

If you are interested in improving your health, so you can enjoy the lifestyle offered by one of our Florida golf course communities, stop by for the next Florida Blue Health Fair!

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Sep 16th, 2011

6 Packing Tips for a Happy Move

Posted By: Alayna Oram in Homes By Deltona, Laterra Links, San Savino

We hope you are moving to our Florida golf course community, but regardless of where your new home may be, we offer these six packing tips to keep your belongings safe!

1. Segregate items from different rooms and pack them in separate boxes. Clearly label each box (which room it goes to and if it’s fragile). Even if you know what’s in it, it makes it easier if someone else is helping you unpack the moving truck. One method is to number the boxes and keep a list of what is in each number This helps to make sure that you don’t lose any boxes, just don’t lose the list!

2. It is important to coordinate your box size to the weight of your belongings. No one likes to move a big, heavy box of books, so use small boxes for heavier items and big boxes for lighter ones (pillows, towels, sheets, etc.). Be sure to pack these boxes close to the cabin of the moving truck.

3. If you’re mixing heavy and light belongings, be sure to layer them in the boxes: heavy on the bottom, light on top.

4. Have a pile of clothes ready to fill in the gaps of your boxes to keep items from moving around too much.

5. Pack breakables with care:

  • For dishes, bunch up paper to surround the perimeter of the box. Put paper around each dish, then wrap 5 or 6 together in a second layer of paper before packing them on their side (not flat).
  • For mirrors or other large glass surfaces, use masking tape to make a large X across the surface to strengthen the glass. Use a frame box to put the wrapped pieces of glass into with a piece of cardboard between each one.
  • For plasma TVs, double-box in padded boxes (or use scrunched up paper), and clearly mark which end is up so that the TV is never laid flat.
  • For oil paintings, don’t use regular paper to wrap them up because it will stick!

6. When you finish packing your box, don’t worry about how much tape you’re using – tape it well! There’s nothing worse than having the entire contents of a box fall out on your foot! After taping all of the seams well, consider doing a wrap-around with the tape all the way around the box.

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Aug 8th, 2011

6 Tips for Florida’s Tax Free Weekend!

Posted By: Ella Palmer in Homes By Deltona, Laterra Links, San Savino

School is starting back and I am determined to help my sister save as much money as possible since she is shopping for elementary, middle and high school kids! I know many other families in our Florida golf communities that will be doing the same. Many times I am surprised at the checkout register to find that an item I am purchasing is still taxed on tax-free weekend. Even though it’s frustrating, I often end up buying the item anyways. To help all of the World Golf Village and St. Augustine Shores residents with school kids, I put together some information that might make shopping on Tax Free weekend more effective for you!

1. Know the Tax Free Weekend Dates

Tax free weekend starts at 12:01 AM on Friday, August 12, 2011 and goes until 11:59 PM on Sunday, August 14, 2011.

2. Know which items are Tax Free

  • Clothing under $75
  • Footwear under $75
  • School supplies under $15 (pens, pencils, erasers, crayons, notebooks, notebook filler paper, legal pads, binders, lunch boxes, construction paper, markers, folders, poster board, composition books, poster paper, scissors, cellophane tape, glue, paste, computer disks, protractor, compasses, and calculators)
  • Exchanges – if you exchange something that you bought during Tax Free weekend after that weekend you will not be charged tax
  • Items that were originally over $75 or $15 that were brought below that with a store coupon or a discount
  • Lay-away sales where the final payment is made during or after the exemption period.
  • Mail order and internet sales that ship out during the Tax Free weekend

3. Know which items are not Tax Free

  • Books
  • Footwear not included: skis, swim fins, roller blades, and skates
  • Watches, watch bands, and jewelry
  • Umbrellas
  • Handkerchiefs
  • Sporting equipment
  • Gift sets that include eligible and non-eligible Tax Free items
  • Buy One Get One items that are over $75 (You can’t split the transaction in half as if each were 50% off.)
  • Items made less than $75 or $15 because of the use of a manufacturer’s coupon or rebate
  • Eligible out-of-stock items cannot be purchased at a later date without tax with the use of a rain check
  • Rentals of eligible items
  • Items that were less than $75 or $15 that get bumped over either amount due to shipping fees
  • Repairs and alterations

4. Know what stores are not Tax Free

Sales of clothing or school supplies in a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishment or airport are not Tax Free.

5. Know how to fix a Tax Free error

If you are incorrectly charged tax by a retailer or dealer, you must get the tax refund from them – not from the Department of Revenue.

6. When in doubt, check the Tax Free information document!

Happy Shopping!

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Jul 29th, 2011

St. Augustine Record vs. Florida Times-Union

Posted By: Karen Palmer in Homes By Deltona, Laterra Links, San Savino

For many years we lived in the Washington, D.C. area. Receiving the Washington Post at our door became a regular part of our morning routine. Then, we moved to Orlando and found the Orlando Sentinel was the newspaper of choice. But, when we moved to a golf course community in St. Augustine, Florida our choice of newspaper wasn’t easy.

For years we have received the St. Augustine Record and have learned to love the personal and social articles. When my daughter collected stuffed animals as gifts for her 16th birthday, her photo with all of the animals made the paper – something that would never have happened in a large metropolitan newspaper.

It is fun to read the jail log to see if we know anyone listed (usually we don’t!), but in most cases the crimes are minor and it continues to make us know St. Augustine is a safe place to live. We also check to see who obtained a marriage license – or, sadly, a divorce. And, I have known too many people in the obituaries.

So, what is missing? Well, it is the broader reaching news. What is happening in all of Northeast Florida? Even though it is not as personal, it is important to keep up with all that is happening around me. So my solution is to subscribe to the Florida Times-Union as well. There is a lot of newspaper in my recycle bin, and some of the news is duplicated, but since I don’t watch much television, this solution works for me!

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Jul 27th, 2011

Homes by Deltona Offers Five Communities in St. Augustine

Posted By: Alayna Oram in Homes By Deltona, Laterra Links, San Savino

Many of you know that the coach homes in Laterra Links at World Golf Village offer a single-family lifestyle with the convenience of condominium living. They are spacious homes with private entrances and attached two-car garages, but the exterior maintenance is taken care of for you. How great is that! Their prices start in the mid $300,000s.

What many of you might not know is the developer of Laterra Links, Homes by Deltona, owns four other communities in the St. Augustine area. Each with a unique style and all of them starting under $250,000. Here is a sneak peek at the other Homes by Deltona communities:

Grand Ravine offers townhouse-style condominiums with attached garages. They are located in south St. Augustine just minutes from the beach! A clubhouse and pool are currently under construction. The homes are built with hurricane resistant poured concrete walls. The homes are priced from the $190,000s.

San Savino is a charming neighborhood of single-family homes. It is located in the golf course community of St. Augustine Shores – an established, family neighborhood in south St. Augustine. The quality built homes come with almost everything standard. Take a video tour to see what we mean! The homes are priced from the $230,000s.

Portofino (pictured above) is a new condominium neighborhood located on the golf course in St. Augustine Shores – not far from San Savino. The steel and block constructed buildings offer two and three bedroom condominiums with VERY generous lanais. Each home comes with two assigned parking space and with a large storage unit in the covered garage. The homes start in the $200,000s. A few homes are available for rent at very reasonable prices!

The final Homes by Deltona community is Isles of the World. The homes have unique townhouse floor plans that offer up to five bedrooms. Each also has a private courtyard and a suite over the garage, which is perfect for a guest suite or home office. We will let you know when the prices are set for this new community!

Homes by Deltona is a division of the Deltona Corporation. We have been building homes for families since 1962!

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Jun 24th, 2011

7 Inexpensive Activities for Kids This Summer

Posted By: Ella Palmer in Homes By Deltona, San Savino

Entertaining kids is the one thing I definitely know how to do! Having grown up in homes in St. Augustine myself, I’ve learned first-hand where all the fun things to do around town are. I’ve shared my insider information with all of the kids I’ve babysat through the years too. It is because of this that I have uncovered my deep hatred of video games and cartoons. Now I want to share my solutions to getting kids off of the couch this summer with you!

1. Anastasia Family Bowling Pass: Go to www.kidsbowlfree.com and print off free kids bowling coupons, or you can pay $24.95 to get a family pass for the summer, which includes 4 adults and 6 kids – all you have to pay is the $4.50 shoe rental fee. 904-471-3565.

2. $1 Kids Movies at Regal Cinemas: Regal Theaters are showing kids movies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for only $1! The closest one is near the Avenues Mall in Jacksonville, but you can drop the kids off and do a little shopping while they watch the movie. Go to www.myjaxdesi.com/kids-local-summer-activities.html to see show times.

3. Free Cummer Museum Admission: Try something different with your kids! Take them to one of the areas most beautiful museums and gardens for free from 4:00 – 9:00 PM on Tuesdays. 904-356-6857.

4. Castillo De San Marcos: One of the most popular attractions in St. Augustine is FREE for children 15 and under. Adult tickets are $6. The fort is open daily from 8:45 AM to 5:15 PM. 904-829-6506.

5. Oldest House Museum Complex: Located at 271 Charlotte Street in historic Downtown, children 6 and under are free, students are $4, and adults are $8. It is open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM. 904-824-0192.

6. Old Town Trolley tours of St. Augustine: They offer a “Home Town Pass” where residents get free admission to Old Town Trolley Tours, The Florida Heritage Museum and the Authentic Old Jail when accompanied by an adult paid guest ($20.70). Sign up at www.hometownpass.com/ridefree4. 904-829-3800.

7. Villa Zorayda Museum: Residents get a 50% discount with the purchase of 1 regular admission ($10) for the audio tour only. ID required. 904-829-9887.

Since San Savino is only 10 minutes from Crescent Beach, you always have the option of packing a picnic and relaxing on the white sandy beach while your kids frolic in the waves for free too! See there are just tons of options… I hope you take advantage of a few of the many things living in Florida offers this summer!

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Jun 21st, 2011

San Savino Residents Enjoy Vail Point Park

Posted By: Ella Palmer in Homes By Deltona, San Savino

The sun peaked through the clouds as another beautiful day broke in the Florida golf communities. Relief washed through me when I realized that is was a Saturday! I spent all day Friday moving my fiance, Chase, into our new home and everything in my body was sore. I stretched in bed and felt each muscle expand and contract, even ones I didn’t know existed. What I needed today was a run to loosen up my built-up lactic acid…and I knew just the place!

A short drive from San Savino, there is a perfect little spot to run. I drove north on US1, towards downtown St. Augustine. and turned off onto Vail Point. At the end of the road, I turned left into a secret little park – that I am now sharing with you – Vail Point Park. Chase pulled in a few seconds later and we walked onto the tree-covered path hand-in-hand.

After stretching, we took off through the winding trails. It was a nice, easy run because all of the trails are paved with asphalt, so we didn’t have to worry about tripping on roots. An hour or so later we came to a little wooden platform overlooking the water and Chase asked me to dance with him! We have been taking lessons in preparation for our wedding, but we only just started. The romantic little platform made our practicing seem like we really knew what we were doing as we waltzed to the rhythm of the branches swaying in the wind. What a perfect day to spend outdoors in Florida!

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Jun 7th, 2011

Locals Rave About Hurricane Patty’s

Posted By: Alayna Oram in Homes By Deltona, San Savino

There are many reasons we love living in St. Augustine, Florida…the weather, the water and the weekends! Although Hurricane Patty’s is a favorite weekend spot – it really gets hopping when there is live music playing - I prefer to go there during the week. After just a few minutes of sitting outside watching the boats float by, you will feel like it is the weekend. I suppose ordering a margarita on the rocks makes it feel like a weekend too.

Once I start to decompress and give thanks for the beautiful place I live in, I realize I am hungry. Needless to say, the timing is perfect. If the fried oysters are in season, I order them with extra tartar sauce. If not, I get the fried combo platter with shrimp and a crab cake. Yummy!

 To be honest, there are a couple of drawbacks. First, even though it is only 10 minutes from San Savino, it is hard to find if you don’t know where you are going. Go north on US 1, and before you reach SR 16, turn right onto Lewis Blvd. The road is easy to miss if you aren’t looking for it. The address is 69 Lewis Blvd. The second drawback is the service can be slow…but isn’t a laidback lifestyle another reason we love living in San Savino!

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