Real Estate Wire/Green Trends News Wire

ORLANDO, Fla. – Southwest Florida’s Babcock Ranch, with sustainability designed into the entire fabric of the community, has been certified a Platinum “Florida Green” community by the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC), the leading certifier of green projects in the state. Developer Syd Kitson of Kitson & Partners was recognized during FGBC’s Annual Meeting held Friday in Orlando. Kitson has been planning Babcock Ranch for more than a decade. With over 18,200 certifications since being founded in 2000, FGBC is by far the largest certifier of land developments, green homes, high-rises and local governments in Florida. To date 97 land developments are either registered or certified “Florida Green.” Unlike other certification programs, FGBC standards are the only standards developed with Florida-specific criteria that addresses the state’s hot-humid climate, environment, topography and natural disasters. Scoring 151 points, Babcock Ranch achieved Platinum, the highest l...

Black Friday 2017 @ The LOOP in Kissimmee. KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- This holiday season, find out why The LOOP has been called a shopper’s delight. The LOOP has unveiled their 2nd annual Black Friday event, promising visitors’ great prices, variety, and more availability while offering something for everybody – all in one location on Friday Nov. 23. The LOOP will make Black Friday deals even sweeter for the first 250 shoppers who line up in front of the Regal Cinemas. Two lucky shoppers will win a $250 gift card hidden in one of the totes and over 20 shoppers will win up to $75 in gift cards from The LOOP’s retailers! “It is a strong weekend for retailers, but an even better weekend for consumers, who can take advantage of some really incredible deals,” said Crossman & Company’s Marketing Manager Gena Filion. The day after Thanksgiving is always hectic, but the open-air mall boasts a selection of over 36 department stores, name-brand shops, specialty retailers plus restauran...

DELAND, Fla. -- The City of DeLand has announced it has earned gold-level certification under the Florida Green Building Coalition’s Florida Green Local Government designation program. The city initially earned silver-level certification in 2013 and applied for gold certification in early 2018. To receive gold certification the city must meet criteria focused on improving environmental performance in areas such as energy, water, air, land and waste. “Congratulations to the City of Deland. They have renewed their commitment to create and maintain a sustainable community,” noted FGBC Executive Director C.J. Davila. “They are part of a growing list of local governments that have gone “Florida Green” with the FGBC standard. Since the program began 96 Florida local governments have been registered to become “Florida Green.” Unlike other national and international certifications, FGBC are only standards developed with Florida-specific criteria. They address Florida’s hot-humid cl...

Homebuilders save as much as $250,000 a year on proven underlayment system ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The most cost-effective crack isolation system in the homebuilding industry has been on the market for nearly 15 years. Still you may not have heard of it. Manufactured by Propex Global, an establish leader in Geosynthetics, GatorMat®, is an underlayment system that protects tile against crack migration and has been serving homebuilders since 2004. That’s close to the time Marty Uptain, National Sales Manager for GatorMat, first became a dealer for the product. Uptain has served in sales and management roles for Florida homebuilding products since 1991. “I had been working for a tile company that was one of the first to start using and selling GatorMat,” he said. He was soon moving truckloads of it. Developed in Florida, GatorMat is used when ceramic tile, porcelain or stone is installed over concrete slabs. It protects floors from reflective cracking caused by cracks in the sl...

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -  Crossman & Company, the Southeast’s premier commercial real estate leasing, property management and investment sales firm, has added Promenade Shopping Plaza in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. to its impressive leasing and property management portfolio. Ideally situated on Alternate A1A, between PGA Blvd and Northlake Blvd., the popular center is anchored by Publix, Planet Fitness, CVS, ACE Hardware and Bealls Outlet. “This is a well-anchored asset in a strong retail market. The Northern Palm Beach County population is on the upswing and high-profile retail opportunities face a high barrier-to-entry given limited available land for future development. That makes the center’s prominent 5,060 square-foot endcap position very desirable,” noted Crossman & Company’s Regional Leasing Director Michael Rautbord. The 201,545-square-foot shopping destination at 9900 Alternate A1A S is 95 percent occupied. The experienced Crossman & Company ...

MELBOURNE, Fla. - LandSouth Construction, an award-winning Jacksonville, Fla. based general contractor specializing in multifamily, senior housing and mixed-use development will break ground next month on Addison Pointe, a luxury apartment community in Melbourne, Fla. Developer Integra Land Company, Lake Mary, Fla., chose architect Charlan, Brock & Associates, Maitland Fla., for the four story, wood frame, apartment community located on Delaney Steer at the corner of North Wickham Road and Parkway Drive, across from Wickham Park. The experienced LandSouth team working on the 362,245 square foot development is led by project manager Mark Ondish, field superintendent Kyle Greer and project administrator Krista Frazee. “As we continue to see healthy job growth, new tourist attractions along with tech and service sector employers setting roots across Brevard County, we are striving to deliver a multifamily community for our client that elevates the area’s rental housing options...

COCOA, Fla. – A Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) accredited certifying agent can evaluate a single-family home based on the Florida Green Home Designation Standard criteria The next Certifying Agent Designation Class is Oct. 23-24, 2018 at the Florida Solar Energy Center, 1679 Clearlake Road, Cocoa, Fla. Individuals completing the two-day training and associated exams may become an accredited FGBC Certifying Agent provided they meet the eligibility requirements. The Green Home Designation Standard course is worth 10.5 CEUs. CILB# 0608077 An FGBC Certifying Agent is an independent, third party verifier and cannot be on the payroll of any company that is responsible for the construction of the home, or profit from the certification of the project.  They are entitled to be compensated for the verification work and may act as a consultant if their scope does not fall within those restricted conditions. FGBC’s five certifications provide pathways...