Brandon Florida Real Estate

In case you haven't heard yet, Forest Creek in Parrish, a Neal Communities subdivision now has REAL affordable housing available!

Single family cottage style 2 bedroom single story homes are starting in the low 120's.  Two story cottage style homes are starting in the 150's!  THIS IS FANTASTIC NEWS!!

Forest Creek is a beautiful gated community located off of Hwy 301 in Parrish.

I will be getting more info on these new houses including prices, floor plans and such and will be posting more info in the next day or two!  So be sure to check back!!

If you're interested in touring this community, please feel free to contact me.  Don't forget that it costs you NOTHING to use your own agent so that you're fully represented when you do decide to purchase!  Our commission is paid for by the builder and is already included in the price of the home!  It just makes sense to have your own agent!

Here's a quick video I found on Bay News 9 about this fabulous news!

Below are the stats for properties that SOLD and closed in January for Manatee County:

Jan 2007
# of single family homes SOLD = 135
Avg SOLD price for SFR = $345,304
Median price for SFR = $279,000

# of condos SOLD = 35
Avg SOLD price for condos = $319,034
Median price for condos = $218,000

Jan 2008
# of single family homes SOLD = 149
Avg SOLD price for SFR = $314,903
Median price for SFR = $245,000

# of condos SOLD = 33
Avg SOLD price for condos = $282,539
Median price for condos = $192,000

As of today, there are:  4,237 SFR Active on the market and 2,036 Condos Active on the market for sale.

To check previous months stats, click here.

*Information is deemed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed.

Yesterday I visited the South Florida Museum in Bradenton.  This was the first time I had ever been there.  I can't believe I've missed out on such an interesting place for so long!  I've driven by it hundreds of times, yet never stopped in to check it out!

I was quite surprised at how big it really is.  There are actually 3 sections.  The South Florida Museum, the Bishop Planetarium and the Parker Aquarium.  All 3 are connected and you get to visit all of them when you pay the admission.

There was a lot to see there and I found it pretty interesting!  They had a mastodon display, fossils, archaic murals and artifacts, medical gallery, Model T Ford, an old boat building shop, a pioneer cabin from the 1880's, old war uniforms and artifacts, a Spanish home, Spanish chapel, fountain and statue of Hernando DeSoto, discovery place for kids, the new state of the art planetarium and of course the aquarium where snooty the manatee and 3 others are at.

We were able to catch one of the shows at the Planetarium while we were there.  We watched a fascinating show about black holes.  At some points in the show, it felt almost like 3-D and you were right there in the sky or floating along the streets.  It was pretty cool!  I wish we could have saw a couple of the other ones, but we missed them!

We also got to see the manatees being fed and learned a little bit more about them.  Snooty is currently the oldest living manatee in captivity.  He is 59!  The other 3 manatees are only there for a short period, and then they will be released back out into the wild.

The South Florida Museum
201 10th Street West
Bradenton, Florida 34205

941-746-4131

January through April and the month of July: Open 7 days a week.
Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sundays from 12 noon to 5 p.m.

All other months: Open 6 days a week.
Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sundays from 12 noon to 5 p.m.

Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day & New Year's Day.
The Museum is closed for annual maintenance the last two weeks in August, re-opening the first day after Labor Day.

Admission is as follows:

• Adults:  $15.95
• Seniors (60+):  $13.95
• Children (4-12):  $11.95
• Children (under 4):  Free

It's well worth the money I think.  Once you pay, you can stay there all day if you want.  They will let you leave and come back later too as long as you leave your sticker on they give you.  So if the kids get hungry, you can go have lunch and still come back to see the rest!

On Saturday March 1 from 10am-9pm, they are celebrating heritage days.  Explore Florida's rich history while commingling with historic figures, observing rare artifacts and reenacting activities of yesteryear. There will be snacks, games and engaging activities for everyone to enjoy.

Enjoy a screening of Fantasia on the big screen in the planetarium at 4:15. Learn about Florida's past, present, and future through engaging activities for the whole family. Explore John James Audubon: Birds of Florida in the East Gallery. Live Star Talk with Jeff Rodgers at 7:00, Infinity Express at 7:30, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at 8:00. Admission is half price after 4pm. Members are always free. Food is available for a nominal price.

Here are some of the photos that I took and a couple short video clips of the manatees!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Don't miss out on this year's Cortez Fishing Festival!  It starts today at 10am.

The festival offers food, fresh seafood, vendors with arts and crafts, live music, plenty of activities for children including a marine life touch tank.

Admission is $2 and children under 12 are FREE!

For the first time this year, festival visitors will be able to tour the newly opened Florida Gulf Coast Maritime Museum at Cortez, located in the Historic 1912 Schoolhouse on 119th Street West.

Admission to the festival, located on the south side of Cortez Road at 123rd Street West, just east of the Cortez Bridge.

Off-site parking will be available at Sugg Middle School, 3801 59th St. W., and Cortez Beach, on the southern tip of Anna Maria Island. Shuttle bus service to the festival costs $2 for a round trip.

For more information, visit the festival website.

On March 2nd, proceeds from a fishing tournament at Lake Kissimmee will benefit her family. For more information, call Joe Pepper at (813) 326-7565.

Lexi is still in the hospital and due to come home within the week.  A hospital bed was donated to them on Friday from Shriners Children's Hospital in Tampa.

A reflexologist has also been working with Lexi since late January when he heard about her story.  He seems to be working miracles with his hands. 

With the use of lotion, his hands, and pressure points on the feet, he is changing lives.

He calls it Neuro Synthetic Conduction Therapy. His way of explaining it is much easier to take in, "The nerves are almost like a lighter, consistently flicking a lighter until it turns on."

Lexi Antorino is one of his miracles.

She is the 2-year-old little girl who went into a coma after a swingset fell on her, crushing her skull December 9, 2007. She has never woken up. Until now. "She grabbed my finger," Ken said. "She reached out and grabbed my finger. She turns and looks at you and smiles." His treatment seems to be working.

Ken has been working with her everyday to help her wake up.  He has already helped more than 3,000 people.  People who are quadriplegics, those in comas, and patients who were told they'd never wake up or walk. Ken is changing their lives.

By the way....Ken is blind!

For more information, feel free to contact Ken at Ken's Neuro Synthetic Conduction Therapy at 727-204-2905.

For more related posts about Lexi, please click here.

Go to MySafeFloridaHome.com and apply to see if you qualify for a free wind inspection on your home.  The website states the following:

To help Floridians identify how they can strengthen their homes against hurricanes and to reduce hurricane damage exposure in our state, the My Safe Florida Home program is offering free wind inspections by qualified hurricane mitigation inspectors to eligible homeowners.  

This is not an entitlement program. You must apply and obtain approval in order to receive the free inspection. Requesting or obtaining an inspection does not guarantee or automatically qualify you for a grant. Floridians whose homes have undergone wind certification and hurricane mitigation inspections approved by the Department of Financial Services may be eligible to apply for matching grants up to $5,000.

Simply click here to view the application and see if you qualify.

Also, if you do not qualify for the free wind inspection, you may still pay the $150 fee yourself to still get an inspection.  Simply contact one of the firms directly.

From what I can tell, it is absolutely FREE to submit an application....so GO DO IT!!

I received an email from a gentleman named Nelson last night regarding 2 year old Lexi Antorino and a post I wrote about her back in December.  The email was as follows.

Becky,

God Bless you for putting that info online. I have been talking with Sarah, Lexi's mother, and I have put together a website: http://www.prayforlexi.com/index.html

Please help me in promoting this site so that we can reach more people who are willing to help as I did by donating my time and services to this website.

Thanks and God Bless
Pray for Lexi

Nelson

I went to go check out the website.  It is beautifully done.  There are many pictures and videos of little Lexi and there is the story of what happened to her on that tragic day back in December when a swing-set she was playing on collapsed and crashed down on her and sent her into a coma where she has remained since that day.

The photo to the right is from the Pray For Lexi website and was taken while she was in All Children's Hospital in St. Pete.  "In the hospital, Lexi looks like a sleeping angel nestled in her favorite pink blanket. A bandage wraps her forehead to cover her near fatal wound."

I was saddened to learn that the family does NOT have medical insurance.  The way I understood it, is that Medicaid has paid for her to be in the hospital, but will not pay for Lexi's home health care and all of the equipment she needs at home in order to remain alive!!  That's only the beginning though.  The engine in their car blew up and now they have no vehicle.  But there is more.....Lexi's mom Sarah is pregnant and due to give birth to their baby boy any day now.  This family desperately needs your help and prayers.  I am asking you that if there is anything you are able to do for them, please help them.

This is a local family that needs the help of our community.  Lexi and her family live in Palmetto.  Lexi was critically injured at the park located in Palmetto Point.  If you are able to donate money, a family size car, your time, your services....anything at all...please help them.  They are also asking for us to help promote Lexi's website.  Please pass along the website information to as many people as possible.  The more people that know about it, the more people will be praying for little Lexi and also helping out this family that needs us.  Please visit the website to learn how you can donate to help Lexi and her family.

Please continue to pray for Lexi as well.  She still remains in a coma, but is now moving around when she is talked to or touched.

For more related posts about Lexi, please click here.

Here are some tips on how to "go green" and help the earth just a little bit more.  Every little bit counts and anything you can do to help will help in the long run.  Of course, the more you do, the better for everyone. 

Please consider doing some of the following things.

1. Install low-flow shower-heads
2. Purchase only compact fluorescent light-bulbs (CFL's)
3. Walk or ride a bike instead of driving a car.  If you have to drive, try taking the bus or carpool.
4. Instead of purchasing new books, go to your local library and check out books and movies there.
5. Buy from Farmers Markets instead of purchasing fruits and vegetables in grocery stores
6. Install an energy saving thermostat in your home and set the thermostat a couple degrees warmer in the summer and a couple degrees cooler in the winter.
7. Recycle your newspapers, plastic and glass
8. Use a rain barrel to catch water to water your flower gardens with
9. Install ultra-low flow toilets
10. Fix any leaky or dripping faucets immediately
11. Make your own compost from yard waste and food scraps
12. Purchase energy efficient appliances
13. Install a water filter to filter tap water rather than buying bottled water
14. Purchase cloth bags and reuse them at grocery stores instead of using their paper or plastic bags
15. Use recycled paper
16. Turn the water off while brushing your teeth
17. Unplug electronic items when not in use
18. Buy rechargeable batteries
19. Recycle your old cell phones
20. Read newspapers and magazines online instead of having them delivered to your home
21. Use solar powered lighting outside
22. Install solar panels
23. Buy organic foods

We are slowly killing our planet.  Please do your part to put a stop to it!

It's that time of year again!  In case you hadn't noticed, the Geckos are once again invading Bradenton.  These aren't the small little creatures you normally see either.  These are large 6 foot long geckos that are being spotted all over downtown Bradenton on the sides of buildings!  These brightly colored hand painted creatures are a sight to see!  The really are works of art.

The Bradenton GeckoFest first debuted in 2006 as a fundraiser for the Village of the Arts, creating an important bridge between the business and arts communities -- a brilliant pairing. Schools and social groups got involved, and funds were raised to augment the County's shrinking art education budgets. City residents and tourists alike were treated to these family-friendly colorful six-foot geckos crawling up and down sides of buildings throughout Downtown Bradenton.

You can visit the BradentonGeckoFest website to see pictures of all of them and a trail map to all of their locations.  Trail maps will also be available at ArtCenter Manatee, the Arts Council of Manatee, at most galleries in the Village of the Arts, and at the South Florida Museum.

The geckos will remain up until mid-March, when they will all be taken down and sent to the Bradenton Auditorium and auctioned off to the highest bidder.  If you're interested in attending the auction, sign up early.  Last year they sold out!

Here are a few that I was able to get pictures of yesterday.

*Copyright © 2008 Becky Troutt.  All rights reserved.