Governor Crist Announces Partnership to Improve Air Travel
~New public-private partnership to increase air traffic capacity, while boosting environmental and economic benefits~
MIAMI – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today unveiled a new non-profit, public-private partnership during the closing ceremonies of the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on
Global Climate Change, aimed at improving air travel with increased environmental and economic benefits. Governor Crist was joined by Assistant FAA Administrator Lynn Tierney, who commended his extraordinary efforts to promote awareness of environmental solutions and willingness to help craft strategies to bring increased safety, efficiency and climate consciousness to Aviation, and by Bob Pearce, deputy
director of the Joint Planning and Development Office, and ASAT co-founder Traver Gruen-Kennedy.
The Alliance for Sustainable Air Transportation (ASAT), based in Massachusetts, is a diverse group of federal, state, regional and local government entities, industry organizations, associations and academic institutions that share a vision for accelerated implementation of a sustainable air transportation
system.
"I'm proud that the State of Florida, which has contributed so much to aerospace and aviation over the years, continues to be a leader in innovation, and serves as the launching pad for ASAT," said Governor Crist. "It is fitting that we are unveiling this partnership at our global climate change summit. The adoption of 'green aviation' will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and benefit people around the world while also stimulating investment in our economy and in the development of another green industry here in our state.”
ASAT seeks to further environmentally sound and economically viable air transportation by working with the FAA and its other partners to help accelerate implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). NextGen will transform the air transportation system by leveraging new technologies, such as satellite-based navigation, surveillance, and networking, as well as use of more efficient aircraft and
under-utilized airspace, to help meet future demands and avoid gridlock in the sky and in the nation’s airports.
A key element of NextGen is environmental protection that contributes to sustained aviation growth, by focusing on issues of noise, air and water quality, global climate, and energy. ASAT's strategy is to support the implementation of NextGen regionally, locally, and in stages, through prototypes that favor the greatest benefits in the shortest time. According to the Government Accounting Office (GAO), NextGen may reduce carbon emissions in aviation by up to 12 percent, while lowering fuel consumption and delays for passengers.
"Air transportation is a key ingredient in global business activity. If we want to drive economic development through aviation in the United States and around the world, our success must come through taking care of the health of our planet, and we must act quickly," said ASAT co-founder Traver Gruen- Kennedy. "With 80 percent of U.S. air traffic concentrated at only 35 airports, and with 740 million gallons of jet fuel wasted in 2007 due to flight delays, our need is now. ASAT's work will assist the implementation of NextGen operating efficiencies and environmental benefits for the good of travelers, employees, partners, shareholders and our communities at large."
NextGen is a complex, nationwide plan that may accommodate two to three times the current air traffic levels by shifting from ground-based air traffic management to satellitebased, cockpit-enabled operations. ASAT will achieve its goals for NextGen by facilitating the creation of additional state, regional and local prototype solutions, which will generate early successes that can be built upon and developed into a replicable blueprint that will support nationwide implementation.
About ASAT
The Alliance for Sustainable Air Transportation (ASAT) is a non-profit public-private partnership – a broad coalition of leaders who share a vision for accelerated implementation of a sustainable air transportation system. ASAT is a diverse group of federal, state, regional and local government entities, industry organizations, associations and academic institutions.
Current partners include: ACS International LLC; DayJet; Destiny, Florida – The Pugliese Company; Embry Riddle Aeronautical University; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Harris Corporation; JetSuite; Mineta Transportation Institute/SJSU; New Mexico State University; Selex Sistemi Integrati, Inc.; SERCO; South Carolina Department of Commerce/Aeronautics Division; State of Florida; Unisys; and University of Central Florida. ASAT is a public-private partnership open to all who share the vision and are willing to
contribute to its success.
Our mission is to realize the early economic and environmental benefits of sustainable air transportation -- for everyone in the air and on the ground -- by helping to drive the transition to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). We will accomplish this mission by educating stakeholders, defining
metrics, developing a blueprint for implementation, and facilitating the development of prototypes. For more information on ASAT, call +1 (781) 876-8944 or visit www.sustainableair.org.
About the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change
The launch of ASAT marks the culmination of the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate this week, June 25-26, 2008, at the Intercontinental Miami. Building on the foundation for Florida’s energy future that began at last year’s summit, the 2008 summit focuses on stimulating economic development in clean technologies as well as “greening” Florida’s business community.
The 2008 summit brings together industry leaders, international policy makers, academics, scientists,
environmentalists and the business community to explore opportunities for expanding Florida’s renewable and alternative energy marketplace and greening our business community. By encouraging companies to invest in our state’s energy future, Florida will transform its energy marketplace to enhance fuel diversity, lessen dependence on foreign sources of oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
---- For more information please visit www.destinyflorida.com
CONTACT
Governor’s Press Office, (850) 488-5394
Ruth Cassidy, Virtual Inc., (781) 876-6239,
rcassidy@virtualmgmt.com
Showing posts with label Press Release. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Press Release. Show all posts
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Governor Crist Announces Partnership to Improve Air Travel
Governor Crist Announces Partnership to Improve Air Travel
~New public-private partnership to increase air traffic capacity, while boosting environmental and economic benefits~
MIAMI – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today unveiled a new non-profit, public-private partnership during the closing ceremonies of the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on
Global Climate Change, aimed at improving air travel with increased environmental and economic benefits. Governor Crist was joined by Assistant FAA Administrator Lynn Tierney, who commended his extraordinary efforts to promote awareness of environmental solutions and willingness to help craft strategies to bring increased safety, efficiency and climate consciousness to Aviation, and by Bob Pearce, deputy
director of the Joint Planning and Development Office, and ASAT co-founder Traver Gruen-Kennedy.
The Alliance for Sustainable Air Transportation (ASAT), based in Massachusetts, is a diverse group of federal, state, regional and local government entities, industry organizations, associations and academic institutions that share a vision for accelerated implementation of a sustainable air transportation
system.
"I'm proud that the State of Florida, which has contributed so much to aerospace and aviation over the years, continues to be a leader in innovation, and serves as the launching pad for ASAT," said Governor Crist. "It is fitting that we are unveiling this partnership at our global climate change summit. The adoption of 'green aviation' will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and benefit people around the world while also stimulating investment in our economy and in the development of another green industry here in our state.”
ASAT seeks to further environmentally sound and economically viable air transportation by working with the FAA and its other partners to help accelerate implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). NextGen will transform the air transportation system by leveraging new technologies, such as satellite-based navigation, surveillance, and networking, as well as use of more efficient aircraft and
under-utilized airspace, to help meet future demands and avoid gridlock in the sky and in the nation’s airports.
A key element of NextGen is environmental protection that contributes to sustained aviation growth, by focusing on issues of noise, air and water quality, global climate, and energy. ASAT's strategy is to support the implementation of NextGen regionally, locally, and in stages, through prototypes that favor the greatest benefits in the shortest time. According to the Government Accounting Office (GAO), NextGen may reduce carbon emissions in aviation by up to 12 percent, while lowering fuel consumption and delays for passengers.
"Air transportation is a key ingredient in global business activity. If we want to drive economic development through aviation in the United States and around the world, our success must come through taking care of the health of our planet, and we must act quickly," said ASAT co-founder Traver Gruen- Kennedy. "With 80 percent of U.S. air traffic concentrated at only 35 airports, and with 740 million gallons of jet fuel wasted in 2007 due to flight delays, our need is now. ASAT's work will assist the implementation of NextGen operating efficiencies and environmental benefits for the good of travelers, employees, partners, shareholders and our communities at large."
NextGen is a complex, nationwide plan that may accommodate two to three times the current air traffic levels by shifting from ground-based air traffic management to satellitebased, cockpit-enabled operations. ASAT will achieve its goals for NextGen by facilitating the creation of additional state, regional and local prototype solutions, which will generate early successes that can be built upon and developed into a replicable blueprint that will support nationwide implementation.
About ASAT
The Alliance for Sustainable Air Transportation (ASAT) is a non-profit public-private partnership – a broad coalition of leaders who share a vision for accelerated implementation of a sustainable air transportation system. ASAT is a diverse group of federal, state, regional and local government entities, industry organizations, associations and academic institutions.
Current partners include: ACS International LLC; DayJet; Destiny, Florida – The Pugliese Company; Embry Riddle Aeronautical University; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Harris Corporation; JetSuite; Mineta Transportation Institute/SJSU; New Mexico State University; Selex Sistemi Integrati, Inc.; SERCO; South Carolina Department of Commerce/Aeronautics Division; State of Florida; Unisys; and University of Central Florida. ASAT is a public-private partnership open to all who share the vision and are willing to
contribute to its success.
Our mission is to realize the early economic and environmental benefits of sustainable air transportation -- for everyone in the air and on the ground -- by helping to drive the transition to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). We will accomplish this mission by educating stakeholders, defining
metrics, developing a blueprint for implementation, and facilitating the development of prototypes. For more information on ASAT, call +1 (781) 876-8944 or visit www.sustainableair.org.
About the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change
The launch of ASAT marks the culmination of the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate this week, June 25-26, 2008, at the Intercontinental Miami. Building on the foundation for Florida’s energy future that began at last year’s summit, the 2008 summit focuses on stimulating economic development in clean technologies as well as “greening” Florida’s business community.
The 2008 summit brings together industry leaders, international policy makers, academics, scientists,
environmentalists and the business community to explore opportunities for expanding Florida’s renewable and alternative energy marketplace and greening our business community. By encouraging companies to invest in our state’s energy future, Florida will transform its energy marketplace to enhance fuel diversity, lessen dependence on foreign sources of oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
---- For more information please visit www.destinyflorida.com
CONTACT
Governor’s Press Office, (850) 488-5394
Ruth Cassidy, Virtual Inc., (781) 876-6239,
rcassidy@virtualmgmt.com
~New public-private partnership to increase air traffic capacity, while boosting environmental and economic benefits~
MIAMI – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today unveiled a new non-profit, public-private partnership during the closing ceremonies of the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on
Global Climate Change, aimed at improving air travel with increased environmental and economic benefits. Governor Crist was joined by Assistant FAA Administrator Lynn Tierney, who commended his extraordinary efforts to promote awareness of environmental solutions and willingness to help craft strategies to bring increased safety, efficiency and climate consciousness to Aviation, and by Bob Pearce, deputy
director of the Joint Planning and Development Office, and ASAT co-founder Traver Gruen-Kennedy.
The Alliance for Sustainable Air Transportation (ASAT), based in Massachusetts, is a diverse group of federal, state, regional and local government entities, industry organizations, associations and academic institutions that share a vision for accelerated implementation of a sustainable air transportation
system.
"I'm proud that the State of Florida, which has contributed so much to aerospace and aviation over the years, continues to be a leader in innovation, and serves as the launching pad for ASAT," said Governor Crist. "It is fitting that we are unveiling this partnership at our global climate change summit. The adoption of 'green aviation' will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and benefit people around the world while also stimulating investment in our economy and in the development of another green industry here in our state.”
ASAT seeks to further environmentally sound and economically viable air transportation by working with the FAA and its other partners to help accelerate implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). NextGen will transform the air transportation system by leveraging new technologies, such as satellite-based navigation, surveillance, and networking, as well as use of more efficient aircraft and
under-utilized airspace, to help meet future demands and avoid gridlock in the sky and in the nation’s airports.
A key element of NextGen is environmental protection that contributes to sustained aviation growth, by focusing on issues of noise, air and water quality, global climate, and energy. ASAT's strategy is to support the implementation of NextGen regionally, locally, and in stages, through prototypes that favor the greatest benefits in the shortest time. According to the Government Accounting Office (GAO), NextGen may reduce carbon emissions in aviation by up to 12 percent, while lowering fuel consumption and delays for passengers.
"Air transportation is a key ingredient in global business activity. If we want to drive economic development through aviation in the United States and around the world, our success must come through taking care of the health of our planet, and we must act quickly," said ASAT co-founder Traver Gruen- Kennedy. "With 80 percent of U.S. air traffic concentrated at only 35 airports, and with 740 million gallons of jet fuel wasted in 2007 due to flight delays, our need is now. ASAT's work will assist the implementation of NextGen operating efficiencies and environmental benefits for the good of travelers, employees, partners, shareholders and our communities at large."
NextGen is a complex, nationwide plan that may accommodate two to three times the current air traffic levels by shifting from ground-based air traffic management to satellitebased, cockpit-enabled operations. ASAT will achieve its goals for NextGen by facilitating the creation of additional state, regional and local prototype solutions, which will generate early successes that can be built upon and developed into a replicable blueprint that will support nationwide implementation.
About ASAT
The Alliance for Sustainable Air Transportation (ASAT) is a non-profit public-private partnership – a broad coalition of leaders who share a vision for accelerated implementation of a sustainable air transportation system. ASAT is a diverse group of federal, state, regional and local government entities, industry organizations, associations and academic institutions.
Current partners include: ACS International LLC; DayJet; Destiny, Florida – The Pugliese Company; Embry Riddle Aeronautical University; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Harris Corporation; JetSuite; Mineta Transportation Institute/SJSU; New Mexico State University; Selex Sistemi Integrati, Inc.; SERCO; South Carolina Department of Commerce/Aeronautics Division; State of Florida; Unisys; and University of Central Florida. ASAT is a public-private partnership open to all who share the vision and are willing to
contribute to its success.
Our mission is to realize the early economic and environmental benefits of sustainable air transportation -- for everyone in the air and on the ground -- by helping to drive the transition to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). We will accomplish this mission by educating stakeholders, defining
metrics, developing a blueprint for implementation, and facilitating the development of prototypes. For more information on ASAT, call +1 (781) 876-8944 or visit www.sustainableair.org.
About the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change
The launch of ASAT marks the culmination of the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate this week, June 25-26, 2008, at the Intercontinental Miami. Building on the foundation for Florida’s energy future that began at last year’s summit, the 2008 summit focuses on stimulating economic development in clean technologies as well as “greening” Florida’s business community.
The 2008 summit brings together industry leaders, international policy makers, academics, scientists,
environmentalists and the business community to explore opportunities for expanding Florida’s renewable and alternative energy marketplace and greening our business community. By encouraging companies to invest in our state’s energy future, Florida will transform its energy marketplace to enhance fuel diversity, lessen dependence on foreign sources of oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
---- For more information please visit www.destinyflorida.com
CONTACT
Governor’s Press Office, (850) 488-5394
Ruth Cassidy, Virtual Inc., (781) 876-6239,
rcassidy@virtualmgmt.com
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Governor Crist Announces Partnership to Improve Air Travel
~New public-private partnership to increase air traffic capacity, while boosting environmental and economic benefits~
MIAMI – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today unveiled a new non-profit, public-private partnership during the closingceremonies of the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on
Global Climate Change, aimed at improving air travel with increased environmental and economic benefits. Governor Crist was joined by Assistant FAA Administrator Lynn Tierney, who commended his extraordinary efforts to promote awareness of environmental solutions and willingness to help craft strategies to bring increased safety, efficiency and climate consciousness to Aviation, and by Bob Pearce, deputy director of the Joint Planning and Development Office, and ASAT co-founder Traver Gruen-Kennedy. The Alliance for Sustainable Air Transportation (ASAT), based in Massachusetts, is a diverse group of federal, state, regional and local government entities, industry organizations, associations and academic institutions that share a vision for accelerated implementation of a sustainable air transportation system.
"I'm proud that the State of Florida, which has contributed so much to aerospace and aviation over the years, continues to be a leader in innovation, and serves as the launching pad for ASAT," said Governor Crist. "It is fitting that we are unveiling this partnership at our global climate change summit. The adoption of 'green aviation' will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and benefit people around the world while also stimulating investment in our economy and in the development of another green industry here in our state.”
ASAT seeks to further environmentally sound and economically viable air transportation by working with the FAA and its other partners to help accelerate implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). NextGen will transform the air transportation system by leveraging new technologies, such as satellite-based navigation, surveillance, and networking, as well as use of more efficient aircraft and under-utilized airspace, to help meet future demands and avoid gridlock in the sky and in the nation’s airports. A key element of NextGen is environmental protection that contributes to sustained aviation growth, by focusing on issues of noise, air and water quality, global climate, and energy. ASAT's strategy is to support the implementation of NextGen
regionally, locally, and in stages, through prototypes that favor the greatest benefits in the shortest time. According to the Government Accounting Office (GAO), NextGen may reduce
carbon emissions in aviation by up to 12 percent, while lowering fuel consumption and delays for passengers. "Air transportation is a key ingredient in global business activity. If we want to drive economic development through aviation in the United States and around the world, our success must come through taking care of the health of our planet, and we must act quickly," said ASAT co-founder Traver Gruen- Kennedy. "With 80 percent of U.S. air traffic concentrated at only 35 airports, and with 740 million gallons of jet fuel wasted in 2007 due to flight delays, our need is now. ASAT's work will assist the implementation of NextGen operating efficiencies and environmental benefits for the good of travelers, employees, partners, shareholders and our communities at large."
NextGen is a complex, nationwide plan that may accommodate two to three times the current air traffic levels by shifting from ground-based air traffic management to satellitebased, cockpit-enabled operations. ASAT will achieve its goals for NextGen by facilitating the creation of additional state, regional and local prototype solutions, which will generate early successes that can be built upon and developed into a replicable blueprint that will support nationwide implementation.
About ASAT
The Alliance for Sustainable Air Transportation (ASAT) is a non-profit public-private partnership – a broad coalition of leaders who share a vision for accelerated implementation of a sustainable air transportation system. ASAT is a diverse group of federal, state, regional and local government entities, industry organizations, associations and academic institutions. Current partners include: ACS International LLC; DayJet; Destiny, Florida – The Pugliese Company; Embry Riddle Aeronautical University; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Harris Corporation; JetSuite; Mineta Transportation Institute/SJSU; New Mexico State University; Selex Sistemi Integrati, Inc.; SERCO; South Carolina Department of Commerce/Aeronautics Division; State of Florida; Unisys; and University of Central Florida. ASAT is a public-private partnership open to all who share the vision and are willing to contribute to its success.
Our mission is to realize the early economic and environmental benefits of sustainable air transportation -- for everyone in the air and on the ground -- by helping to drive the transition to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). We will
accomplish this mission by educating stakeholders, defining metrics, developing a blueprint for implementation, and facilitating the development of prototypes. For more information on ASAT, call +1 (781) 876-8944 or visit www.sustainableair.org.
About the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change
The launch of ASAT marks the culmination of the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate this week, June 25-26, 2008, at the Intercontinental Miami. Building on the foundation for Florida’s energy future that began at last year’s summit, the 2008 summit focuses on stimulating economic development in clean technologies as well as “greening” Florida’s business community.
The 2008 summit brings together industry leaders, international policy makers, academics, scientists, environmentalists and the business community to explore opportunities for expanding Florida’s renewable and alternative energy marketplace and greening our business
community. By encouraging companies to invest in our state’s energy future, Florida will transform its energy marketplace to enhance fuel diversity, lessen dependence on foreign sources of oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This year’s summit furthers the policy framework established during the 2007 summit. On July 13, 2007, Governor Charlie Crist signed a suite of executive orders to reduce Florida’s greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency, and remove market barriers for renewable energy technologies such as solar and wind energy. Since the executive orders were signed, Florida has stepped onto the world stage as a major marketplace for advanced energy technologies.
For more information on the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change, visit
Editors' Note: to obtain photos of the ASAT press conference, please send an email message to
MIAMI – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today unveiled a new non-profit, public-private partnership during the closingceremonies of the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on
Global Climate Change, aimed at improving air travel with increased environmental and economic benefits. Governor Crist was joined by Assistant FAA Administrator Lynn Tierney, who commended his extraordinary efforts to promote awareness of environmental solutions and willingness to help craft strategies to bring increased safety, efficiency and climate consciousness to Aviation, and by Bob Pearce, deputy director of the Joint Planning and Development Office, and ASAT co-founder Traver Gruen-Kennedy. The Alliance for Sustainable Air Transportation (ASAT), based in Massachusetts, is a diverse group of federal, state, regional and local government entities, industry organizations, associations and academic institutions that share a vision for accelerated implementation of a sustainable air transportation system.
"I'm proud that the State of Florida, which has contributed so much to aerospace and aviation over the years, continues to be a leader in innovation, and serves as the launching pad for ASAT," said Governor Crist. "It is fitting that we are unveiling this partnership at our global climate change summit. The adoption of 'green aviation' will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and benefit people around the world while also stimulating investment in our economy and in the development of another green industry here in our state.”
ASAT seeks to further environmentally sound and economically viable air transportation by working with the FAA and its other partners to help accelerate implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). NextGen will transform the air transportation system by leveraging new technologies, such as satellite-based navigation, surveillance, and networking, as well as use of more efficient aircraft and under-utilized airspace, to help meet future demands and avoid gridlock in the sky and in the nation’s airports. A key element of NextGen is environmental protection that contributes to sustained aviation growth, by focusing on issues of noise, air and water quality, global climate, and energy. ASAT's strategy is to support the implementation of NextGen
regionally, locally, and in stages, through prototypes that favor the greatest benefits in the shortest time. According to the Government Accounting Office (GAO), NextGen may reduce
carbon emissions in aviation by up to 12 percent, while lowering fuel consumption and delays for passengers. "Air transportation is a key ingredient in global business activity. If we want to drive economic development through aviation in the United States and around the world, our success must come through taking care of the health of our planet, and we must act quickly," said ASAT co-founder Traver Gruen- Kennedy. "With 80 percent of U.S. air traffic concentrated at only 35 airports, and with 740 million gallons of jet fuel wasted in 2007 due to flight delays, our need is now. ASAT's work will assist the implementation of NextGen operating efficiencies and environmental benefits for the good of travelers, employees, partners, shareholders and our communities at large."
NextGen is a complex, nationwide plan that may accommodate two to three times the current air traffic levels by shifting from ground-based air traffic management to satellitebased, cockpit-enabled operations. ASAT will achieve its goals for NextGen by facilitating the creation of additional state, regional and local prototype solutions, which will generate early successes that can be built upon and developed into a replicable blueprint that will support nationwide implementation.
About ASAT
The Alliance for Sustainable Air Transportation (ASAT) is a non-profit public-private partnership – a broad coalition of leaders who share a vision for accelerated implementation of a sustainable air transportation system. ASAT is a diverse group of federal, state, regional and local government entities, industry organizations, associations and academic institutions. Current partners include: ACS International LLC; DayJet; Destiny, Florida – The Pugliese Company; Embry Riddle Aeronautical University; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Harris Corporation; JetSuite; Mineta Transportation Institute/SJSU; New Mexico State University; Selex Sistemi Integrati, Inc.; SERCO; South Carolina Department of Commerce/Aeronautics Division; State of Florida; Unisys; and University of Central Florida. ASAT is a public-private partnership open to all who share the vision and are willing to contribute to its success.
Our mission is to realize the early economic and environmental benefits of sustainable air transportation -- for everyone in the air and on the ground -- by helping to drive the transition to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). We will
accomplish this mission by educating stakeholders, defining metrics, developing a blueprint for implementation, and facilitating the development of prototypes. For more information on ASAT, call +1 (781) 876-8944 or visit www.sustainableair.org.
About the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change
The launch of ASAT marks the culmination of the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate this week, June 25-26, 2008, at the Intercontinental Miami. Building on the foundation for Florida’s energy future that began at last year’s summit, the 2008 summit focuses on stimulating economic development in clean technologies as well as “greening” Florida’s business community.
The 2008 summit brings together industry leaders, international policy makers, academics, scientists, environmentalists and the business community to explore opportunities for expanding Florida’s renewable and alternative energy marketplace and greening our business
community. By encouraging companies to invest in our state’s energy future, Florida will transform its energy marketplace to enhance fuel diversity, lessen dependence on foreign sources of oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This year’s summit furthers the policy framework established during the 2007 summit. On July 13, 2007, Governor Charlie Crist signed a suite of executive orders to reduce Florida’s greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency, and remove market barriers for renewable energy technologies such as solar and wind energy. Since the executive orders were signed, Florida has stepped onto the world stage as a major marketplace for advanced energy technologies.
For more information on the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change, visit
www.myfloridaclimate.comor
www.myflorida.com.
Editors' Note: to obtain photos of the ASAT press conference, please send an email message to
kquintiliani@virtualmgmt.com.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Renaissance Man
Renaissance Man
Anthony V. Pugliese III is larger than life. And it’s not a matter of stature. It’s solely due to his accomplishments, sweeping visions and artistic appreciation.
To know Pugliese is to know that feet and inches don’t matter – personality and intelligence do this down-to-earth family man - and accomplished business tycoon - acts on his creative impulses yet knows how to navigate the business world like a modern day Magellan.
What makes him especially unique in the business world, however, are his priorities.
“The most important things in life are family, loyalty and your word. Those things are more important than anything else – money never comes first.”
The other trait that makes him a rarity in the business world is his innate creative ability. As an art student at Arts High School in Newark, New Jersey, he studied mechanical drawing, painting and design. But instead of heading off to college Pugliese did what came naturally - he went into the pool business with his father, Anthony V. Pugliese Jr.
“In the winter you couldn’t build pools so we started rehabbing vacant buildings in Northern New Jersey and Newark. Then we started buying industrial parks and office buildings,” said the father of four.
It wasn’t long before Pugliese’s business skills and boundlessness led him to South Florida. He invested in buildings in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and the Florida Keys. Pugliese also found a venue that married his creative right brain with his analytical left brain. And the results were pretty spectacular.
“We designed a 135,000 square foot building in Boca Raton that won the 1986 National Association of Office & Industrial Parks Award. We also won an award for best brochure design for an office building,” he said (he uses the collective we quite often as a way of inclusiveness).
The Crystal Corporate Center on Military Trail may have garnered Pugliese accolades from his peers, but it’s his philosophy and pledge of honor that continues to garner him humble followers and co-workers. “I’ve never met a person who’s more brilliant in all ways and walks of life. He’s a handshake kind of guy, his word is his honor,” said Mel Urban, of CSS Building and Design, Inc.
If you talk to anyone who knows Pugliese, you will hear the same adjectives – wonderful, intelligent, funny, creative, productive, fair, honest, humble, caring and a good friend. There’s also a sense of awe at his worldly accomplishments
He has amassed millions of square feet of retail, industrial and commercial properties, holds patents in IP video technology, electronic ticketing and automated self-storage. And Pugliese’s latest acquisition (or real estate prodigy) is a project known as Destiny. This lush 41,300 acreage of land in Central Florida (that is three times the size of Manhattan) is being heralded as the first eco-sustainable community. The Destiny motto is to conserve, recycle and preserve - and its ambitiousness and credo seem to be borrowed from the Al Gore playbook.
“We are going to change the way people live at Destiny, they will be able to embrace a green lifestyle,” said the proud papa of this gargantuan project that will house 250,000 people. The Destiny brochure reads “Land is our past, our present and our future.” And according to Pugliese, sprawling congestion is not what he is after, but something greater in scope. “It is our vision to insure a major pristine piece of old Florida is saved through the thoughtful preservation of tens of thousands of acres of land that we named Destiny.”
But that’s not the only thing he does with his time. Pugliese collects rare slices of popular culture that are true testaments of time and space. He owned Marlon Brando’s fedora from the movie, “The Godfather”, the witch hat worn in 1939 by Margaret Hamilton in “The Wizard of Oz.,” and the bowler worn by Odd Job in the movie, “The Goldfinger.” In all 800 precious pieces owned by Pugliese were recently sold at an auction in Las Vegas by Guernsey’s Auction House. The Odd Job bowler fetched $130,000 and the witch hat worn by Hamilton brought in $208,000.
According to the Pugliese Pop Culture catalogue the auction “marked Pugliese’s intention to refocus his efforts to help protect and preserve our great natural heritage by supporting the Audubon Society….and to develop Destiny, Florida’s first Eco-sustainable community.”
There are other dimensions to this multi-tasking dreamer as well. In his spare time he enjoys painting. “Some guys like to play golf, I like to paint,” he says. But one gets the idea that Pugliese’s artwork is akin to the colorful and expressive side that takes up residence in his cerebral cortex.
In the Pugliese work environment there are signs of his creative genius everywhere. Dispersed throughout the wood paneled rooms that make up the Pugliese Company headquarters are oil paintings by the boss himself. Most are hung at dizzying heights that soar above the innumerable offices occupied by loyal Pugliese employees. There are colorful paintings of zaftig women as well as pastoral nature scenes. There’s also a collage of human forms in orange, blue and green that is a metaphor for his belief that “time melts away.”
But everyone who knows Pugliese knows that time rarely melts idly away in his orbit. “Anthony is one of the few people who can negotiate a deal and each side walks away feeling like they got what they deserved. Sometimes meetings go on for a long time and Anthony’s enthusiasm, focus and sense of humor keep everyone excited about the project,” said Michael Weiner, a zoning and real estate lawyer in Delray Beach.
Maybe that’s because of the Pugliese mind set. “You should treat people as you would expect to be treated. Respect and loyalty should take precedence over money. Money should never be your God because no matter how much money you have it cannot buy you respect and loyalty.”
Pretty heady stuff coming from a man who claims he’s not religious or spiritual. But if you were to hear the Pugliese philosophy, you would know that this man of vision is religious in his own context. “Religion is knowing that God is in your heart and your mind. The image you leave behind can only be formed by the image you create while you are alive,” he said.
OK so he’s not religious, but the man with the street named after him in Pineapple Grove appears to have an artistic appreciation for others religious expressions. There’s a colorful oil painting of dancing Gopis outside his office and delicious depictions of Shiva and other deities lining the walls of this museum-like corporate milieu.
Inside his spacious, yet electrifying office is a mélange of collectables usually reserved for museums and galleries. Standing on a shelf behind his desk is the original statue of the Maltese Falcon from the 1941 John Huston film, “The Maltese Falcon” (starring Humphrey Bogart). And perched high above the adjacent wall is a massive elephant head.
But it is the bronze Perillo sculptures in his office that really tell a more vivid Pugliese story board. There’s the Buffalo Hunt, the Mighty Hunter and a few other ambitious bronze’s on pedestals throughout his office. And if a person is part and parcel of their surroundings then no one displays a better art form of consciousness than Pugliese. “Sometimes you have to be soft, sometimes you have to be rough, but you have to be able to do both. If you are soft all the time you get buried and if you’re hard all the time you are a bastard – the idea is to be fair.”
You can say that again. Pugliese is known for being fair in the same way that Gandhi was known for his peaceful continence. “Anthony’s word is his honor, you don’t need a 65,000 word contract, his word is like God,” adds Urban.
But this fearless leader of all things real estate (and beyond) has other interests as well. He owns Green Sky Industries, a recycling company that employs 127 people in New Jersey. He also owns a software company called Video Protein, run by his son Anthony V. Pugliese lV. This web-based patented software manages video cameras from anywhere in the world. “All you need is a camera, that’s why they call it, ‘plug and play,’” he said.
In his spare time (one wonders where this comes from) Pugliese comes up with story ideas and characters that are made into movies. His film production company, World Films Inc., produces movies with names like “The Butcher,” “The Last Sentinel,” and “Soft Target.” His next film, which goes into production later in the year, is a horror film called, “Grotesque.”
The man with the golden touch also has a heart to go with it. When his friends are in need of inspiration he makes up quotes to pull them out of the doldrums. Some go like this, “When life casts its darkest shadow upon you, that’s when you must find even the smallest ray of light within to guide you through the darkness.”
And what does this real estate maven do to inspire himself? Well, it seems that Pugliese holds on tight to his family ties. He can be found playing with his five grandchildren at the beach and relishing time with his glamorous (and quite intelligent) wife Laura. The rest of the Pugliese brood includes nine-year-old Roman, 35-year-old Anthony lV, 32-year-old Alvise and 31-year-old Lana.
To honor his grandson, Anthony V. Pugliese V, he is creating the Anthony V. Pugliese V Miracle League field. This playing field will be located in Miller Park off of Linton Blvd. and is being built for handicap children to play sports. The park will be finished in late 2008.
To quantify the accomplishments of the man with the Pugliese heritage (granddad was Anthony Pugliese, dad was Anthony V. Pugliese Jr.) would be like counting the pebbles at the edge of the Grand Canyon. It makes the task seems insurmountable, which leads one to wonder, is this a man that defies description, is he a mere mortal that looms larger than life (and we’re not talking feet and inches).
Perhaps, or maybe it has something to do with the fact that his father, Anthony V. Pugliese Jr. once imparted this wisdom at this feet, “You never want to burn your bridges because you never know when you might need to go back over them.”
That might be the reason that Pugliese always has a safe port in the storm – a front row seat in the boardroom of life. No matter how high he leaps or how much traction he needs Pugliese always has that steady bridge to propel him forward.
But one thing for sure, he never leaves anyone in the dust on the way there. “Anthony is the most wonderful person - he’s loving and caring and has never made an enemy,” said Urban. “I’ve been lucky to meet someone like him.”
Publicaiton: Atlantic Ave
Published Date: June 2008
---- For more information please visit www.destinyflorida.com
Anthony V. Pugliese III is larger than life. And it’s not a matter of stature. It’s solely due to his accomplishments, sweeping visions and artistic appreciation.
To know Pugliese is to know that feet and inches don’t matter – personality and intelligence do this down-to-earth family man - and accomplished business tycoon - acts on his creative impulses yet knows how to navigate the business world like a modern day Magellan.
What makes him especially unique in the business world, however, are his priorities.
“The most important things in life are family, loyalty and your word. Those things are more important than anything else – money never comes first.”
The other trait that makes him a rarity in the business world is his innate creative ability. As an art student at Arts High School in Newark, New Jersey, he studied mechanical drawing, painting and design. But instead of heading off to college Pugliese did what came naturally - he went into the pool business with his father, Anthony V. Pugliese Jr.
“In the winter you couldn’t build pools so we started rehabbing vacant buildings in Northern New Jersey and Newark. Then we started buying industrial parks and office buildings,” said the father of four.
It wasn’t long before Pugliese’s business skills and boundlessness led him to South Florida. He invested in buildings in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and the Florida Keys. Pugliese also found a venue that married his creative right brain with his analytical left brain. And the results were pretty spectacular.
“We designed a 135,000 square foot building in Boca Raton that won the 1986 National Association of Office & Industrial Parks Award. We also won an award for best brochure design for an office building,” he said (he uses the collective we quite often as a way of inclusiveness).
The Crystal Corporate Center on Military Trail may have garnered Pugliese accolades from his peers, but it’s his philosophy and pledge of honor that continues to garner him humble followers and co-workers. “I’ve never met a person who’s more brilliant in all ways and walks of life. He’s a handshake kind of guy, his word is his honor,” said Mel Urban, of CSS Building and Design, Inc.
If you talk to anyone who knows Pugliese, you will hear the same adjectives – wonderful, intelligent, funny, creative, productive, fair, honest, humble, caring and a good friend. There’s also a sense of awe at his worldly accomplishments
He has amassed millions of square feet of retail, industrial and commercial properties, holds patents in IP video technology, electronic ticketing and automated self-storage. And Pugliese’s latest acquisition (or real estate prodigy) is a project known as Destiny. This lush 41,300 acreage of land in Central Florida (that is three times the size of Manhattan) is being heralded as the first eco-sustainable community. The Destiny motto is to conserve, recycle and preserve - and its ambitiousness and credo seem to be borrowed from the Al Gore playbook.
“We are going to change the way people live at Destiny, they will be able to embrace a green lifestyle,” said the proud papa of this gargantuan project that will house 250,000 people. The Destiny brochure reads “Land is our past, our present and our future.” And according to Pugliese, sprawling congestion is not what he is after, but something greater in scope. “It is our vision to insure a major pristine piece of old Florida is saved through the thoughtful preservation of tens of thousands of acres of land that we named Destiny.”
But that’s not the only thing he does with his time. Pugliese collects rare slices of popular culture that are true testaments of time and space. He owned Marlon Brando’s fedora from the movie, “The Godfather”, the witch hat worn in 1939 by Margaret Hamilton in “The Wizard of Oz.,” and the bowler worn by Odd Job in the movie, “The Goldfinger.” In all 800 precious pieces owned by Pugliese were recently sold at an auction in Las Vegas by Guernsey’s Auction House. The Odd Job bowler fetched $130,000 and the witch hat worn by Hamilton brought in $208,000.
According to the Pugliese Pop Culture catalogue the auction “marked Pugliese’s intention to refocus his efforts to help protect and preserve our great natural heritage by supporting the Audubon Society….and to develop Destiny, Florida’s first Eco-sustainable community.”
There are other dimensions to this multi-tasking dreamer as well. In his spare time he enjoys painting. “Some guys like to play golf, I like to paint,” he says. But one gets the idea that Pugliese’s artwork is akin to the colorful and expressive side that takes up residence in his cerebral cortex.
In the Pugliese work environment there are signs of his creative genius everywhere. Dispersed throughout the wood paneled rooms that make up the Pugliese Company headquarters are oil paintings by the boss himself. Most are hung at dizzying heights that soar above the innumerable offices occupied by loyal Pugliese employees. There are colorful paintings of zaftig women as well as pastoral nature scenes. There’s also a collage of human forms in orange, blue and green that is a metaphor for his belief that “time melts away.”
But everyone who knows Pugliese knows that time rarely melts idly away in his orbit. “Anthony is one of the few people who can negotiate a deal and each side walks away feeling like they got what they deserved. Sometimes meetings go on for a long time and Anthony’s enthusiasm, focus and sense of humor keep everyone excited about the project,” said Michael Weiner, a zoning and real estate lawyer in Delray Beach.
Maybe that’s because of the Pugliese mind set. “You should treat people as you would expect to be treated. Respect and loyalty should take precedence over money. Money should never be your God because no matter how much money you have it cannot buy you respect and loyalty.”
Pretty heady stuff coming from a man who claims he’s not religious or spiritual. But if you were to hear the Pugliese philosophy, you would know that this man of vision is religious in his own context. “Religion is knowing that God is in your heart and your mind. The image you leave behind can only be formed by the image you create while you are alive,” he said.
OK so he’s not religious, but the man with the street named after him in Pineapple Grove appears to have an artistic appreciation for others religious expressions. There’s a colorful oil painting of dancing Gopis outside his office and delicious depictions of Shiva and other deities lining the walls of this museum-like corporate milieu.
Inside his spacious, yet electrifying office is a mélange of collectables usually reserved for museums and galleries. Standing on a shelf behind his desk is the original statue of the Maltese Falcon from the 1941 John Huston film, “The Maltese Falcon” (starring Humphrey Bogart). And perched high above the adjacent wall is a massive elephant head.
But it is the bronze Perillo sculptures in his office that really tell a more vivid Pugliese story board. There’s the Buffalo Hunt, the Mighty Hunter and a few other ambitious bronze’s on pedestals throughout his office. And if a person is part and parcel of their surroundings then no one displays a better art form of consciousness than Pugliese. “Sometimes you have to be soft, sometimes you have to be rough, but you have to be able to do both. If you are soft all the time you get buried and if you’re hard all the time you are a bastard – the idea is to be fair.”
You can say that again. Pugliese is known for being fair in the same way that Gandhi was known for his peaceful continence. “Anthony’s word is his honor, you don’t need a 65,000 word contract, his word is like God,” adds Urban.
But this fearless leader of all things real estate (and beyond) has other interests as well. He owns Green Sky Industries, a recycling company that employs 127 people in New Jersey. He also owns a software company called Video Protein, run by his son Anthony V. Pugliese lV. This web-based patented software manages video cameras from anywhere in the world. “All you need is a camera, that’s why they call it, ‘plug and play,’” he said.
In his spare time (one wonders where this comes from) Pugliese comes up with story ideas and characters that are made into movies. His film production company, World Films Inc., produces movies with names like “The Butcher,” “The Last Sentinel,” and “Soft Target.” His next film, which goes into production later in the year, is a horror film called, “Grotesque.”
The man with the golden touch also has a heart to go with it. When his friends are in need of inspiration he makes up quotes to pull them out of the doldrums. Some go like this, “When life casts its darkest shadow upon you, that’s when you must find even the smallest ray of light within to guide you through the darkness.”
And what does this real estate maven do to inspire himself? Well, it seems that Pugliese holds on tight to his family ties. He can be found playing with his five grandchildren at the beach and relishing time with his glamorous (and quite intelligent) wife Laura. The rest of the Pugliese brood includes nine-year-old Roman, 35-year-old Anthony lV, 32-year-old Alvise and 31-year-old Lana.
To honor his grandson, Anthony V. Pugliese V, he is creating the Anthony V. Pugliese V Miracle League field. This playing field will be located in Miller Park off of Linton Blvd. and is being built for handicap children to play sports. The park will be finished in late 2008.
To quantify the accomplishments of the man with the Pugliese heritage (granddad was Anthony Pugliese, dad was Anthony V. Pugliese Jr.) would be like counting the pebbles at the edge of the Grand Canyon. It makes the task seems insurmountable, which leads one to wonder, is this a man that defies description, is he a mere mortal that looms larger than life (and we’re not talking feet and inches).
Perhaps, or maybe it has something to do with the fact that his father, Anthony V. Pugliese Jr. once imparted this wisdom at this feet, “You never want to burn your bridges because you never know when you might need to go back over them.”
That might be the reason that Pugliese always has a safe port in the storm – a front row seat in the boardroom of life. No matter how high he leaps or how much traction he needs Pugliese always has that steady bridge to propel him forward.
But one thing for sure, he never leaves anyone in the dust on the way there. “Anthony is the most wonderful person - he’s loving and caring and has never made an enemy,” said Urban. “I’ve been lucky to meet someone like him.”
Publicaiton: Atlantic Ave
Published Date: June 2008
---- For more information please visit www.destinyflorida.com
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Governor Crist Announces 2008 Climate Change Summit
~ Investing in Florida’s green technology to be focus ~
TALLAHASSEE – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today announced the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change. The conference will be held June 25-26, 2008, at the Intercontinental Miami. Building on the foundation for Florida’s energy future began at last year’s summit, the 2008 summit will focus on stimulating economic development in clean technologies as well as “greening” Florida’s business community.
“Florida’s businesses continue to demonstrate that there is gold in green, and climate-friendly energy sources – like ethanol and solar energy – are bringing new prospects for our state,” said Governor Charlie Crist. “Encouraging companies to do business the green way as well as building a strong market in renewable energy technologies in the Sunshine State will strengthen our energy and economic future and protect our natural environment for generations to come.”
Building on the policy framework of the executive orders signed at the 2007 summit, this year’s summit focuses on developing Florida’s renewable and alternative energy industries. By encouraging companies to invest in our state’s energy future, Floridawill transform its energy marketplace to enhance fuel diversity, lessen dependence on foreign sources of oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The 2008 summit will bring together industry leaders, policy makers, academics, scientists, environmentalists and the business community to explore opportunities for expanding Florida’s renewable and alternative energy marketplace and greening our business community.
Since last year’s summit, Florida’s “green” economy has grown significantly. Progress Energy along with Biomass Gas & Electric of Atlanta recently announced a partnership to build in North Florida the largest waste-wood biomass plant in the nation, converting waste wood to electricity. FPL Group, one of the largest utilities in the country, has a number of solar and wind energy projects across Florida, including a $2.4 billion investment in a 300 megawatt solar facility. Also, during the Governor’s trade mission to Brazil last year, a $183 million agreement was signed between Renewable Fuels of Tallahassee LLC and Controlsud International Group to build a system that converts trash into energy in Tallahassee. Additionally, other companies are expanding conservation efforts and investing in upgrades at existing facilities to increase energy efficiency and save money while stimulating our economy. Finally, in November, Florida was home to the first carbon-neutral college football game between Florida State University and the University of Florida in Gainesville.
On July 13, 2007, Governor Charlie Crist signed a suite of executive orders to reduce Florida’s greenhouse gases emissions, increase energy efficiency, and remove market barriers for renewable energy technologies such as solar and wind energy. Since the executive orders were signed, Florida has stepped onto the world stage as a major marketplace for advanced energy technologies. In addition, the Governor’s Action Team on Energy and Climate Change Phase II Report, due October 1, 2008, will provide additional recommendations for strategic investments and public- private partnerships to spur climate-friendly economic development opportunities.
For more information on the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change, or to register for the conference, visit www.myfloridaclimate.com or For more information on the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change, or to register for the conference, visit or www.myflorida.com.
---- For more information please visit www.destinyflorida.com
~ Investing in Florida’s green technology to be focus ~
TALLAHASSEE – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today announced the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change. The conference will be held June 25-26, 2008, at the Intercontinental Miami. Building on the foundation for Florida’s energy future began at last year’s summit, the 2008 summit will focus on stimulating economic development in clean technologies as well as “greening” Florida’s business community.
“Florida’s businesses continue to demonstrate that there is gold in green, and climate-friendly energy sources – like ethanol and solar energy – are bringing new prospects for our state,” said Governor Charlie Crist. “Encouraging companies to do business the green way as well as building a strong market in renewable energy technologies in the Sunshine State will strengthen our energy and economic future and protect our natural environment for generations to come.”
Building on the policy framework of the executive orders signed at the 2007 summit, this year’s summit focuses on developing Florida’s renewable and alternative energy industries. By encouraging companies to invest in our state’s energy future, Floridawill transform its energy marketplace to enhance fuel diversity, lessen dependence on foreign sources of oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The 2008 summit will bring together industry leaders, policy makers, academics, scientists, environmentalists and the business community to explore opportunities for expanding Florida’s renewable and alternative energy marketplace and greening our business community.
Since last year’s summit, Florida’s “green” economy has grown significantly. Progress Energy along with Biomass Gas & Electric of Atlanta recently announced a partnership to build in North Florida the largest waste-wood biomass plant in the nation, converting waste wood to electricity. FPL Group, one of the largest utilities in the country, has a number of solar and wind energy projects across Florida, including a $2.4 billion investment in a 300 megawatt solar facility. Also, during the Governor’s trade mission to Brazil last year, a $183 million agreement was signed between Renewable Fuels of Tallahassee LLC and Controlsud International Group to build a system that converts trash into energy in Tallahassee. Additionally, other companies are expanding conservation efforts and investing in upgrades at existing facilities to increase energy efficiency and save money while stimulating our economy. Finally, in November, Florida was home to the first carbon-neutral college football game between Florida State University and the University of Florida in Gainesville.
On July 13, 2007, Governor Charlie Crist signed a suite of executive orders to reduce Florida’s greenhouse gases emissions, increase energy efficiency, and remove market barriers for renewable energy technologies such as solar and wind energy. Since the executive orders were signed, Florida has stepped onto the world stage as a major marketplace for advanced energy technologies. In addition, the Governor’s Action Team on Energy and Climate Change Phase II Report, due October 1, 2008, will provide additional recommendations for strategic investments and public- private partnerships to spur climate-friendly economic development opportunities.
For more information on the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change, or to register for the conference, visit www.myfloridaclimate.com or For more information on the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change, or to register for the conference, visit or www.myflorida.com.
---- For more information please visit www.destinyflorida.com
Saturday, July 1, 2006
DEVELOPING THE HEARTLAND Final Frontier Growth is coming to Florida's heartland. Who gets to say where it goes and how?
by Cynthia Barnett
In February, longtime Orlando lawyer J. Charles Gray, representing a consortium of rural landowners, sketched a suggested route for a new highway onto a road map and faxed it over to Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, the agency that builds and runs the state's toll roads.
Gray, along with former lawmaker Rick Dantzler, already had gotten the Turnpike Enterprise, a division of the Florida Department of Transportation, to consider building a north-south toll road stretching 100 miles from Polk to Lee County, where it would link up to Interstate 75. Gray's map showed Turnpike officials how they could tweak a northern branch of the proposed highway to avoid a private golf community and to end closer to a recently announced intermodal hub for transportation company CSX Corp. in Winter Haven.
In March, the Turnpike Enterprise went public with proposed corridors for the north-south toll road, called the Heartland Parkway, and another big toll road, an east-west route called the Heartland Coast-to-Coast. The two huge highways would crisscross the last major undeveloped chunk of peninsular Florida -- a swath of orange groves and cattle lands stretching from south of Lake Okeechobee in Hendry County to the southern tip of Orlando International Airport north of Osceola County.
The plans made public by the Turnpike Enterprise followed Gray's cartography. In fact, internal DOT and Turnpike Enterprise documents show, Gray, Dantzler and Florida Sen. J.D. Alexander, a Lake Wales citrus grower, so influenced the planning for the north-south route that they even convinced state officials to dub it the "Heartland Parkway."
Just as Gray custom-drew part of the north-south road, a different set of players set the route of the proposed east-west tollway. Manatee County Commissioner Joe McClash wanted it to provide access to Port Manatee. Sebring Airport Authority officials made the highway part of their master plan for becoming a key transportation hub for the region.
The tiny groups of powerbrokers determined the footprints of both highways before the Turnpike authority ever ran its computer programs, which use up to 250 layers of GIS data to calculate routes with the least impact to wetlands, endangered species and the like.
All this activity was within the law -- in fact, the long process of building a highway frequently is prompted by private interests, says Randy Fox, planning manager for the Turnpike Enterprise. "There's nothing wrong with the business community lobbying on behalf of their projects," says Fox. "Sometimes I think the business community is better able to help the process than local elected officials."
The two tollways are by no means a done deal. The Turnpike Enterprise must first complete studies on whether the toll roads are economically feasible and if so, how to engineer them. Then the DOT would have to work with local governments on land-use issues and on acquiring rights of way -- work that could take a decade before any actual road building occurs.
But a blueprint now exists for the growth of the heartland that will be tough to ignore. The footprint for the two roads was created with no public discussion, no input from citizens and no feedback from the state-level economic development or environmental officials who later expressed concern over the routes. Many local officials in heartland counties never heard of the highways until reading about them in their newspapers.
Ironically, the behind-the-scenes lobbying laid the tracks for development just as regional and state officials launched Florida's latest feel-good efforts at managing growth. Through an effort called myregion.org, central Florida is supposed to be the test case for the state's new strategy of "regional visioning," bottom-up planning that relies on citizens and other stakeholders to help decide how their part of Florida grows. At the statewide level, members of a group called the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida are brainstorming bold ideas for how Florida should look in 25 and 50 years.
The Heartland
For decades, local government officials in Highlands County at the southern tip of Florida's Lake Wales Ridge have tried to figure out how to secure a major highway through their rural landscape of sand pine and cattle ranches.
Smack in the middle of the lower part of the state, Highlands lies just an hour from the booming coasts of southwest and southeast Florida. Yet development has largely bypassed the county, as well as surrounding Hardee, De Soto, Okeechobee, Glades and Hendry counties. The area is designated one of Florida's "rural areas of critical economic concern," in part because a lack of infrastructure keeps new people and businesses from settling here.
Along with Polk and Osceola counties to the north, and the remaining rural edges of Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties to the west, the region is the last agricultural stronghold in a state where the homebuilding industry has outmuscled farming to become the second-largest economic driver statewide behind tourism, with a $42-billion annual impact. With St. Joe Co.'s developments in northwest Florida well under way, the heartland also represents the largest remaining chunk of undeveloped land in the state.
Important economic drivers are pushing both developers and homebuyers inland. In coastal Florida, little land remains; prices are soaring; the insurance market is uncertain; and hurricanes are seen as a growing threat. As a result, Florida's major homebuilders, as well as national players including Miami-based Lennar and KB Home, are turning to the state's rural interior.
"The large, national homebuilders who have been working on the coasts have now turned to the interior," says Dean Saunders, a Lakeland Realtor and former state lawmaker who brokers large agricultural tracts for farmers throughout the heartland. "In turn, some of the longtime ranchers are moving to north Florida, Georgia, Alabama. The opportunity costs are so high in some cases, they're asking themselves why they should be ranching land that costs $20,000 an acre."
Clearly, homebuilders will move into Florida's heartland with or without new toll roads. On the other hand, says Lance deHaven-Smith, a public policy professor at Florida State University, the region will never grow as dramatically without major highways as it would with them. In a 2004 report for the Sebring Airport Authority, deHaven-Smith concluded that the six economically depressed heartland counties will grow by fewer than 70,000 residents between 2000 and 2020 with their current infrastructure. "However, if a turnpike were to be constructed across the region, the heartland's population would be expected to increase by more than 10 times" that, he wrote.
In the fall of 2004, armed with deHaven-Smith's report and a catchy enthusiasm for Highlands County's future, a visionary former banker named Mike Willingham brought the story of the heartland to Florida's Turnpike Enterprise. Willingham, longtime executive director of the Sebring Airport Authority, found a sympathetic ear in Turnpike Executive Director James Ely, who said his agency would be willing to investigate an east-west toll road.
When McClash heard about Willingham's friendly audience with the Turnpike Enterprise, he dusted off a 10-year-old request by the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization. The request asked the DOT to investigate a coast-to-coast highway from Manatee County to St. Lucie County. DOT officials had turned it down repeatedly over the years. But McClash says that this time when he met with a group including Ely, "much to my surprise, they were willing to talk about a new turnpike."
'Ahead Of The Process'
As the Turnpike Enterprise began work on a feasibility study for the east-west toll road in 2005, it came under intense new lobbying by business interests at the north end of the heartland. A group of rural landowners centered in Polk County formed a non-profit corporation called the Heartland Economic, Agricultural and Rural Task Force (HEART). The corporation's bylaws say its purpose is to promote economic development, support responsible growth and protect sensitive environmental areas in the heartland. But essentially, it was formed to lobby for the north-south toll road.
The corporation's officers are all lawyers, lobbyists or political consultants, including image expert Renee Dabbs of Tampa. Property owners and businesses along the proposed route put up the seed money for the corporation. Perhaps their savviest move was to hire Gray, founder and still chairman of the 196-lawyer GrayRobinson firm in Orlando. Gray, a transportation and land-use lawyer, has been helping to decide where central Florida's highways go ever since he served as chairman of Florida's Turnpike in 1964 and 1965.
Gray was head of the Turnpike when Walt Disney famously flew over central Florida and saw thousands of acres of swampland with proximity to two major highways: The turnpike and I-4. Gray served as a liaison between Disney and Gov. Haydon Burns. And he pushed his agency to build an interchange between I-4 and the turnpike even after highway officials insisted such an interchange was not financially feasible.
Forty years later, internal documents show, Gray managed to do an end-run around the Turnpike Enterprise. By calling DOT Secretary Denver Stutler, Gray secured a commitment for early funding for a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study on the Heartland Parkway. The PD&E part of the road-building process is supposed to begin only after the DOT finishes an initial feasibility study for a highway.
In an e-mail to a DOT colleague who'd raised concerns about the Turnpike touting a highway that hadn't yet met the financial feasibility requirements, Turnpike planning manager Fox wrote that "Both Mr. Ely and I have told Charles Gray (individually and at different times) that we did not support his efforts to obtain funding for a PD&E for the Heartland Parkway until after the planning study was completed and the project could be funded through the normal process. However, Mr. Gray indicated that the PD&E needed to be initiated in the fall and he subsequently secured a commitment for PD&E funds through Central Office" (in Tallahasssee).
Gray makes no apologies for appealing to Stutler to make the PD&E funding available this fall if the feasibility study pans out. Development pressure on the northern end of the proposed toll road is so intense, particularly since CSX announced its new hub, that local leaders predict land for the highway will no longer be available six months from now.
"The problem here is timing -- timing is sometimes not consistent with process," Gray says. "Development is closing off the opportunity for this road to connect meaningfully to I-4, and if that connection cannot be made, this project may never happen.
"I thoroughly agree with the process, but sometimes you have to get a little ahead of the process."
Organizing Growth?
Heartland landowners, including many longtime cattle ranchers and citrus growers, are willing to donate considerable acreage for well-planned growth initiatives such as highway corridors and conservation easements in exchange for increased density or development rights elsewhere. "The growth is coming whether we want it or not, and the road can organize the growth," says Dantzler, a Winter Haven lawyer. "If we do nothing, it's going to be bad. I see this as an opportunity for it not to be bad."
Getting ahead of growth, of course, is exactly the notion state leaders have pushed in recent years -- trying to focus growth management regionally and get counties to plan together on huge developments such as Babcock Ranch, which straddles Charlotte and Lee counties, and Ave Maria in western Collier County. Both are seen as models of rural stewardship in preserving tens of thousands of acres of wild lands as they permit denser development in their urban cores.
But many wonder how highways -- almost certainly the most important growth-management decision in developing the state's final frontier -- could be drawn in the 21st century the same way they were throughout the 20th, with power brokers determining routes without any input from citizens, planners, environmentalists or even regulators in fellow state agencies.
Mark Glisson, who heads up land acquisition for the state Department of Environmental Protection, was distraught that the intersection of the two proposed roads crosses so close to the Lake Wales Ridge. The 2.3-million-year-old scrub ecosystem is the oldest natural system in Florida, left from the time when most of the state was covered by the sea. The sandy hilltops along the ridge are home to some of the rarest plants and animals in the United States; lands along and adjacent to the ridge remain some of the highest priorities on the state's land-preservation wish list.
Meanwhile, a flurry of letters and e-mails to the DOT this spring questioned the routes, including several regarding the Air Force bombing range in Avon Park. The east-west route, wrote Pam Dana, the governor's director of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development, was close enough to the range to be dangerous and would erode military activities and training in the area.
Even employees within the Turnpike Enterprise were uncomfortable with some aspects of the two proposed roads. The northern heartland region may, as Gray argues, be growing fast enough to justify a new highway. But in the economically depressed southern part of the region, a new highway would be a stimulus to growth rather than a response -- putting transportation officials in a difficult position. "One of the Turnpike's biggest PR issues in previous studies has been countering the assertions that our projects will trigger rampant growth," wrote William T. Olsen, the Turnpike Enterprise's travel-forecasting manager, in an e-mail to turnpike planning managers. "I believe the department's position to-date has steadfastly denied those claims."
In the e-mail, Olsen warned his colleagues not to rely on deHaven-Smith's population numbers as they did the feasibility study for the east-west route. The University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research had forecast that the population of the economically depressed counties would increase by 70,000. DeHaven-Smith boosted that number to 690,000 -- if a new highway were built. The Turnpike Enterprise, Olsen wrote, "would never be able to justify the use of such projections for our economic feasibility test."
Fox says projected population growth and truck and car traffic more than justify the highways from the standpoint of moving people and goods, one of the DOT's essential goals. But that doesn't mean the roads will be financially feasible for the Turnpike Enterprise, which has to show that its roads will pay for themselves through toll revenue in 22 years. The state is unlikely to build anything but a toll road -- it doesn't have enough money to fix and expand current highways, much less build huge new ones. If either heartland road gets built, it likely will require a creative mix of public and private financing, with landowners donating some of the right of way, perhaps with developers building their own exits or interchanges.
Supporters of the highways say their essential concern is to get growth right this time: To plan major highway corridors and other infrastructure so that "when you pour the growth in, it's in an orderly fashion rather than splashing everywhere," says Willingham of the Sebring Airport Authority.
Steve Seibert, former secretary of the state Department of Community Affairs, is now executive director of Florida's Century Commission, established by the Legislature as "a standing body to help the citizens of this state envision and plan their collective future with an eye toward both 25-year and 50-year horizons." He says the issue may not be the urgency with which the highway corridors were suggested, but a lack of urgency in including citizens and a visioning process. "It may sound obvious, but the answer may be to speed up the visioning."
That's the goal of the statewide "New Corridors" initiative being developed by the state Department of Transportation.
"New Corridors" aims to pull together citizens, business leaders and other stakeholders around Florida to identify the future transportation corridors essential to the state's growth, then figure out ways to build them, ideally with the help of businesses and land owners as envisioned in the heartland plans.
Stutler insists the heartland plans haven't advanced as far as it may seem. The Turnpike Enterprise enters into feasibility studies all the time, he says, but that doesn't mean the highways are going to be built. "We cannot commence projects that are not financially feasible," he says. "We are not allowed to do it, and we won't do it."
Stutler says the DOT wants to identify a half-dozen key transportation corridors, then let regions figure out the kind of transportation arteries that should go in them. "I'm hopeful that we can set the framework for the long term, and then there will be a great growth-management conversation after that," he says.
Not doing so would be a shame, say those involved in Florida's now 20-year-long efforts to manage growth. "The only experiences nationally that seem to make sense for Florida are those that brought stakeholders in on the front end before any decisions were made," says Bob Rhodes, an attorney with the Jacksonville office of Foley & Lardner who was the first administrator of Florida's growth management program. "This area is indeed the last frontier -- and Florida for once has the opportunity to get ahead."
Paving The Way
Orlando attorney Charles Gray drew part of the route for a north-south toll road that he, former state lawmaker Rick Dantzler and state Sen. J.D. Alexander are pushing to get built. Mike Willingham, executive director of the Sebring Airport Authority, and Manatee County Commissioner Joe McClash lobbied for key points in the east-west road plan.
The proposed roads, still in feasibility studies, could be moved anywhere within a six-mile swath based on environmental or other concerns.
The Market Cools -- For Now
In the 1930s, a Florida citrus pioneer named Latimer Maxcy turned his attention to beef cattle and began to buy up vast tracts of prairie around the Kissimmee River in east-central Florida for what eventually became a 100,000-acre ranch covering parts of Osceola, Okeechobee and Indian River counties.
Maxcy died in 1972, but family members continue to run Latt Maxcy Corp. as a ranching, citrus and banking conglomerate. Over the years, they've sold some tracts of the ranch to diversify holdings, including to the state for environmental restoration. Some former Maxcy lands are now flooded to aid restoration of the Kissimmee River; others now make up the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park.
But last year, when Latt Maxcy Corp. put 27,400 acres up for a closed-bid sale with no specific asking price, state environmental officials who saw the land as a crucial buy for Florida didn't come close to the $137 million plunked down by Delray Beach developer Anthony V. Pugliese III. "This is the most speculative real estate market I've ever seen," says Mark Glisson, head of land acquisition at the Department of Environmental Protection. "We are impotent to offset the temptation of the speculator."
Latt Maxcy Corp. may have sold at just the right time. More recently, the wild speculation that reigned in the heartland counties from 2003 to 2005 has cooled. Phil Holden, a real estate appraiser with West Palm Beach-based SF Holden, says for nearly two years, prices on heartland tracts of between 5,000 acres and 20,000 acres were rising 3% a month. Many of those deals were flips. Now, he says, some major deals completed last fall are not closing. "There are still transactions happening, but the speculators seem to be out, so it comes down to people who have a longer term vision for the land," Holden says.
Pugliese is considering using the state's new Rural Lands Stewardship program to build a town called Destiny in what is now one of the most famously rural junctures in Florida -- tiny Yeehaw Junction in Osceola County.
The program gives developers increased density in some areas in exchange for preserving large tracts in others. The cattle outpost is just 40 minutes from the Atlantic Ocean; Pugliese envisions 40,000 homes and a town with everything from university research facilities to a hospital.
Dean Saunders of Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate, who sold Latt Maxcy's parcel, calls the heartland market "stabilized," with speculators out, but with agricultural land prices still moving up. Property appraisers in the heartland counties reported agriculture-zoned land selling for $7,000 to $12,000 an acre up from as little as $3,500. Saunders says many ranchers and farmers have such a strong conservation ethic that they will use the Rural Lands Stewardship program and other market incentives to ensure development doesn't ruin the area's quality of life. "But I think we need to be smarter about land-use planning and all of our planning," Saunders says. "We have a lot of ranchettes being developed because of minimum densities in these areas. This will contribute to just what we don't want -- sprawl."
Not everyone thinks the heartland is in a major transition from crops to rooftops. "I don't see it for a long time," says Holden. "Florida has historically had land rushes, and lots platted, and then it takes a very, very long time before anyone moves in. How many wives do you know who want to live on a 20-acre tract in the middle of nowhere?"
---- For more information please visit www.destinyflorida.com
In February, longtime Orlando lawyer J. Charles Gray, representing a consortium of rural landowners, sketched a suggested route for a new highway onto a road map and faxed it over to Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, the agency that builds and runs the state's toll roads.
Gray, along with former lawmaker Rick Dantzler, already had gotten the Turnpike Enterprise, a division of the Florida Department of Transportation, to consider building a north-south toll road stretching 100 miles from Polk to Lee County, where it would link up to Interstate 75. Gray's map showed Turnpike officials how they could tweak a northern branch of the proposed highway to avoid a private golf community and to end closer to a recently announced intermodal hub for transportation company CSX Corp. in Winter Haven.
In March, the Turnpike Enterprise went public with proposed corridors for the north-south toll road, called the Heartland Parkway, and another big toll road, an east-west route called the Heartland Coast-to-Coast. The two huge highways would crisscross the last major undeveloped chunk of peninsular Florida -- a swath of orange groves and cattle lands stretching from south of Lake Okeechobee in Hendry County to the southern tip of Orlando International Airport north of Osceola County.
The plans made public by the Turnpike Enterprise followed Gray's cartography. In fact, internal DOT and Turnpike Enterprise documents show, Gray, Dantzler and Florida Sen. J.D. Alexander, a Lake Wales citrus grower, so influenced the planning for the north-south route that they even convinced state officials to dub it the "Heartland Parkway."
Just as Gray custom-drew part of the north-south road, a different set of players set the route of the proposed east-west tollway. Manatee County Commissioner Joe McClash wanted it to provide access to Port Manatee. Sebring Airport Authority officials made the highway part of their master plan for becoming a key transportation hub for the region.
The tiny groups of powerbrokers determined the footprints of both highways before the Turnpike authority ever ran its computer programs, which use up to 250 layers of GIS data to calculate routes with the least impact to wetlands, endangered species and the like.
All this activity was within the law -- in fact, the long process of building a highway frequently is prompted by private interests, says Randy Fox, planning manager for the Turnpike Enterprise. "There's nothing wrong with the business community lobbying on behalf of their projects," says Fox. "Sometimes I think the business community is better able to help the process than local elected officials."
The two tollways are by no means a done deal. The Turnpike Enterprise must first complete studies on whether the toll roads are economically feasible and if so, how to engineer them. Then the DOT would have to work with local governments on land-use issues and on acquiring rights of way -- work that could take a decade before any actual road building occurs.
But a blueprint now exists for the growth of the heartland that will be tough to ignore. The footprint for the two roads was created with no public discussion, no input from citizens and no feedback from the state-level economic development or environmental officials who later expressed concern over the routes. Many local officials in heartland counties never heard of the highways until reading about them in their newspapers.
Ironically, the behind-the-scenes lobbying laid the tracks for development just as regional and state officials launched Florida's latest feel-good efforts at managing growth. Through an effort called myregion.org, central Florida is supposed to be the test case for the state's new strategy of "regional visioning," bottom-up planning that relies on citizens and other stakeholders to help decide how their part of Florida grows. At the statewide level, members of a group called the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida are brainstorming bold ideas for how Florida should look in 25 and 50 years.
The Heartland
For decades, local government officials in Highlands County at the southern tip of Florida's Lake Wales Ridge have tried to figure out how to secure a major highway through their rural landscape of sand pine and cattle ranches.
Smack in the middle of the lower part of the state, Highlands lies just an hour from the booming coasts of southwest and southeast Florida. Yet development has largely bypassed the county, as well as surrounding Hardee, De Soto, Okeechobee, Glades and Hendry counties. The area is designated one of Florida's "rural areas of critical economic concern," in part because a lack of infrastructure keeps new people and businesses from settling here.
Along with Polk and Osceola counties to the north, and the remaining rural edges of Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties to the west, the region is the last agricultural stronghold in a state where the homebuilding industry has outmuscled farming to become the second-largest economic driver statewide behind tourism, with a $42-billion annual impact. With St. Joe Co.'s developments in northwest Florida well under way, the heartland also represents the largest remaining chunk of undeveloped land in the state.
Important economic drivers are pushing both developers and homebuyers inland. In coastal Florida, little land remains; prices are soaring; the insurance market is uncertain; and hurricanes are seen as a growing threat. As a result, Florida's major homebuilders, as well as national players including Miami-based Lennar and KB Home, are turning to the state's rural interior.
"The large, national homebuilders who have been working on the coasts have now turned to the interior," says Dean Saunders, a Lakeland Realtor and former state lawmaker who brokers large agricultural tracts for farmers throughout the heartland. "In turn, some of the longtime ranchers are moving to north Florida, Georgia, Alabama. The opportunity costs are so high in some cases, they're asking themselves why they should be ranching land that costs $20,000 an acre."
Clearly, homebuilders will move into Florida's heartland with or without new toll roads. On the other hand, says Lance deHaven-Smith, a public policy professor at Florida State University, the region will never grow as dramatically without major highways as it would with them. In a 2004 report for the Sebring Airport Authority, deHaven-Smith concluded that the six economically depressed heartland counties will grow by fewer than 70,000 residents between 2000 and 2020 with their current infrastructure. "However, if a turnpike were to be constructed across the region, the heartland's population would be expected to increase by more than 10 times" that, he wrote.
In the fall of 2004, armed with deHaven-Smith's report and a catchy enthusiasm for Highlands County's future, a visionary former banker named Mike Willingham brought the story of the heartland to Florida's Turnpike Enterprise. Willingham, longtime executive director of the Sebring Airport Authority, found a sympathetic ear in Turnpike Executive Director James Ely, who said his agency would be willing to investigate an east-west toll road.
When McClash heard about Willingham's friendly audience with the Turnpike Enterprise, he dusted off a 10-year-old request by the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization. The request asked the DOT to investigate a coast-to-coast highway from Manatee County to St. Lucie County. DOT officials had turned it down repeatedly over the years. But McClash says that this time when he met with a group including Ely, "much to my surprise, they were willing to talk about a new turnpike."
'Ahead Of The Process'
As the Turnpike Enterprise began work on a feasibility study for the east-west toll road in 2005, it came under intense new lobbying by business interests at the north end of the heartland. A group of rural landowners centered in Polk County formed a non-profit corporation called the Heartland Economic, Agricultural and Rural Task Force (HEART). The corporation's bylaws say its purpose is to promote economic development, support responsible growth and protect sensitive environmental areas in the heartland. But essentially, it was formed to lobby for the north-south toll road.
The corporation's officers are all lawyers, lobbyists or political consultants, including image expert Renee Dabbs of Tampa. Property owners and businesses along the proposed route put up the seed money for the corporation. Perhaps their savviest move was to hire Gray, founder and still chairman of the 196-lawyer GrayRobinson firm in Orlando. Gray, a transportation and land-use lawyer, has been helping to decide where central Florida's highways go ever since he served as chairman of Florida's Turnpike in 1964 and 1965.
Gray was head of the Turnpike when Walt Disney famously flew over central Florida and saw thousands of acres of swampland with proximity to two major highways: The turnpike and I-4. Gray served as a liaison between Disney and Gov. Haydon Burns. And he pushed his agency to build an interchange between I-4 and the turnpike even after highway officials insisted such an interchange was not financially feasible.
Forty years later, internal documents show, Gray managed to do an end-run around the Turnpike Enterprise. By calling DOT Secretary Denver Stutler, Gray secured a commitment for early funding for a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study on the Heartland Parkway. The PD&E part of the road-building process is supposed to begin only after the DOT finishes an initial feasibility study for a highway.
In an e-mail to a DOT colleague who'd raised concerns about the Turnpike touting a highway that hadn't yet met the financial feasibility requirements, Turnpike planning manager Fox wrote that "Both Mr. Ely and I have told Charles Gray (individually and at different times) that we did not support his efforts to obtain funding for a PD&E for the Heartland Parkway until after the planning study was completed and the project could be funded through the normal process. However, Mr. Gray indicated that the PD&E needed to be initiated in the fall and he subsequently secured a commitment for PD&E funds through Central Office" (in Tallahasssee).
Gray makes no apologies for appealing to Stutler to make the PD&E funding available this fall if the feasibility study pans out. Development pressure on the northern end of the proposed toll road is so intense, particularly since CSX announced its new hub, that local leaders predict land for the highway will no longer be available six months from now.
"The problem here is timing -- timing is sometimes not consistent with process," Gray says. "Development is closing off the opportunity for this road to connect meaningfully to I-4, and if that connection cannot be made, this project may never happen.
"I thoroughly agree with the process, but sometimes you have to get a little ahead of the process."
Organizing Growth?
Heartland landowners, including many longtime cattle ranchers and citrus growers, are willing to donate considerable acreage for well-planned growth initiatives such as highway corridors and conservation easements in exchange for increased density or development rights elsewhere. "The growth is coming whether we want it or not, and the road can organize the growth," says Dantzler, a Winter Haven lawyer. "If we do nothing, it's going to be bad. I see this as an opportunity for it not to be bad."
Getting ahead of growth, of course, is exactly the notion state leaders have pushed in recent years -- trying to focus growth management regionally and get counties to plan together on huge developments such as Babcock Ranch, which straddles Charlotte and Lee counties, and Ave Maria in western Collier County. Both are seen as models of rural stewardship in preserving tens of thousands of acres of wild lands as they permit denser development in their urban cores.
But many wonder how highways -- almost certainly the most important growth-management decision in developing the state's final frontier -- could be drawn in the 21st century the same way they were throughout the 20th, with power brokers determining routes without any input from citizens, planners, environmentalists or even regulators in fellow state agencies.
Mark Glisson, who heads up land acquisition for the state Department of Environmental Protection, was distraught that the intersection of the two proposed roads crosses so close to the Lake Wales Ridge. The 2.3-million-year-old scrub ecosystem is the oldest natural system in Florida, left from the time when most of the state was covered by the sea. The sandy hilltops along the ridge are home to some of the rarest plants and animals in the United States; lands along and adjacent to the ridge remain some of the highest priorities on the state's land-preservation wish list.
Meanwhile, a flurry of letters and e-mails to the DOT this spring questioned the routes, including several regarding the Air Force bombing range in Avon Park. The east-west route, wrote Pam Dana, the governor's director of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development, was close enough to the range to be dangerous and would erode military activities and training in the area.
Even employees within the Turnpike Enterprise were uncomfortable with some aspects of the two proposed roads. The northern heartland region may, as Gray argues, be growing fast enough to justify a new highway. But in the economically depressed southern part of the region, a new highway would be a stimulus to growth rather than a response -- putting transportation officials in a difficult position. "One of the Turnpike's biggest PR issues in previous studies has been countering the assertions that our projects will trigger rampant growth," wrote William T. Olsen, the Turnpike Enterprise's travel-forecasting manager, in an e-mail to turnpike planning managers. "I believe the department's position to-date has steadfastly denied those claims."
In the e-mail, Olsen warned his colleagues not to rely on deHaven-Smith's population numbers as they did the feasibility study for the east-west route. The University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research had forecast that the population of the economically depressed counties would increase by 70,000. DeHaven-Smith boosted that number to 690,000 -- if a new highway were built. The Turnpike Enterprise, Olsen wrote, "would never be able to justify the use of such projections for our economic feasibility test."
Fox says projected population growth and truck and car traffic more than justify the highways from the standpoint of moving people and goods, one of the DOT's essential goals. But that doesn't mean the roads will be financially feasible for the Turnpike Enterprise, which has to show that its roads will pay for themselves through toll revenue in 22 years. The state is unlikely to build anything but a toll road -- it doesn't have enough money to fix and expand current highways, much less build huge new ones. If either heartland road gets built, it likely will require a creative mix of public and private financing, with landowners donating some of the right of way, perhaps with developers building their own exits or interchanges.
Supporters of the highways say their essential concern is to get growth right this time: To plan major highway corridors and other infrastructure so that "when you pour the growth in, it's in an orderly fashion rather than splashing everywhere," says Willingham of the Sebring Airport Authority.
Steve Seibert, former secretary of the state Department of Community Affairs, is now executive director of Florida's Century Commission, established by the Legislature as "a standing body to help the citizens of this state envision and plan their collective future with an eye toward both 25-year and 50-year horizons." He says the issue may not be the urgency with which the highway corridors were suggested, but a lack of urgency in including citizens and a visioning process. "It may sound obvious, but the answer may be to speed up the visioning."
That's the goal of the statewide "New Corridors" initiative being developed by the state Department of Transportation.
"New Corridors" aims to pull together citizens, business leaders and other stakeholders around Florida to identify the future transportation corridors essential to the state's growth, then figure out ways to build them, ideally with the help of businesses and land owners as envisioned in the heartland plans.
Stutler insists the heartland plans haven't advanced as far as it may seem. The Turnpike Enterprise enters into feasibility studies all the time, he says, but that doesn't mean the highways are going to be built. "We cannot commence projects that are not financially feasible," he says. "We are not allowed to do it, and we won't do it."
Stutler says the DOT wants to identify a half-dozen key transportation corridors, then let regions figure out the kind of transportation arteries that should go in them. "I'm hopeful that we can set the framework for the long term, and then there will be a great growth-management conversation after that," he says.
Not doing so would be a shame, say those involved in Florida's now 20-year-long efforts to manage growth. "The only experiences nationally that seem to make sense for Florida are those that brought stakeholders in on the front end before any decisions were made," says Bob Rhodes, an attorney with the Jacksonville office of Foley & Lardner who was the first administrator of Florida's growth management program. "This area is indeed the last frontier -- and Florida for once has the opportunity to get ahead."
Paving The Way
Orlando attorney Charles Gray drew part of the route for a north-south toll road that he, former state lawmaker Rick Dantzler and state Sen. J.D. Alexander are pushing to get built. Mike Willingham, executive director of the Sebring Airport Authority, and Manatee County Commissioner Joe McClash lobbied for key points in the east-west road plan.
The proposed roads, still in feasibility studies, could be moved anywhere within a six-mile swath based on environmental or other concerns.
The Market Cools -- For Now
In the 1930s, a Florida citrus pioneer named Latimer Maxcy turned his attention to beef cattle and began to buy up vast tracts of prairie around the Kissimmee River in east-central Florida for what eventually became a 100,000-acre ranch covering parts of Osceola, Okeechobee and Indian River counties.
Maxcy died in 1972, but family members continue to run Latt Maxcy Corp. as a ranching, citrus and banking conglomerate. Over the years, they've sold some tracts of the ranch to diversify holdings, including to the state for environmental restoration. Some former Maxcy lands are now flooded to aid restoration of the Kissimmee River; others now make up the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park.
But last year, when Latt Maxcy Corp. put 27,400 acres up for a closed-bid sale with no specific asking price, state environmental officials who saw the land as a crucial buy for Florida didn't come close to the $137 million plunked down by Delray Beach developer Anthony V. Pugliese III. "This is the most speculative real estate market I've ever seen," says Mark Glisson, head of land acquisition at the Department of Environmental Protection. "We are impotent to offset the temptation of the speculator."
Latt Maxcy Corp. may have sold at just the right time. More recently, the wild speculation that reigned in the heartland counties from 2003 to 2005 has cooled. Phil Holden, a real estate appraiser with West Palm Beach-based SF Holden, says for nearly two years, prices on heartland tracts of between 5,000 acres and 20,000 acres were rising 3% a month. Many of those deals were flips. Now, he says, some major deals completed last fall are not closing. "There are still transactions happening, but the speculators seem to be out, so it comes down to people who have a longer term vision for the land," Holden says.
Pugliese is considering using the state's new Rural Lands Stewardship program to build a town called Destiny in what is now one of the most famously rural junctures in Florida -- tiny Yeehaw Junction in Osceola County.
The program gives developers increased density in some areas in exchange for preserving large tracts in others. The cattle outpost is just 40 minutes from the Atlantic Ocean; Pugliese envisions 40,000 homes and a town with everything from university research facilities to a hospital.
Dean Saunders of Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate, who sold Latt Maxcy's parcel, calls the heartland market "stabilized," with speculators out, but with agricultural land prices still moving up. Property appraisers in the heartland counties reported agriculture-zoned land selling for $7,000 to $12,000 an acre up from as little as $3,500. Saunders says many ranchers and farmers have such a strong conservation ethic that they will use the Rural Lands Stewardship program and other market incentives to ensure development doesn't ruin the area's quality of life. "But I think we need to be smarter about land-use planning and all of our planning," Saunders says. "We have a lot of ranchettes being developed because of minimum densities in these areas. This will contribute to just what we don't want -- sprawl."
Not everyone thinks the heartland is in a major transition from crops to rooftops. "I don't see it for a long time," says Holden. "Florida has historically had land rushes, and lots platted, and then it takes a very, very long time before anyone moves in. How many wives do you know who want to live on a 20-acre tract in the middle of nowhere?"
---- For more information please visit www.destinyflorida.com
Saturday, June 24, 2006
High-end developers are targeting Florida’s interior as land prices escalate along the state’s edges.
MOVING INLAND
Interior Motive
High-end developers are targeting Florida’s interior as land prices escalate along the state’s edges.
by Amy Keller
In a back room at the Greater LaBelle Chamber of Commerce, Mitch Hutchcraft unrolls architectural renderings to reveal the Bonita Bay Group's plans for a 24-acre parcel along the banks of the Caloosahatchee River in LaBelle. He points to spots for a family restaurant, office space and possibly a small bed and breakfast.
The yet-unnamed community also will feature attached housing, says Hutchcraft, a regional vice president spearheading Bonita Bay Group's expansion into Hendry County. "I'm envisioning something like Charleston or a Georgetown type of neighborhood. Probably gated."
The community leaders listening to the pitch have plenty of questions about how the changes will impact the small town 25 miles east of Fort Myers on State Road 80. What will happen, for instance, to the house that once belonged to their neighbor Lois Barron? That familiar LaBelle landmark sits on land Bonita Bay Group acquired in January for $2.75 million. Others worry that once gates go up, longtime LaBelle residents may no longer be able to bike and walk their dogs along the river. Everyone wants to know whether the swanky new housing going up along the river will be affordable for the typical LaBelle resident.
A decade ago, the sleepy 4,000-population farm town wouldn't have been even a second thought for an upscale developer like Bonita Bay Group. But escalating land prices are forcing development to the center of the state. In western Hendry County alone, by conservative counts, plans exist for more than 3,500 homes in 11 subdivisions, according to the local economic development council.
Frank D'Alessandro, a real estate broker with D'Alessandro & Woodyard, says his firm is banking a "lot of land" for large homebuilders who are preparing to build in Hendry and Glades counties. "Palm Beach is mostly moving west, and Fort Myers and surrounding counties are moving east," says D'Alessandro.
Slower Pace Of Living
Leading the race across SR 80, Bonita Bay Group has already announced intentions to build its brand of master-planned communities as far east as Clewiston (65 miles west of Palm Beach). The company recently purchased a 500-acre parcel there from U.S. Sugar Corp. and plans to build a mix of residential housing. The developer intends to draw buyers who want access to the amenities of Palm Beach County but with a slower lifestyle.
It's a strategy the company has been aggressively pursuing in the LaBelle area. Later this year, Bonita Bay Group will break ground on a 187-acre master-planned community also along the banks of the Caloosahatchee called Murphy's Landing. The community will include more than 400 single-family and coach homes and cater to the typical Bonita Bay customer, a wealthy, second-home buyer. Homes will be priced from the mid-$300,000s to more than $1 million. But unlike Bonita Bay Group's trademark communities around Bonita Springs, Murphy's Landing will have no golf course.
Instead, the company says it is marketing to those who are looking for a slower pace of living along the river corridor. Brian Lucas, a Bonita Bay regional vice president who is leading development efforts outside southwest Florida, predicts the typical Murphy's Landing buyer will still be a second-home buyer but will be "less interested in the social opportunities of Fort Myers," preferring activities such as hiking and boating and the amenities that come with an outdoor retreat. Housing styles, too, will depart from the traditional Mediterranean-style architecture found in so many Bonita Springs developments. Houses will be built with an older, Colonial/Craftsman style. There will be no cul-de-sacs. All homes will have a water view, and space within the community will be maximized with rear garages and alley access.
Bonita Bay Group's largest project in the area is on 5,200 acres west of SR 29 and south of SR 80 in LaBelle. It is jointly developing the property with the Bryan Paul family, owners and operators of several citrus companies. Government approvals for the development include up to 15,800 residential units, 1 million square feet of retail space, 500,000 square feet of office space and 350,000 square feet of industrial space. Another 300 acres have been set aside for institutional uses, including a parcel of about 100 acres that will house a campus for Edison College.
LaBelle Mayor and Hendry County Public Safety Director Randy Bengston sees an expanded tax base and improved choices for shopping and entertainment. The town could use a movie theater. Local resident Nancy Hendrickson is looking forward to the riverfront restaurant that Bonita Bay Group is planning around the corner from her house near the Barron property and wonders if the company might not also be willing to build a playground on some portion of the property they've acquired in the city.
Residents are also worried, however -- about the added burdens the new development will bring and whether the rural area can keep up. SR 80 is in the midst of being widened, but other routes in and around the city need expanding, and bridges in the area need repairs. Water is also a big concern. As the county is hammering out details for a new water treatment plant for nearby communities and the new developments proposed by Bonita Bay Group, other developers north of the Caloosahatchee have begun clamoring for county sewer lines. "When you buy a house, whether you're a new retiree or looking for a second house or third house, they expect certain things. They expect the infrastructure to be there. They expect a sewer system. They expect public safety. Right now in LaBelle it's a volunteer fire service," says Bengston.
Equally important, residents and developers agree, is ensuring that LaBelle and other rural towns will retain some of their character. "We don't want to be like the skyscrapers, but we don't want to be the bedroom community of Fort Myers either," says Bengston. "We're going to be replaced one way or another. We know it's coming. Can we more or less make it what the people want?"
Publication: Florida Trend.com
July 2006 Issue
Interior Motive
High-end developers are targeting Florida’s interior as land prices escalate along the state’s edges.
by Amy Keller
In a back room at the Greater LaBelle Chamber of Commerce, Mitch Hutchcraft unrolls architectural renderings to reveal the Bonita Bay Group's plans for a 24-acre parcel along the banks of the Caloosahatchee River in LaBelle. He points to spots for a family restaurant, office space and possibly a small bed and breakfast.
The yet-unnamed community also will feature attached housing, says Hutchcraft, a regional vice president spearheading Bonita Bay Group's expansion into Hendry County. "I'm envisioning something like Charleston or a Georgetown type of neighborhood. Probably gated."
The community leaders listening to the pitch have plenty of questions about how the changes will impact the small town 25 miles east of Fort Myers on State Road 80. What will happen, for instance, to the house that once belonged to their neighbor Lois Barron? That familiar LaBelle landmark sits on land Bonita Bay Group acquired in January for $2.75 million. Others worry that once gates go up, longtime LaBelle residents may no longer be able to bike and walk their dogs along the river. Everyone wants to know whether the swanky new housing going up along the river will be affordable for the typical LaBelle resident.
A decade ago, the sleepy 4,000-population farm town wouldn't have been even a second thought for an upscale developer like Bonita Bay Group. But escalating land prices are forcing development to the center of the state. In western Hendry County alone, by conservative counts, plans exist for more than 3,500 homes in 11 subdivisions, according to the local economic development council.
Frank D'Alessandro, a real estate broker with D'Alessandro & Woodyard, says his firm is banking a "lot of land" for large homebuilders who are preparing to build in Hendry and Glades counties. "Palm Beach is mostly moving west, and Fort Myers and surrounding counties are moving east," says D'Alessandro.
Slower Pace Of Living
Leading the race across SR 80, Bonita Bay Group has already announced intentions to build its brand of master-planned communities as far east as Clewiston (65 miles west of Palm Beach). The company recently purchased a 500-acre parcel there from U.S. Sugar Corp. and plans to build a mix of residential housing. The developer intends to draw buyers who want access to the amenities of Palm Beach County but with a slower lifestyle.
It's a strategy the company has been aggressively pursuing in the LaBelle area. Later this year, Bonita Bay Group will break ground on a 187-acre master-planned community also along the banks of the Caloosahatchee called Murphy's Landing. The community will include more than 400 single-family and coach homes and cater to the typical Bonita Bay customer, a wealthy, second-home buyer. Homes will be priced from the mid-$300,000s to more than $1 million. But unlike Bonita Bay Group's trademark communities around Bonita Springs, Murphy's Landing will have no golf course.
Instead, the company says it is marketing to those who are looking for a slower pace of living along the river corridor. Brian Lucas, a Bonita Bay regional vice president who is leading development efforts outside southwest Florida, predicts the typical Murphy's Landing buyer will still be a second-home buyer but will be "less interested in the social opportunities of Fort Myers," preferring activities such as hiking and boating and the amenities that come with an outdoor retreat. Housing styles, too, will depart from the traditional Mediterranean-style architecture found in so many Bonita Springs developments. Houses will be built with an older, Colonial/Craftsman style. There will be no cul-de-sacs. All homes will have a water view, and space within the community will be maximized with rear garages and alley access.
Bonita Bay Group's largest project in the area is on 5,200 acres west of SR 29 and south of SR 80 in LaBelle. It is jointly developing the property with the Bryan Paul family, owners and operators of several citrus companies. Government approvals for the development include up to 15,800 residential units, 1 million square feet of retail space, 500,000 square feet of office space and 350,000 square feet of industrial space. Another 300 acres have been set aside for institutional uses, including a parcel of about 100 acres that will house a campus for Edison College.
LaBelle Mayor and Hendry County Public Safety Director Randy Bengston sees an expanded tax base and improved choices for shopping and entertainment. The town could use a movie theater. Local resident Nancy Hendrickson is looking forward to the riverfront restaurant that Bonita Bay Group is planning around the corner from her house near the Barron property and wonders if the company might not also be willing to build a playground on some portion of the property they've acquired in the city.
Residents are also worried, however -- about the added burdens the new development will bring and whether the rural area can keep up. SR 80 is in the midst of being widened, but other routes in and around the city need expanding, and bridges in the area need repairs. Water is also a big concern. As the county is hammering out details for a new water treatment plant for nearby communities and the new developments proposed by Bonita Bay Group, other developers north of the Caloosahatchee have begun clamoring for county sewer lines. "When you buy a house, whether you're a new retiree or looking for a second house or third house, they expect certain things. They expect the infrastructure to be there. They expect a sewer system. They expect public safety. Right now in LaBelle it's a volunteer fire service," says Bengston.
Equally important, residents and developers agree, is ensuring that LaBelle and other rural towns will retain some of their character. "We don't want to be like the skyscrapers, but we don't want to be the bedroom community of Fort Myers either," says Bengston. "We're going to be replaced one way or another. We know it's coming. Can we more or less make it what the people want?"
Publication: Florida Trend.com
July 2006 Issue
Sunday, April 2, 2006
Top research may reach Destiny
Top research may reach Destiny
Orlando Sentinel - Orlando, Fla.
Author: Daphne Sashin, Sentinel Staff Writer
Date: Apr 2, 2006
Section: LOCAL & STATE {ZONE} FLORIDA
DELRAY BEACH -- The developer of the 27,400-acre Destiny project in south Osceola County wants to create a scientific research compound with several universities represented on its campus, he said last week.
In his first interview about the project since buying the massive tract at Yeehaw Junction, Anthony V. Pugliese III said he envisions setting aside 200 to 300 acres and inviting a half-dozen universities to establish centers devoted to biomedical technology, energy and other cutting-edge research.
"We want to create a Mecca for research and education that will spawn the different commercial, industrial and, of course, residential . . . developments around it," Pugliese said, speaking at the downtown Delray Beach headquarters of his real-estate company.
Destiny, which could someday be the home of 75,000 to 100,000 people, will be the biggest and most ambitious project yet for Pugliese, a developer best known for mixed-use projects in South Florida. His financial partner in the deal is Subway Restaurants founder Fred DeLuca, who was listed in Forbes magazine this year with a net worth of $1.5 billion, making him the world's 512th- richest person.
The partners bought the property from the Latt Maxcy Corp. last year for about $137 million, or $5,000 an acre, Pugliese confirmed. The relatively low cost of land -- which is 30 miles from the ocean -- combined with the project's access to Florida's Turnpike, State Road 60 and U.S. Highway 441 was "like the aligning of the stars," Pugliese said.
"The more we work on it, the more realize what a great site it is -- what great access we have," he said. "We know over the next 10 to 15 years, we're going to have the biggest movement of people ever in the United States because of the baby boomers all retiring, and let's face it -- Florida is one of the . . . states that they're going to be retiring to."
Construction is likely three to five years away, he said, but the project has drawn the attention of developers across the country who want a piece of the deal. Pugliese has met with more than a dozen so far.
"D.R. Horton, Del Webb, Lowell Homes, Lennar, Beazer Homes, we have companies as far away as Italy, Canada and Hawaii -- developers that do major projects and whole communities -- that are extremely interested in this property," Pugliese said. "Not one of them didn't say, `Gee, we love it, and we'd love to be a part of it.' . . . They all think that it's just exactly what we're saying -- it's right in the middle of everywhere, not in the middle of nowhere."
Office and industrial parks, stores, schools, hospitals, public- safety facilities and other amenities also are planned. The project faces rigorous review at the state and county levels before it can go forward.
Other investors have tried to entice Pugliese with offers to buy pieces of the property for much more than he paid. But he has rebuffed them, saying he is excited about creating a whole new city.
"You're starting on a clean canvas," Pugliese said. "You come down here to Delray, you can't find 27 acres."
Pugliese said he sees the project as a "convergence of new urbanism and new ruralism," with a mixture of dense housing clusters and a large conservation component. He is proposing to preserve the southern half of the property, where it abuts 35,000 acres owned by the state.
Homes will come first, with as many as 40,000 units over the 25- to 50-year build-out period. The low price of land will allow the developers to offer homes at lower prices than families can find in surrounding counties, he said.
"We'll be able to offer much more affordable living environments, yet with all amenities that people have in places like Indian River and St. Lucie County and Martin County, at a much lower price, with access that is basically second to none," Pugliese said.
The new city's slogan is "Come to Your Destiny." For now, a team of consultants is feverishly studying the property's potential to figure out how that destiny can be shaped.
"Right now, it's a huge endeavor to have it surveyed. Where is it wet? Where is it dry? Where would development be appropriate? Where would it not be appropriate?" said Julie Kendig-Schrader, an attorney working on the project. "We're really trying to get a handle on what's on the ground . . . so when we go through the public-hearing process, we can tell people, `This is what's there.' "
---- For more information please visit www.destinyflorida.com
Orlando Sentinel - Orlando, Fla.
Author: Daphne Sashin, Sentinel Staff Writer
Date: Apr 2, 2006
Section: LOCAL & STATE {ZONE} FLORIDA
DELRAY BEACH -- The developer of the 27,400-acre Destiny project in south Osceola County wants to create a scientific research compound with several universities represented on its campus, he said last week.
In his first interview about the project since buying the massive tract at Yeehaw Junction, Anthony V. Pugliese III said he envisions setting aside 200 to 300 acres and inviting a half-dozen universities to establish centers devoted to biomedical technology, energy and other cutting-edge research.
"We want to create a Mecca for research and education that will spawn the different commercial, industrial and, of course, residential . . . developments around it," Pugliese said, speaking at the downtown Delray Beach headquarters of his real-estate company.
Destiny, which could someday be the home of 75,000 to 100,000 people, will be the biggest and most ambitious project yet for Pugliese, a developer best known for mixed-use projects in South Florida. His financial partner in the deal is Subway Restaurants founder Fred DeLuca, who was listed in Forbes magazine this year with a net worth of $1.5 billion, making him the world's 512th- richest person.
The partners bought the property from the Latt Maxcy Corp. last year for about $137 million, or $5,000 an acre, Pugliese confirmed. The relatively low cost of land -- which is 30 miles from the ocean -- combined with the project's access to Florida's Turnpike, State Road 60 and U.S. Highway 441 was "like the aligning of the stars," Pugliese said.
"The more we work on it, the more realize what a great site it is -- what great access we have," he said. "We know over the next 10 to 15 years, we're going to have the biggest movement of people ever in the United States because of the baby boomers all retiring, and let's face it -- Florida is one of the . . . states that they're going to be retiring to."
Construction is likely three to five years away, he said, but the project has drawn the attention of developers across the country who want a piece of the deal. Pugliese has met with more than a dozen so far.
"D.R. Horton, Del Webb, Lowell Homes, Lennar, Beazer Homes, we have companies as far away as Italy, Canada and Hawaii -- developers that do major projects and whole communities -- that are extremely interested in this property," Pugliese said. "Not one of them didn't say, `Gee, we love it, and we'd love to be a part of it.' . . . They all think that it's just exactly what we're saying -- it's right in the middle of everywhere, not in the middle of nowhere."
Office and industrial parks, stores, schools, hospitals, public- safety facilities and other amenities also are planned. The project faces rigorous review at the state and county levels before it can go forward.
Other investors have tried to entice Pugliese with offers to buy pieces of the property for much more than he paid. But he has rebuffed them, saying he is excited about creating a whole new city.
"You're starting on a clean canvas," Pugliese said. "You come down here to Delray, you can't find 27 acres."
Pugliese said he sees the project as a "convergence of new urbanism and new ruralism," with a mixture of dense housing clusters and a large conservation component. He is proposing to preserve the southern half of the property, where it abuts 35,000 acres owned by the state.
Homes will come first, with as many as 40,000 units over the 25- to 50-year build-out period. The low price of land will allow the developers to offer homes at lower prices than families can find in surrounding counties, he said.
"We'll be able to offer much more affordable living environments, yet with all amenities that people have in places like Indian River and St. Lucie County and Martin County, at a much lower price, with access that is basically second to none," Pugliese said.
The new city's slogan is "Come to Your Destiny." For now, a team of consultants is feverishly studying the property's potential to figure out how that destiny can be shaped.
"Right now, it's a huge endeavor to have it surveyed. Where is it wet? Where is it dry? Where would development be appropriate? Where would it not be appropriate?" said Julie Kendig-Schrader, an attorney working on the project. "We're really trying to get a handle on what's on the ground . . . so when we go through the public-hearing process, we can tell people, `This is what's there.' "
---- For more information please visit www.destinyflorida.com
Top research may reach Destiny
Top research may reach Destiny
Orlando Sentinel - Orlando, Fla.
Author: Daphne Sashin, Sentinel Staff Writer
Date: Apr 2, 2006
Section: LOCAL & STATE {ZONE} FLORIDA
DELRAY BEACH -- The developer of the 27,400-acre Destiny project in south Osceola County wants to create a scientific research compound with several universities represented on its campus, he said last week.
In his first interview about the project since buying the massive tract at Yeehaw Junction, Anthony V. Pugliese III said he envisions setting aside 200 to 300 acres and inviting a half-dozen universities to establish centers devoted to biomedical technology, energy and other cutting-edge research.
"We want to create a Mecca for research and education that will spawn the different commercial, industrial and, of course, residential . . . developments around it," Pugliese said, speaking at the downtown Delray Beach headquarters of his real-estate company.
Destiny, which could someday be the home of 75,000 to 100,000 people, will be the biggest and most ambitious project yet for Pugliese, a developer best known for mixed-use projects in South Florida. His financial partner in the deal is Subway Restaurants founder Fred DeLuca, who was listed in Forbes magazine this year with a net worth of $1.5 billion, making him the world's 512th- richest person.
The partners bought the property from the Latt Maxcy Corp. last year for about $137 million, or $5,000 an acre, Pugliese confirmed. The relatively low cost of land -- which is 30 miles from the ocean -- combined with the project's access to Florida's Turnpike, State Road 60 and U.S. Highway 441 was "like the aligning of the stars," Pugliese said.
"The more we work on it, the more realize what a great site it is -- what great access we have," he said. "We know over the next 10 to 15 years, we're going to have the biggest movement of people ever in the United States because of the baby boomers all retiring, and let's face it -- Florida is one of the . . . states that they're going to be retiring to."
Construction is likely three to five years away, he said, but the project has drawn the attention of developers across the country who want a piece of the deal. Pugliese has met with more than a dozen so far.
"D.R. Horton, Del Webb, Lowell Homes, Lennar, Beazer Homes, we have companies as far away as Italy, Canada and Hawaii -- developers that do major projects and whole communities -- that are extremely interested in this property," Pugliese said. "Not one of them didn't say, `Gee, we love it, and we'd love to be a part of it.' . . . They all think that it's just exactly what we're saying -- it's right in the middle of everywhere, not in the middle of nowhere."
Office and industrial parks, stores, schools, hospitals, public- safety facilities and other amenities also are planned. The project faces rigorous review at the state and county levels before it can go forward.
Other investors have tried to entice Pugliese with offers to buy pieces of the property for much more than he paid. But he has rebuffed them, saying he is excited about creating a whole new city.
"You're starting on a clean canvas," Pugliese said. "You come down here to Delray, you can't find 27 acres."
Pugliese said he sees the project as a "convergence of new urbanism and new ruralism," with a mixture of dense housing clusters and a large conservation component. He is proposing to preserve the southern half of the property, where it abuts 35,000 acres owned by the state.
Homes will come first, with as many as 40,000 units over the 25- to 50-year build-out period. The low price of land will allow the developers to offer homes at lower prices than families can find in surrounding counties, he said.
"We'll be able to offer much more affordable living environments, yet with all amenities that people have in places like Indian River and St. Lucie County and Martin County, at a much lower price, with access that is basically second to none," Pugliese said.
The new city's slogan is "Come to Your Destiny." For now, a team of consultants is feverishly studying the property's potential to figure out how that destiny can be shaped.
"Right now, it's a huge endeavor to have it surveyed. Where is it wet? Where is it dry? Where would development be appropriate? Where would it not be appropriate?" said Julie Kendig-Schrader, an attorney working on the project. "We're really trying to get a handle on what's on the ground . . . so when we go through the public-hearing process, we can tell people, `This is what's there.' "
---- For more information please visit www.destinyflorida.com
Orlando Sentinel - Orlando, Fla.
Author: Daphne Sashin, Sentinel Staff Writer
Date: Apr 2, 2006
Section: LOCAL & STATE {ZONE} FLORIDA
DELRAY BEACH -- The developer of the 27,400-acre Destiny project in south Osceola County wants to create a scientific research compound with several universities represented on its campus, he said last week.
In his first interview about the project since buying the massive tract at Yeehaw Junction, Anthony V. Pugliese III said he envisions setting aside 200 to 300 acres and inviting a half-dozen universities to establish centers devoted to biomedical technology, energy and other cutting-edge research.
"We want to create a Mecca for research and education that will spawn the different commercial, industrial and, of course, residential . . . developments around it," Pugliese said, speaking at the downtown Delray Beach headquarters of his real-estate company.
Destiny, which could someday be the home of 75,000 to 100,000 people, will be the biggest and most ambitious project yet for Pugliese, a developer best known for mixed-use projects in South Florida. His financial partner in the deal is Subway Restaurants founder Fred DeLuca, who was listed in Forbes magazine this year with a net worth of $1.5 billion, making him the world's 512th- richest person.
The partners bought the property from the Latt Maxcy Corp. last year for about $137 million, or $5,000 an acre, Pugliese confirmed. The relatively low cost of land -- which is 30 miles from the ocean -- combined with the project's access to Florida's Turnpike, State Road 60 and U.S. Highway 441 was "like the aligning of the stars," Pugliese said.
"The more we work on it, the more realize what a great site it is -- what great access we have," he said. "We know over the next 10 to 15 years, we're going to have the biggest movement of people ever in the United States because of the baby boomers all retiring, and let's face it -- Florida is one of the . . . states that they're going to be retiring to."
Construction is likely three to five years away, he said, but the project has drawn the attention of developers across the country who want a piece of the deal. Pugliese has met with more than a dozen so far.
"D.R. Horton, Del Webb, Lowell Homes, Lennar, Beazer Homes, we have companies as far away as Italy, Canada and Hawaii -- developers that do major projects and whole communities -- that are extremely interested in this property," Pugliese said. "Not one of them didn't say, `Gee, we love it, and we'd love to be a part of it.' . . . They all think that it's just exactly what we're saying -- it's right in the middle of everywhere, not in the middle of nowhere."
Office and industrial parks, stores, schools, hospitals, public- safety facilities and other amenities also are planned. The project faces rigorous review at the state and county levels before it can go forward.
Other investors have tried to entice Pugliese with offers to buy pieces of the property for much more than he paid. But he has rebuffed them, saying he is excited about creating a whole new city.
"You're starting on a clean canvas," Pugliese said. "You come down here to Delray, you can't find 27 acres."
Pugliese said he sees the project as a "convergence of new urbanism and new ruralism," with a mixture of dense housing clusters and a large conservation component. He is proposing to preserve the southern half of the property, where it abuts 35,000 acres owned by the state.
Homes will come first, with as many as 40,000 units over the 25- to 50-year build-out period. The low price of land will allow the developers to offer homes at lower prices than families can find in surrounding counties, he said.
"We'll be able to offer much more affordable living environments, yet with all amenities that people have in places like Indian River and St. Lucie County and Martin County, at a much lower price, with access that is basically second to none," Pugliese said.
The new city's slogan is "Come to Your Destiny." For now, a team of consultants is feverishly studying the property's potential to figure out how that destiny can be shaped.
"Right now, it's a huge endeavor to have it surveyed. Where is it wet? Where is it dry? Where would development be appropriate? Where would it not be appropriate?" said Julie Kendig-Schrader, an attorney working on the project. "We're really trying to get a handle on what's on the ground . . . so when we go through the public-hearing process, we can tell people, `This is what's there.' "
---- For more information please visit www.destinyflorida.com
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