The Poinciana Crane

All-America Award Includes Poinciana

In Kissimmee's recently won All-America City 2007 award, Poinciana includes a share, since about half of this area is in the Osceola side of Kissimmee.  (The other half of Poinciana being located in Polk County.)  Poinciana has been quite the award-achiever over the past few years too.  For example, Poinciana has also been selected twice as America's 100 Nicest Places to Live in both 2003 and 2005 by Relocate America.

Bellalago also shared in some of the award giving in the All-America national competition and won "best master-planned community" from the Metro Orlando Home Builders Association and the Florida Home Builders Association.

Free Massages

If your looking for a pleasant way to relieve the stress, consider a free massages from an Everest University student.  All you need to do is call Candice Morris at (407) 851-2525 to schedule and appointement.  Treatment is provided in the south Orlando area at 9200 Southpark Center Loop, which is near John Young and Sandlake.

Summer-Only Health Care

HelpNow, one of Osceola's greatest secret has a program that might help if you're suffering from housing crisis stress.  During the summer, they're offering a free licensed psychologist.  If that's not your bag, they're also offering free medical care for those without insurance.  Registration with HelpNow may be required to obtain services.  Call 407-847-3286 for more information.

Free Lawyers for Homeowners

A program offered by the Florida Bar and Florida Legal Services Florida provides access to a lawyer and free legal advice for homeowners troubled with financial issues.
 
To take advantage of this free program call, toll-free – (866) 607-2187.  You’ll be asked a few initial questions about your situation to ensure an accurate placement, and then you’ll be sent to a free attorney. The attorney will then negotiate with the lender on your behalf to help keep your home from foreclosure.

More than 10,000 Florida attorneys have volunteered their services in the program, according to Florida Legal Services Inc.

 

Reference: FAR

Restore Your Home with Habitat

Here's a way to restore your home, fix it up, even upgrade at a fraction of the cost of other appliance outlets, and you can do it while helping Kissimmee's Habitat for Humanity.  Go to the REStore.

 

RE stands for “restore." For more information, check out the REStoreweb site.  They are located on Main Street, near the downtown Kissimmee just before Appliance Direct.  They're only open on Fridays and Saturdays.

 

Need Feed?

Considering the devastating impact of the housing crisis on each of our neighbors, everyone much pitch in in whatever way possible.  For that reason, we're compiling information that can help Poinciana's children and families in our time of need.  If you're in need of food, consider the following two area sources :

• Affectively called "the poor" church, Miracle Temple Ministries (MTM) is the only religioius nonprofit in the area offering a local source of food.  (What's up with that? The "only" one!?) Regardless, MTM is a member of Second Harvest and provides free food on Wednesdays from noon to 2 p.m. MTM is located at 4930 Old Pleasant Hill Rd., Poinciana 34759-3430.  To get there, go behind the Walmart and down Old Pleasant Hill Road.  Pass the entrance to the Nature preserve and pass La Iglesia Nueva Jerusalem, the church that houses a wide-screen TV where some, I suspect, would expect to see a religious symbol.  (But I digress.)  As soon as you see the "Coming Soon" sign, turn right.  Use the photos in this post to locate MTM on Old Pleasant Hill. And if you've got something to donate, help this church back for Poinciana's sake.
• Angel Food Ministries, located at 828 N Hoagland Blvd., Kissimmee. (407) 344-2522. They offer up to $30 of groceries on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.
• Upcoming Food Bank Distribution: July 30th at the Intercession City Community Center, 1531 Immokalie Street, behind the post office. Hours from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Proof of income and Osceola residency required.

Must I say the obvious? If you know of a church, nonprofit or individual helping fellow residents in Poinciana, please let us know by writing us at Home@PoincianaHome.net. We'll add your information to the blog.

Free Medical Care

Considering the devasting impact of the housing crisis on fellow Poincianans, everyone much pitch in in whatever way possible to help each other.  For that reason, we're compiling information to help Poinciana's children and families in our times of need.  If you're in need of medical care, consider the following source:

On the last Wednesday of each month from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., you may find free medical care just south of downtown Kissimmee on Harrelson Lane. (See map .) The only requirement is that you meet the definition of homelessness, which according to the federal McKinney Act is loosely defined as:

A person who lacks an adequate residence. It includes people sharing other people's homes because of loss of their own, those living in motels, hotels, trailer parks or camping grounds due to a lack of adequate housing, and people living in cars or parks, or one of Poinciana's increasing number of abandoned homes.

Just look for the Medic Van at the end of the street on Harrelson.  It's hard to miss. To find out more or to donate your help, go HCCH Mobile. If you know of a church, nonprofit or individual helping us here in Poinciana, please write to us at our main email address, Home@PoincianaHome.net. We'll add it to the blog.

Be Safe this Hurricane Season

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Procrastinators take note: If clients want a free hurricane home inspection courtesy of the State of Florida, sign up now. Most homeowners save money on property insurance following an inspection, but the program will achieve its goals and probably stop taking new applications later this summer...read more...

APV Neglects Green Pool Issue

POINCIANA, Fla. -- June 10, 2008 -- If you blinked at yesterday's meeting of the Association of Poinciana Villages (APV), you would have missed the board's touching on the issue of foreclosed homes in Poinciana. With foreclosures on the rise, officials throughout Florida are fielding more complaints about pools, those in-ground symbols of luxury, that have become host to algae, frogs, turtles and other wildlife.

As the issue of foreclosures worsens, local families -- becoming ill from living near these types of swimming pools -- may force the APV to act. If left too long to fester, "green pools" produce a foul smell, which attracts the attention of those living by them and could also become a safety issue for children attracted to green-pool homes, which are for the most part abandoned, a.k.a., attractive nuisances.  In addition, "green pools" or pools with excessive algae growth are breeding grounds for water-borne bacteria, toads and disease-carrying mosquitoes. 

 

The APV reported a total of over-1,700 properties currently in foreclosure in Poinciana, which equates to about a one-in-ten chance of living near a green pool in this southwest Kissimmee community. The APV reported that they expect the issue of foreclosures to get worse in 2009.

 

The Florida Association of Realtors (FAR) recently publicized this growing problem in the West Palm Beach area, where more then 5,000 homeowners face foreclosure.

Making Customers into Local Stars

Excellence in all aspects of real estate is just as important to us as the variety of real estate services we offer. One of our services, for example, includes placing only the best tenants available in the Kissimmee area inside your home.

Through our unique program, last year we placed two tenants in one of our for-sale properties.  Over the year, they improved the property – out of their pockets – cleaning up a stained pool, planting a rock garden under the pool's filtering equipment, excellence in maintenance of the home's landscaping, and a new fence.  And, one year later, our tenants, Tim & "Sweet" Sue Melnick, won the Poinciana Pioneer Star monthly award.

If you're ready to sell or rent your home, call Darhlene @ (407) 738-8042 to discuss these and many more options available to you from a bona fide Realtor.®  For a short list of our comprehensive list of services, either click the link at left, visit our web site at PoincianaHome.net, or visit our broker's site @ Overton Realty, Inc.  For our full list, write me and ask for our Shopping List for Sellers.

Preventing Pests From Entering Home

From Love to Lady, Florida abounds with Bugs. Here are some suggestions for limiting the ways pests can infiltrate your home and for safely handling pesticides.

• Seal cracks in walls, floors or ceilings to keep out bugs.

• Clean kitchen daily removing food from under toasters and packages. Most important is to keep floors swept, which also offers an opportunity to inspect floor areas for evidence of rodents and other wood boring pests.

• Remove broken or unused appliances to avoid pest from nesting.

• Eliminate stagnant water outside home to prevent attracting pests.

• Empty pet water and food bowls nightly. Sweep and dispose of pet food that may have fallen on floor.

• Except for paper-only or dry-waste containers, make sure all garbage receptacles have sealed lids. Clean and cover trash receptacles and place them on cleanable material, such as concrete.

• Store insecticides away from other items in a locked, cool cabinet.

• Dispose of bags, bottles or cans as soon as they are empty.

• Do not pour leftover pesticides down the drain.

Putnam at New Post Office Dedication

After a delay caused by federal funding being redirected to Hurricane Katrina victims, Poinciana is finally seeing the first stages of its soon to be upgraded post office.  The new, 7,270-square-foot post office will be located behind the Publix supermarket on Cypress Parkway in the area known as the Promenade Shopping Center.  The groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Tuesday, March 25 at 10 a.m. will be attended by U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, for the 12th district, which covers Poinciana.  The ceremony will be held at 4774 San Remo Road in Poinciana. 

Although postal services without the frustration of long lines will be one benefit of the project, a non-discussed side effect would be to make Poinciana more attractive to those who work in Orlando.  Coupled with other future projects, such as the hospital and connections to both I-4 and the Florida Turnpike, Poinciana is destined to become the community envisioned by early leaders of the area.  Click here for Ledger article.

How Does a Realtor® Benefit Poinciana?

If you have kids who are seniors in a Florida high school this year, they may qualify to participate an essay contest that’s offering a total of $106,000 in scholarship funding. The deadline to enter is March 7, 2008. Students must write a typed, double-spaced essay, 500 words or less, on the topic, “How Does a Realtor® Professional Benefit the Community?”

Sponsored by the Florida Association of Realtors (FAR), the scholarship program benefits students from across the state, with prize money going to the first-, second- and third-place essays in each of the Association's 13 districts in the state. Students turning in the top district-winning essays each win a $5,000 scholarship prize; second-place winners receive a $1,500 scholarship award; and third-place winners each receive a $500 scholarship award. The 13 district-winning essays then compete for three $5,000 FAR scholarships on the statewide level.

All essays, along with an official Essay Cover Form, must be postmarked no later than March 7, 2008, and mailed to the FAR, 7025 Augusta National Drive, P.O. Box 725025, Orlando, FL, 32872-5025. FAR’s statewide scholarship awards program is open only to high school seniors who reside in the state of Florida and plan on continuing their education at any college, university, technical school or other institution of higher learning.

Children whose parents or guardians are licensed real estate practitioners are not eligible for contest entry; nor are children whose parents or guardians are employed by any local Realtor board/association or by FAR. Scholarship contest rules and the official essay cover form are available at public and private senior high school guidance offices throughout the state. Or students, parents, teachers – anyone – can go to FAR’s Media Center Web site ( http://media.floridarealtors.org) to download the required essay cover form and all other scholarship/essay contest materials.

Child Drowning a Reminder to All

While it is often thought that people only drown in pools, the recent drowning death of a 10-month-old baby is a stark reminder to residents of Poinciana that children can drown in as little as one inch of water. Children are at risk of drowning in wading pools, bathtubs, buckets, diaper pails, toilets, spas and hot tubs. For more information on this subject, check out the Orlando Child Safety site; en Espanol, go to the Spanish version of the site.