The Poinciana Crane

Tolls in Poinciana's Future

Responding to a FOIA request on Poinciana's future toll parkway, Osceola County Commissioner Brandon Arrington provided the following information.

"....  in regards to funds collected on the proposed Poinciana Parkway. Originally this was to be a privately built and maintained toll road with all proceeds going back to the private company. Avatar has spent around $45 million dollars so far on permitting, design and right of way acquisition. However they are currently not able to obtain funds to complete the project as planned due to the downturn in financial sector. They have now approached Osceola County to partner in the project in hopes of obtaining Federal dollars in order to move forward. Once Osceola is able to obtain funding to build the road, we will begin construction and repayment of the funds Avatar has invested and Osceola County will be the sole operator and owner of the project. All funds will be collected by us to pay for the project and future additions to our roadway network."

Let's hope it stays that way.  If you have a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request about the Osceola side of Poinciana, write to your representative, Brandon Arrington at BArr@OSCEOLA.ORG.  Source: Email Wednesday, November 04, 2009 12:38 PM.

Crescent Lakes' CFD to Meet in October

The public is welcome to the next meeting of Crescent Lakes common facilities district (CFD) will be held on October 13 at 1 Courthouse Square, Suite 4727 (4th Floor), Kissimmee, FL  34741.  For more information, contact:

• Irene Overton-Morgan, President

• April White, Secretary & Treasurer

• George MacArthur, Supervisor

$70,000 Study Presented to Poinciana Residents

The University of Central Florida will present a community Town Hall Meeting to discuss the results of their Poinciana Incorporation Study.  The presentation is scheduled for Saturday, September 12, at 11 a.m. and a second presentation at 6:30 p.m. at Palmetto Elementary School.  The school is located at Palmetto School 315 Palmetto St, Poinciana - (863) 427-6012.

Blogger See. Blogger Do.

Incorporation Study Spawns New Blogs

The UCF incorporation study has apparently activated a number of Poinciana residents here in Central Florida to voice their opinions on the www. One of the many local examples includes the new blog, LetUsDecide.com  blog, by WHO KNOWS? (Seriously, who does know?)  Not to worry, LetUsDecide appears legitimate and extremely new; it was kicked off in early August 2009. The site promoter apparently supports incorporation and has been leaving flyers throughout the Greater Poinciana area including Crescent Lakes, Blackstone Landing, Doral Woods, Countryside Manor. Another such blog by Poinciana Residents for Smart Changerepresents a more even-handed presentation of the incorporation study.  To read the LetUsDecide flyer, click on the image. 

Crescent Lakes' CFD to Meet in August

The public is welcome to the next meeting of Crescent Lakes common facilities district (CFD) will be held on August 4 at 1 Courthouse Square, Suite 4727 (4th Floor), Kissimmee, FL  34741.  For more information, contact:

• Irene Overton-Morgan, President

• April White, Secretary & Treasurer

• George MacArthur, Supervisor

Polk Stakeholder Registry

To receive e-mail notices about upcoming growth management issues in Polk County, sign up to be on their Growth Management Stakeholder Registry.  To sign-up:

1. On the Internet, go to Polk-County.Net1.

2. In the top right hand corner of the page, click on “E-Newsletter.”

3. Enter your email address in the yellow box.

4. Click the submit button.

Crescent Lakes' CFD Meets in April

The public is welcome to the next meeting of Crescent Lakes common facilities district (CFD) will be held on April 28 at 1 Courthouse Square, Suite 4727 (4th Floor), Kissimmee, FL  34741.  For more information, contact:

• Irene Overton-Morgan, President

• April White, Secretary & Treasurer

• George MacArthur, Supervisor

Banning Banks from Real Estate

Victory was recently declared in a federal campaign to keep banks out of real estate.  The "banks-in-real-estate" ban is now part of the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill, the one president Barack Obama signed. 

With this legislation, it is evident that the real estate is not a financial activity.   It is a property activity.  The other side of this coin is that financing real estate is a financial activity.

CFD's Empower HOA's, Communities

While the acronym sounds more like a virus, if it works, CFD's will likely be welcomed as beneficial to Osceola residents as bumble bees are to plants.  A common facilities district or CFD has been implemented by two exclusive communities within the Greater Poinciana area so far: Crescent Lakes and Cypress Woods. 

Cypress Woods' CFD was created in 2007.  Crescent Lakes' was implemented just last year, after the community apparently terminated its homeowners association, HOA, by force.  For communities throughout Osceola being managed by HOA's now ransacked by rampant foreclosures, abandoned homes, disappearing tax bases, and the malfeasance associated with newly depressed communities, CFD's have the unique ability to form teeth.   HOA's dues, for example, could be collected by a CFD instead of an HOA and, if not paid, a CFD could place liens against properties, which HOA's are not empowered to do.

Incorporating Poinciana - Take the Poll!

The Association of Poinciana Villages recently hired the University of Central Florida to study the possibility of incorporating Poinciana as a city.  What in your opinion would be the best form of future governance for Poinciana?

• Incorporation of Poinciana as a city.

• Establishing Poinciana as Common Facilities District of Osceola County.

• Annexation to Osceola or Polk counties.

Click here to tell us what you think.

"Smart Change" Group Working to Expand

How many reasons can we find for a "Smart Change" group in Poinciana?  Let me count a few.  We don't want:

• Poinciana referred to as a "ghost town," as "Angelina of Florida" describes our once bustling expanse of "Disney Preserve" real estate.

• The quality of our community to suffer from the long-term effects of its current housing crisis, such as green pools, which are now ripening for our upcoming hurricane season.

• A lawsuit because some unnamed governor couldn't manage to get an approval for a hospital.

That's why a group of Solivita residents, the same ones who stopped the Lake Hatch Ranch project, are now formalizing plans to start a group they've officially named "Poinciana Residents for Smart Change" or PRSC.(1)  To find out more about joining this growing group, contact Keith Laytham at (863) 496-1884 or email Keith.