Avalon Park Sun Wesley Chapel December 2022

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Step Into a Winter Wonderland at Avalon Aglow!

Start off your holiday festivities with us at Avalon Park Wesley Chapel’s annual Avalon Aglow event on December 10th! Starting at 5 p.m., enjoy the food and fes tivities while also catching live perfor mances and taking a ride down the snow slide. Make sure to stay for the fireworks later on to end your night. Every year, Avalon Aglow brings the whole commu nity together to celebrate the upcoming holidays. This event is free for everyone to enjoy.

family and friends to round out the night with a bang.

Watch as Avalon Park transforms into a winter wonderland with real snow, train rides and even an appearance by Santa Claus. After enjoying the festivities, make sure to grab a bite to eat from one of the many vendors, get your face painted, and don’t forget to grab your picture with Santa.

Finish off the night with Wesley Chap el’s premier fireworks show! Grab some chairs and blankets to sit back with your

Join us for Avalon Aglow on December 10th for a night of holiday fun with fam ily and friends! The event is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., ending with fireworks at 8. For more information on this event and oth ers, visit the Avalon Park website or call 813-783-1515.

25 Years: A Reflection and Future Vision

for Avalon Park Group. The official groundbreaking of the entrance bridge to Avalon Park Orlando kicked off an adventure of building a town where the mission was to create a place where everyone can find a place to belong in a community where they could live, learn, work and play. Over the past 25 years, we have seen buildings built, families creating traditions, friendships being forged, and neighbors meeting neighbors and becoming so much more than just neighbors. I had the opportunity to speak with my mentor, the Founder and Developer of Avalon Park, Beat Kahli. Here is what he told me about the past 25 years in our flagship development, Avalon Park Orlando, and what Avalon Park Group can expect in the next 25 years and beyond.

Stephanie Lerret:

It has now been exactly 25 years since the construction of Avalon Park Orlando started in the last quarter of 1997. Can you tell our readers more?

Beat Kahli:

In 1988, we purchased 9,400 acres of land in East Orlando, called the Altman Ranch. For generations the land, which stretched all the way from present-day Wedgefield, was used for farming and hunting. The entire 9,400 acres (10 times the size of the Orlando downtown area) was zoned for development and had plans that called for a town of almost 100,000 residents, millions of square feet of retail and office space, 3 golf courses and more, and was considered one of the largest planned developments in America on the drawing board at the time.

However, listening to the community, we realized that building such a project would have been a tremendous challenge for the environment and public infrastructure. So, through a series of land sales to the St. Johns Water Management District by our development partnership, an agreement was made to create the Hal Scott Preserve Park in lieu of commercial real estate development on 8,900 acres of the original acreage zoned to be Avalon Park. Maybe in another generation when most of the land between Tampa and Daytona Beach will be developed, people may be proud of our own “Central Park” (the Hall Scott Preserve Park), 10 times larger than its Flagship in New York City.

pedestrian-friendly downtown that will become a hub of activity as the community grows. The initial construction of Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel began in 2019 with 1,100 student stations at Pinecrest Academy K-5 Charter School and now has the first mixed-use building under construction.

Stephanie:

Having grown up in Kansas and loving the small-town concept from the beginning, it always fills me with a sense of pride when I see how people go through life starting with pre-K, going through the great public A schools, starting a family, and living all stages of their life in Avalon Park. I often get asked, what is the secret behind the success of Avalon Park? Why was it, from a classical real estate point of view an inferior location at the edge of town, by far the fastest selling community at the time of building?

Beat:

It needs a team; it needs passionate people like you Stephanie. You can have all the money in the world, a world-class planner, top engineers and more, but in the end, you have to create a PLACE. A PLACE where people feel a strong sense of BELONGING and SAFETY. You need to be connected with the residents, at events, the schools, restaurants. You need to live, learn work and play with your constituents, and you need to align with them, and with the community at large.

APG owns the majority of Downtown Avalon Park. The typical developer buys land, pursues entitlement, plans, engineers and builds infrastructure, such as roads, sewer/water lines, drainage systems, amenities and more. After that, the land gets sold in parcels piece by piece to home builders, commercial builders, residential builders, and others. And then the developer is gone, often with a handsome profit in good times and sometimes broke in a recession. However, for the classical developer the investment is at its largest in the early phases of development, where they are buying land and building infrastructure. After that, the classical developer sells off their investments, makes a profit and is out of the picture. APG on the other hand has a different business concept. Today APG has its highest investment in the community since starting construction 25 years ago. APG and affiliates own buildings and land in Avalon Park valued in the 3-digit millions.

Cont...

Having an investment of this size aligns with all stakeholders. APG has the same interest as a parent, a homeowner, or a retailer: a great community with outstanding schools, well-kept common areas and amenities, good traffic solutions and more.

A component of a great community is high property values for all. With APG as the largest owner of real estate in Avalon Park and many other business interests in the community, the alignment is evident. Cutting corners hurts APG economically more than anybody else. This philosophy holds true in Avalon Park Wesley Chapel as well.

Stephanie:

When you talk to Avalon Park Families, and ask them what made them move to Avalon Park, I hear many reasons, the small-town feeling, the events, the architecture and more, however the great schools seem to be for many the most important reason they moved to Avalon Park? Avalon Park has the best public schools in Central Florida, can you explain the background of our schools?

Beat:

Before we broke ground, more than 25 years ago, I did not have any kids of my own. In order to find out what would make realtors support Avalon Park, I asked them during a focus group to tell us what we could do to make Avalon Park their community of choice for home buyers. The overwhelming response was: SCHOOLS, GREAT SCHOOLS, NEW SCHOOLS, SCHOOLS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY. I was more prepared to get requests, such as a large water park, a golf course (which was approved for Avalon Park, but we decided to build a downtown instead), etc. But great schools were what all the realtors told us would make their clients move to Avalon Park.

The marching order was clear, however the first meeting with the Orange County School Board was rather “sobering.” We were told that maybe in about 10 years could we build schools in Avalon Park. However, a dialogue started quickly, and we found out that when the government and the private sector truly work together, amazing results can be achieved. The 7 schools in and around Avalon Park were all built as Public Private Partnerships and always with the goal to have the best schools in Central Florida. Out of the 7, four were built and financed by APG. In the others, APG either donated the land or built infrastructure, such the Timber Creek High School football stadium and the band’s marching field and more. The plan worked! Our community consistently boasts all A schools! And on top of that 2 have achieved Blue Ribbon status, meaning among the top 300 best schools in America. To this day, I consider that this is maybe the single most important reason for the success of Avalon Park Orlando.

Beat:

Good question, but not many things. We would likely allocate more land for the downtown, (and we are doing this in Avalon Park Wesley Chapel and Avalon Park Daytona). As well we would engage the government more, at last the largest economical benefactor of us building the town of Avalon Park is Orange County. Today the economic value of Avalon Park for Orange County exceeds $1 Billion. From just a parcel of land used for hunting and farming, to now millions in property taxes going to the County every year, jobs created, and sales tax on top of it. And because Avalon Park residents can satisfy their daily needs “internally” as a traffic engineer would say, the burden on roads, the environment et all is reduced, compared to a “standard” community, with only homes, and the need to get in the car for everything else.

The team and I feel really privileged to have learned a lot and we are now able to use our experiences in Avalon Park Wesley Chapel, Daytona, Tavares and in our entrepreneurial undertakings around the globe.

Stephanie:

As a member of the APG senior management team, I am aware of the many lines of business of APG and the global footprint that we have with a on every continent of the world. I’m often asked who is on the Board of Avalon Park Group. We know you that you are the Founder and CEO, along with a team of senior managers, but who is the Board of Directors?

Beat:

APG does not have the classical Board of Directors. You know that it is you, Ross, Marybel, Mari, Cynthia, JJ, Trey, and Eric supported by Nicole, Patty, Alba, Zoralis, Jan, Eric, Michelle, Kenzie, Marielle, Alex, Nery, Matt and the maintenance team, Yelinska, Jessica, Carlos and Kim. Of course, we have procedures, rules and regulations to follow. However, I believe what we do as a development company and the building of the town of Avalon Park, could not have been done by a “classical” company. I am very thankful for the awesome team. From Founders Hall to the Clock Tower building, to the 3680 Avalon Blvd Building and now on the 4th floor of the Avalon Innovation Center, we have moved 4 times. All of those moves were within 100 yards of each other over a quarter century, but most important we stuck together in great and challenging times. And when asked about the secret of success it is just that! As you know, our mission is to change the way the world lives, learns, works and plays, and I believe that starts with the passion and drive our team shows every day in building towns.

Stephanie:

What can we expect in Avalon Park Group over next 25 years?

Beat:

While there is just 1% of vacant land left in Avalon Park Orlando left to build on, you will see a significant amount of important development on that remaining piece. In line with the original master plan that has been in place for the past 25 years, you will see us breaking ground very soon on additional senior living housing, a boutique hotel, large pool and additional commercial uses. Once complete it may be time to start some redevelopment on some of the first buildings. As well as continue to support the management of commercial property and programming in the Downtown. We will then replicate the success of Avalon Park Orlando across our other central Florida developments in Wesley Chapel, Tavares, and Daytona Beach.

Realizing that key to success, we understand the importance of schools in Wesley Chapel as well. The New River Elementary site was dedicated to the County by Avalon Park Group/sitEX. Additionally, Phase 2 of Pinecrest Wesley Chapel Charter School is under construction in Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel and will open in the Winter of 2022. This school is managed by Academica, which operates three National Blue Ribbon Charter Schools in Miami-Dade County. The on-site schools will provide nearly 2.5 times the capacity that are needed to serve all student stations in all of Avalon Park Wesley Chapel.

Stephanie:

If you could go back 25 years, what would you do differently?

Update from Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore

After eight years, this is my last week as a Pasco County Commissioner. It is time for reflection and to share my appreciation of my time in office.

First, I want to say thank you to the citizens of Pasco County for electing me twice. The trust from our citizens was something I always remembered before every meeting and vote.

Early on, we took the steps to make sure Pasco County was somewhere public safety professionals wanted to spend their career, not just be trained, and move on. We worked closely with the Sheriff’s Office and Pasco Fire Rescue to increase their budgets so they had the resources and personal needed to keep the citizens of Pasco County safe and secure. The first ordinance I worked on was increasing the distance sexual predators must live from schools, playgrounds and churches. I’m grateful to have worked on several other public safety issues with Sheriff Chris Nocco over the last eight years.

I’m proud to have earned the support of my fellow Commissioners to have been Chairman of the BOCC twice, in 2017 and 2020 and Vice Chairman in 2016 and 2019.

We’ve worked hard to improve our infrastructure over the last eight years. Most of the major roads in Pasco County are state roads, we have an incredible partner at the state level in FDOT District 7 Secretary David Gwynn and his team. We accomplished the connection of State Road 56 from Wesley Chapel to Zephyrhills, a major undertaking with many people involved. State Roads 52 and 54 are under construction and making great progress. Not long after I leave office, a new interchange on I-75 at Overpass Road will open. This was paid for by Pasco County with an appropriation to help from the Florida Legislature. Our partners in the Florida Legislature have been wonderful at understanding the needs in Pasco and providing support, whether for roads, stormwater, and many other projects.

The Ridge Road Extension is now partially open with more to come. If you live or travel through west and central Pasco, the parts already open have improved your travel. If a major hurricane were to come up the Gulf, the Ridge Road Extension will make a major difference for not just west Pasco, but for Pinellas residents as well.

I’ve also spent last eight years focusing on economic development issues to help bring more high-quality jobs to Pasco County. We wanted to make sure Pasco was not just a bedroom community for our neighbors. We have made great progress towards this goal even with more to do! We sold a former County sprayfield that is now being developed into an industrial complex. Many other projects are happening around the county, from Class A office buildings, to a strong medical manufacturing community, it is great news for Pasco.

I’ve been able to work closely with the Pasco EDC and Office of Economic Growth on these economic development efforts. A recent major policy win was a change made at the October 25th Commission meeting to remove entitlement caps on industrial and targeted businesses in Central Pasco Employment Village area. This will make it MUCH easier for anyone that wants to bring more good jobs to Pasco to do so!

I cannot wait to see the development of the Moffitt Cancer Center research campus in Pasco County. This will be transformation for our community with the jobs it will bring. One day, we may be able to say that the research to cure and prevent cancer happened in Pasco County!

Tourism is also an important part of economic development. I’m proud to have served for last 5 years as Chairman of the Pasco County Tourist Development Council. In Fiscal Year 2014, Pasco County collected $800,000 in TDT revenue, paid by visitors staying in overnight accommodations. In Fiscal Year 2021, we collected $3.6 million.

Our rebranding to Florida’s Sports Coast was not because we like sports or sports are fun. It was a business strategy to bring people and their families here to stay in Pasco hotels, spend money in Pasco stores, and eat in Pasco restaurants. We have seen venues like AdventHealth Center Ice, Pasco County-owned Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County, Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center open in last few years along with the return of scalloping season on our west coast. Adam Thomas and his team at Experience Florida’s Sports Coast office do an amazing job. I look forward to watching their continued success!

When you become an elected official in Florida, you expect a hurricane or other disasters to be part of the response. What you don’t expect is a pandemic. I was Chairman of Pasco County Commission when COVID first arrived in 2020. I convened the first regional meeting of BOCC Chairs and major city mayors to discuss the possibilities of what could happen. I was proud to work with the Pasco Emergency Management team. Along with their normal responsibilities, in last 6 months they have gone to Kentucky to help with flooding and southwest Florida to help with Hurricane Ian recovery. The Pasco Emergency Management team has some of the best professionals in the state and country.

One of my proudest accomplishments as a County Commissioner came in 2019 when I led the charge for a public-private partnership for universal inclusive playground, designed for people with disabilities at Wesley Chapel District Park. This was a specially designed playground we needed our community’s help with fundraising, and they came through big time. $125,000 was donated by Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, and the Lennar Foundation that allowed the County to build this.

While Pasco County continues to be one of the fastest growing counties in the state and the nation, I’m proud to say 24% of land mass in Pasco County is in conservation easements and will never be developed. This is higher percentage than many of our neighboring counties. I’m proud to have supported the ecological corridor ordinance that made sure we connected sensitive lands for our wildlife.

There are many other successes, big and small, over last eight years: ordinances to protect our animals to parks to libraries, supporting our local businesses and much more. There are challenges still, as there will always be, but I am fulfilled from my time in office. I’m grateful to my family for allowing me to serve for these eight years. My successor in District 2, Seth Weightman, will be sworn-in on November 22nd. I wish him and fellow incoming Commissioner Gary Bradford all the best!

I am so appreciative of my fellow Commissioners, County team members, Constitutional officers, and citizens for your support and input over the last eight years.

Thank you, Pasco County! Commissioner Mike Moore

About: Commissioner Mike Moore represented District 2 on the Pasco County Commission from 2014 to 2022. He lives in Wesley Chapel with his wife and three children.

Avalon Park Wesley Chapel Construction Update Pictures

Coming together to create a healthy community

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