D3-Tequesta Living-Vol.564

Plantation Shutters Florida Inc: Quality Workmanship Never Goes Out of Style

By Gina Zuk

Moving into a new home comes with many choices. One of the decisions that must be addressed is window coverings. For Florida residents, the decision is especially important due to humidity levels, sunlight, and heat exposure. Beautiful plantation shutters are a classic style that will never go out of fashion. ey have been around as early as the 18th century and became particularly popular throughout the southern United States where it was important to protect home interiors from the sun and heat. Whether you’re trying to achieve a modern design or complement period features, plantation shutters can match a plethora of styles. You deserve the best for yourself, your family, and your home or business. When it comes to plantation shutters, one of your absolute best choice of providers is Plantation Shutters Florida. Owner and operator, Santos Ajucum emphasizes the di erence between regular blinds and plantation shutters, “Blinds are just window coverings, plantation shutters save energy, protect oors and furniture and act as an insulator from sun and sound. Regular blinds cannot do that.” Santos has been in the business for over 25 years and learned how to manufacture and custom-create shutters for all shapes and sizes of windows. He specializes in architectural designs including arches, curves, oor-to-ceiling, doors, and unique sizes and shapes of all kinds. “I have been in manufacturing since 1997, it doesn’t matter what shape a window is, we nd a solution for the customer,” declares Santos. e family-owned business is the largest manufacturer of plantation shutters in South Florida. is is a huge bene t to customers because on-site manufacturing allows customers to buy direct and enjoy a quick turnaround time between sale and installation. Installation can be completed in just seven days! eir ability to deliver and install stunning shutters in your home in just seven days truly sets Plantation Shutters Florida apart from any competitor. If a window covering establishment tells you it will take eight to 12 weeks for installation, most likely your blind is coming from overseas. Santos’s experience in the industry taught him how to manufacture his product faster without compromising quality.

Plantation

Shutters Florida is e cient. “Whatever we manufacture today, we install tomorrow, we do not have to use the room to store materials,” states Santos. All the manufacturing is completed on-site in their workshop which provides an impressive production capacity

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of 8,000 square feet of exquisite shutters each month! e entire process is e cient and streamlined which keeps costs down for their customers. At Plantation Shutters Florida, customers receive a free consultation in their home or at their 10,000-squarefoot showroom combined with workshop. e professional, trained team of experts will come to your home and take precise measurements of every window. If needed, a custom template is created to allow for a perfect tting shutter. Other businesses may sell shutters, but don’t really know them and they end up sourcing stock shutters from China which of course cannot be customized. At Plantation Shutters Florida, customers also receive seal caps that cover the unsightly window seal and match the design of the shutter, providing a polished and nished look. Santos had three years of color mix training by Sherwin Williams which allows Plantation Shutters Florida to create any desired color. “It’s easy for me to see the color based on years of working with colors and seeing how they react,” Santos admits, “I can just eyeball it and make any custom color a customer wants.” is service cannot be duplicated with stock shutters from China. In fact, competitors will advise their customers to call Plantation Shutters Florida for custom color and design selections.

Customer Satisfaction Above All Else

A Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited company, Plantation Shutters Florida is a trusted and valued provider to home and business owners throughout Florida. Customers choose Plantation Shutters Florida not only for their dedication to excellence, their quality workmanship, and competitive prices but also for the company’s trustworthy and reputable reputation. Santos warns consumers to be wary of businesses who claim to sell shutters, collect a deposit and not follow through on the job. Unfortunately, that occurs too o en. Santos proudly admits, “We are established in the community and we are not going anywhere.” He currently has 18 employees including trained installers that have been with Plantation Shutters Florida for 17 years. Subcontractors are never needed or used because they are not trained in the installation process. Santos likes to make himself available to his customers. “If people want to speak to me for whatever reason, I am there for them, “states Santos. Santos also likes to take a hands-on approach to his business and get involved in painting, manufacturing, installation, and whatever it takes to get the job done. e Best of Houzz, Angie’s List, and Hometown News Best Readers’ Choice awardwinning company has provided plantation shutters to Saint Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach and the Marriot Resort in Palm Beach and Orlando for the last eight

years. Customers and the local community are Santos’s priorities. He has provided thousands of dollars in plantation shutter donations to the Quantum House and Dogs For Life Inc.- two local non-pro t organizations.

Fully licensed and insured, all of Plantation Shutters Florida’s products are made with high-quality sustainable woods and corrosion-resistant Ultra-Poly and hardware right in their own workshop in Fort Pierce. Santos and his sta welcome collaboration with interior designers and builders on both residential and commercial projects. Visit them at their showroom and see their ne attention to detail, and uncompromising commitment to quality in their raw materials and nished products. Plantation Shutters Florida, Inc is located at 406 Farmers Market Road in Fort Pierce. e showroom is open Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM and Saturdays from 7:00 AM - 1:00 PM. For more information visit www.plantationshutters a.com or call 772-872-6805.

Dr. Gaeta is a Board Certified Implant Dentist with over 35 years of experience. Dr. Gaeta is a General Dentist and is a Diplomate of The American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry (ABOI/ID), a Fellow at Misch Implant Institute and an Associate Fellow at the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID).

Diplomates are AAID members who have become Diplomates of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry (ABOI/ID). The ABOI/ID is a certification agency that serves independently to protect members of the public who seek dental implant care. This designation signifies that these dentists have met the highest criterions in oral implantology; that they have met educational and experiential standards, have reached an in-depth level of knowledge and acquired a proficient level of skill and ability.

For What It’s Worth

There are two things you might want to know about me. e rst is that I’m sensitive. at doesn’t mean I don’t have a backbone, a er all I am originally a Jersey Girl, but spending more than half my life in Florida has so ened me, and DNA is the rest of it. I am blessed with an optimistic outlook, much to the chagrin of many people I have met along the way. I’ve been told that no one wants to hang out with a pollyanna day in and day out, so I try to temper my happy demeanor as much as possible. e reason I bring this up, is because it has come to my attention that my three latest columns about Cleveland Clinic, beginning with a negative attitude about the untimely medical service, then morphing into another column of those of you who agreed with me, with horror stories of your own in getting appointments, which nally turned into being invited to meet the president of Cleveland Clinic for a sit-down and let it all hang out in his o ce. Anyway, my last column has invoked angry words in someone. I have been accused of selling out so to speak, or being less than forthright, and perhaps even getting a long-awaited appointment with my doctor traded for a positive column about my hope that Cleveland Clinic will become the “patient- rst” hospital that we all want. I gave Dr. Singh a thumbs up, with cautious optimism, and I still do.

I have to say it. My feelings were hurt on several levels. First, I am not a paid employee of this magazine, and as such, I have no reason to write anything except what I personally think about topics in a truthful manner, hence, the title, For What It’s Worth. For some of you, it may be worth something. For others, it may be worth nothing at all. I am all about disagreement, a er all, that’s what makes the world go round, but we can disagree kindly. I am not

by Dr. Mel , Ph.D.

apologizing for my hopeful attitude. Most of my columns try to include, wonder, happiness, positivity and optimism. Sometimes, if something rubs me the wrong way, I may vent, but even then, I am always hopeful. If we don’t have hope, what do we have, a er all? I understand that I cannot please everyone all the time, and that is not my reason for writing this column, but it saddens me that it seems we can no longer have any optimism in an open forum, without hostility and anger toward the writer. To set the record straight, I am not a journalist, I am a nurse. I also did not major in English grammar in school, and at times there have been typos for which I apologize.

ere is an editor at the magazine who I count on to save me from myself, but sometimes she gets busy and lets me go under. My topics are varied. I am not trying to uncover hidden agendas or cast shade on people or places for the general public. I am just sharing a piece of myself and my thoughts through my column. If you like what I have to say, please keep reading. I am humbled by your positive messages and the time you have taken to email me. If you don’t like what I have to say, that’s ne too, but please skip over my column rather than wasting your time reading it, and making unkind and personal comments. We’re all just trying to do the best we can. Commenting on Cleveland Clinic was gutsy on my part. I thought long and hard about it, but I hoped it might lead to change. I think it may open up some positive avenues for all of us. It was never meant to be the explosion that it caused, but I hope that all of your emails will help to change the situation there, (no, I never disclosed your names) and I appreciate your input, as does Dr. Singh, President of Cleveland Clinic. To be clear, I am not and have never been, paid for my columns, I was not given any incentive to write a positive third column a er

my meeting with him, I was not given an earlier appointment with my physician, (still waiting until August!) and I am not an investigative reporter. I can’t do anything more than share my stories, and hope you will still share yours.

e second thing you should know about me is that I am writing under a pen name. is column was started six years ago as kind of a lark, to be short-lived and I thought anonymity would be best, since I still had an o ce practice. I am now retired, but the column continues, lol. I have written a novel, soon to be out on Amazon, ngers crossed, and at that time, I will have to let you know who I am, in the hopes that you might want to read it. For now, thank you for all your encouragement and support over the years. I will try not to let you down. I love writing, and I love that many of you have given me your kindest words over the years. It is the reason I keep going. I am sorry that I wasn’t able to personally write you back, but I couldn’t reveal my personal email without letting the cat out of the bag.

For what it’s worth, if you keep reading, I’ll keep writing.

ACE OF CARTS : Your Local Golf

By Gina Zuk

The Florida lifestyle provides us with a host of options for getting from point A to point B... from scooters to speed boats, we’ve got them all! e golf cart in particular has, with all of the gated communities in the Sunshine State, become an easy and convenient way to get around the area. Golf carts aren’t just for private neighborhoods or the links though; in fact, they have even become a quick way to tote the kids to and from the bus stop every day! Do the prices at the pumps tempt you to put the car in the garage for a while? Head to Ace of Carts, the area’s largest golf cart superstore with the best selection of golf carts, golf cart accessories, and top-notch service!

Ace of Carts is a family-owned and operated business led by Nick Rotundo and his dad, Rock Rotundo. Nick and Rock were in the automotive business together before making the move from upstate New York to south Florida seven years ago. Nick explains that a er moving, his family had a di cult time purchasing a golf cart for his grandmother, who had moved into a gated community. So, Nick and Rock ventured into the golf cart sales business together, becoming an authorized retailer for ClubCar, Yamaha, Icon, and Polaris Commercial golf carts.

In 2018, the Rotundo family moved the business to its current Stuart location (formally Tri County Golf Carts). Ace of Carts now employs over 30 sales, service, and customer care personnel, and is the highest volume sales dealer of golf carts in the area! In addition to golf carts, Ace of Carts has an inventory of electronically-assisted bikes (ebikes) for the bike rider who wants a more comfortable option when it comes to pedaling uphill.

Aside from their vast inventory, Ace of Carts is the go-to source for many Palm Beach, St Lucie, and

Martin County residents due to Nick and Rock’s industry experience and dedication to exceptional service. In these challenging times of supply and demand, the service team at Ace of Carts does everything possible to guarantee that customers have their service and sales needs met. Ace of Carts’ factory-trained technicians have the knowledge to provide quality diagnostics, service, and repair for any golf cart. ey realize that golf carts are important to lifestyle routines, so they make timely service a priority.

One of many happy Google reviewers says of Ace of Carts, “I purchased my Club Car cart from Ace of Carts about four years ago and have been supported by them the entire time. If I have questions, I receive answers by a call or text immediately. ey truly want the entire experience to be as close to perfect as possible. Nick and the entire family are fantastic… and I like supporting a family business…”

In addition to their Stuart location, Ace of Carts has expanded to two more locations, one in Daytona Beach and the other, newest one in Tequesta, the Grand Opening of which is later this month. Tequesta’s premier 3,000 square foot showroom will still have the same o erings as the other locations, but will be more focused on the customer experience. Nick explains, “ e Tequesta location will be geared more toward the golf customer.”

Like Ace of Carts’ other locations, the Tequesta location will provide FREE cart pick up and delivery with almost every sale. Ace of Carts also o ers 0% nancing for 48 months on select products, making it easy to purchase a golf cart that will absolutely be the envy of the neighborhood.

Find the perfect golf cart at Ace of Carts, and stay tuned for the Tequesta Ace of Carts Grand Opening!

Saturdays from 9AM to 3PM.

Ace of Carts in Stuart is located at 4880 SE Federal Highway.

Ace of Carts in Daytona Beach is located at 2674 LPGA Boulevard.