Harmony Life - October 2022

COVER PHOTO BY BARRY UNTERBRINK

Welcome to the October 2022 edition of Harmony Life Magazine

Did you know that my wife, Jeanine Corcoran, puts out a weekly video and email for all the Harmony events via email? Send me your email address and I will add you to the list. You can always opt out at any time.

Corcoran Connect in sponsoring a FREE Golf Cart Checkup on November 6th. See the ad inside on page 10.

Harmony Resident and friend Justin Braun has a wonderful flooring company, JMB Hardwood Flooring.

If you are in the market for new flooring, please consider allowing Justin to evaluate and offer a proposal for your precise needs. Visit jmbhardwoodflooring.com for more info.

Phyre is here and open. Below is a link to see their menu, etc.: https://phyre-brewery-and-tavern.business.site

Harmony Life Magazine is produced by residents for residents. Please feel free to message me directly with content and pictures: Bill@QMCWorld.com

Remember to join the Facebook groups, Harmony Residents Forum, AND THE NEW, ADDITIONAL, HARMONY RESIDENTS FORUM, DRAMA FREE.

See you in November!

Bill Bokunic

Publisher Bill@QMCWorld.com

Harmony Life Magazine

Harmony Residents Forum, NO DRAMA

CONTACT

CDD HarmonyCDD.org, 407-566-1935

Dan, Mike, or Kerul@HarmonyCDD.org

SHERIFF, NON-EMERGENCY 407-348-2222

HROA Association Solutions, 811 Mabette St., Kissimmee 407-847-2280, MyHOASolution.com

CONDOS HOA Sentr y Management, 407-846-6323

TOWNHOMES HOA Association Solutions, 811 Mabette St., Kissimmee 407-847-2280, MyHOASolution.com

HARMONY DEVELOPER OFFICE 407-891-8358, HarmonyFL.com

OCTOBER

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SPECTRUM CABLE / INTERNET 877-892-3279

CENTURY LINK CABLE / INTERNET 866-314-4148

OUC ELECTRIC 407-957-7373

ADVANCED DISPOSAL – OSCEOLA 407-605-3892 3501 Pug Mill Rd. Kissimmee, FL 34741 OsceolaFL@advanceddisposal.com

OSCEOLA COUNTY Osceola.org

“Citizen Action Center”

COUNTY COMMISSIONER ricky.booth@osceola.org RICKY BOOTH

NOTES FROM the CHAIR

By Teresa Kramer Chair, Harmony Community Development District

HURRICANE IAN AND HARMONY: How Did We Avoid Power Outages and Flooding?

This month’s article was going to be about innovative ideas on staffing that might help Harmony save money, but that will have to wait until November. Hurricane Ian intervened. As I write this article, Hurricane Ian has just passed over Harmony and in doing so, has taught us all how fortunate we are to be living in Harmony.

The news stories reveal that other communities around us suffered seri ous damage from winds and rain—flooding, power outages, and property damage. But Harmony came through relatively unscathed. Why is this?

Buried Power Lines

Harmony’s original founders envisioned neighborhoods with canopy trees shading all the streets, protecting the homes from the ravaging winds of Florida’s tropical storms and hurricanes. To accomplish this vision Harmony’s power lines were placed underground which had the additional advantage of significantly reducing, if not totally eliminating the power outages that accompany hurricanes. In fact, Harmony has avoided power outages during the last two hurricanes, Irma and Ian. That is not to say that Harmony does not experience power outages, but those outages are due to damage to the substation and the aerial lines that connect us to that substation.

Use of Conservation and Recreation Areas for Stormwater Storage

Harmony currently contains 42 stormwater ponds, 24 of which are scat tered throughout our neighborhoods and 18 that are part of the golf course. None of these ponds discharge directly to Buck or Cat Lake, but instead discharge to Conservation Areas spread throughout Harmony. This allows the storm water to sheet flow through the wetlands, being filtered and absorbed on its way to the lakes on either side on Harmony. Also, during major storm events such as very heavy downpours or a

hurricane like Ian, the stormwater also accumulates in the ponds rais ing the water levels and sometimes spilling over into recreation areas. The use of these typically dry areas for stormwater storage is called “dry detention”. If you have a home that borders one of these dry detention areas you may have noticed that it holds water after a major storm event and then slowly releases it in the following weeks. This should not be alarming as it is a natural part of the stormwater system that protects our homes from flooding.

Maintenance of our Stormwater Infrastructure

For the first time in over 12 years, the CDD, in 2022, instituted a major in spection and maintenance program for Harmony’s stormwater system. Our District Engineer developed and oversaw this program while our Field Services staff and the County Roads and Bridges team, along with Atlantic Pipe Services preformed the maintenance. Together their efforts brought our stormwater sys tem back up to design standards and prevented potential flooding from the over 12 inches of rain that Har mony received during the 24-hour period that Ian was impacting us.

However, there is still more to do. The CDD through our District Engi neer prioritized the stormwater system in our neighborhoods to protect our homes. The next step is a thorough inspection and maintenance of the ponds and pipes that run throughout the golf course.

As you can see, proper planning and construction of Harmo ny’s infrastructure goes hand in hand with its proper mainte nance to protect the community that we love. We are fortunate to live in such a special community. n

Before Maintenance

After Maintenance

DID YOU KNOW?

By Beth Johnson, M.Ed. Harmony Nature & Animal Committee Member

THE BUZZ ABOUT

DID YOU KNOW that there are 4,000 species of bees in North America? About 70% of those bees nestin the ground and are solitary insects, and approximately 25% of bee species are at risk of extinction.

Here are some fun facts about bees and how you can help them survive:

n Honey bees work together in a beehive to produce delicious honey and medicinal propolis, while native bees, such as mason bees and leafcutter bees, are solitary superpollinators. One mason bee can do the work of 120 honey bees!

n Propolis is a natural resinous mixture produced by honey bees to seal and smooth the openings in their hives in order to protect it from weather and predators. Propolis is very useful to humans because it is antibacterial, anti-viral, and antil-fungal!

n Worker bees live approximately 15-38 days in the summer and 150-200 days in the winter, whereas queen bees can live for 1-2 years.

n The queen bee has a circle of bees around her who are called attendants. The name queen bee is a misnomer, because it is the worker bees that make all of the decisions for the hive.

n Bees communicate with each other using pheromones. They release odors from their bodies which other bees can smell. This chemical communication aids the bees in recognition, foraging, reproduction, alerting to danger, and maintaining beehives.

n Bees do a waggle dance to tell the other bees where a flower patch is located.This waggle dance tells the other worker bees the distance and location of the new nectar source.

n A honey bee farm is called an apiary. You might notice some interesting wooden boxes off the side of the road when you travel down 192 or on back roads throughout Harmony

BEES

and St. Cloud. These apiaries are how humans gather honey for sale.

n Beekeepers never take away all of the bees’ honey. Honey is fuel for honey bees, but it’s not all they consume. Bees combine nectar and pollen which ferment to make bee bread. Bee bread is the main source of food for honey bees.

n Honey bees beat their wings to move air in order to help evaporate water. This is how they make honey! Using their thorax muscles to beat their wings, bees can heat up or cool down the entire nest.

n Honey comes in many colors and flavors depending on the region. In Florida, the color of honey is usually a shade of amber. Local flavors include the sweeter and lighter-hued wildflower honey and orange blossom honey, and the darker-hued palmetto honey which has more smoky, woodsy notes.

n Honey bees are exclusive pollinators. They only visit one type of flower their entire life.

n Native bees are super-pollinators, visiting multiple types of flowers and providing nearly one-third of our food supply.

n Native bees typically nest in the ground and they are mostly docile creatures. Most cannot sting.

Ways you can support bees in your own backyard:

• Plant native flowers. You can search the types of regionally appropriate plants by visiting www.beesponsible.com/do/beegardening and using their interactive map. P lease make sure you are following Harmony community guidelines when p lanting pollinator-friendly plants in your yard.

• Don’t use toxic pesticides or herbicides. Using these toxic chemicals

threatens bee populations and is bad for the environment in general.

• Don’t feed sugar water to bees! Feeding bees sugar water trains the bees to come to your manmade source of food instead of searching for nectar among the native plants necessary for our planet’s survival.

• Bee calm! Bees can sense your fear. Remember those pheromones? Humans release fear pheromones which can frighten bees. If you ever come across a curious bee, remain still. Never swat or move quickly around bees. The bee most likely thinks you are a flower and once they realize you are not a source of nectar, they will simply move on.

• You can learn about more ways to protect and support bee populations by visiting The Bee Conservancy online at www.thebeeconservancy.org.

The next time you spot a bee, please take a moment to marvel at how much this little creature does for us in its short life. Respecting bees shows respect for our planet and we can live in harmony with them through continued education and conservation. n

Sources: www.blackhammockbeefarms.com www.beesponsible.com www.cals.arizona.edu www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

RENÉE ELIZABETH

‘From Caribbean Sea to Florida Shores’ is the first collection in telling Renée Elizabeth's story.

Born on the beautiful island of Jamaica, some of Renée Elizabeth’s fondest memories are spending Sundays at the beach in Portland with her mother, Janice. Her love of her strong Caribbean heritage and its natural beauty is often reflected in her artwork.

In 2017, while living in Columbia, SC, she was the victim of a near fatal car accident. She was hit on the head while pregnant with her youngest child. Renée sustained severe nerve damage to her right hand. Through this tragedy, she has found painting, and more specifically, her ‘sponge-ing’ technique, an unorthodox yet beneficial form of physical therapy.

‘From Caribbean Sea to Florida Shores’ is the first collection telling Renée Elizabeth’s story.

A part of the collection will be on display downstairs at the Veteran’s Memorial Library at 821 13th Street, Saint Cloud until October 31, 2022 n

PHOTO

BY RENEE ELIZABETH

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Playing

Corcoran

Rated links course

Cloud

clients

sale

home

HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS

By Stephanie Milfeld Owner, Z and Q – A Children's Boutique

Iwant to begin by saying we are all so very fortunate and thankful that we have no damages from Hurricane Ian and love seeing our community come together in hard times; it is so heartwarming. But, whether you are having a "Hocus Pocus 2" watch party, gearing up for the holiday golf cart parades, or impatiently waiting for a new start in 2023 it’s official, the Holidays are here. If you are new to the area (con grats on surviving your first hurricane) but I wanted to share with you some of the awesome things going on around us.

First off, CLOUD CASH — so this is where you can buy a $10 voucher for $5 and use that voucher as $10 CASH at any participating down town St. Cloud business (which is essentially all of them). You are able to buy up to $200 worth of CLOUD CASH, giving you $400 to spend downtown this holiday season at boutiques, restaurants, hardware, lit erally SO MANY places! It’s a great way to shop local for double your money and you can purchase online and pick it up downtown to avoid any shipping costs. Check it out here: bit.ly/cloudcash2022

Weekend Workshops takes place Saturday, October 8th, Downtown St. Cloud from 10-4pm where there will be tutorials, activities, and work shops for all ages at many of the participating businesses at no extra

cost to you! Some include how to repot your plants, holiday crafts, how to use chalk pain on furniture, how to clean your jewelry correctly at home, and so much more. Check out downtownsaintcloud.com for more info on upcoming events.

Monthly Market returns Downtown on Oct 26th from 5-9pm with over 150 vendors, food trucks, music, and more! Come get your holi day shopping done locally.

Pumpkin Patch - Our favorite local fall attraction is the Partin Ranch Corn Maze & Fall Festival in Kenansville (about 15-20ish minutes from Harmony) Saturday and Sundays from October 15-Nov 6, 10am5pm. Check out partinranchcornmaze.com for more info.

Upcoming Harmony events include the Halloween Movie Night showing "Hocus Pocus" on Friday, Oct 14th, in Town Square (food trucks beginning at 6:30pm). Halloween Market on Sunday, October 23rd, from 10am-2pm. Who could forget the super fun Golf Cart Pa rade on Friday, Oct 28th, beginning at 7:30pm.

Trick-or-Treating! This question gets asked every year; Harmony as a community does trick-or-treating ON Halloween, on October 31st, which this year is a Monday — sorry teachers. Little ones tend to start right before dark and bigger kids as soon as the sun is setting or dark. If you are on Cat Brier, Indiangrass, School House, Five Oaks, Sun drop, Goldflower, Bayflower, or Butterfly I would make sure you start stocking up on candy. Harmony generally has a very good turn out as many outlying areas that don’t have sidewalks or a neighborhood join us, which is so much fun! You can also go trick-or-treating in Downtown St. Cloud on Saturday, October 29th, from 5-7 pm and St. Cloud Mainstreet has other festivities for adults downtain that evening as well. If you have a business and would like to hand out goodies downtown visit bit.ly/trickortreatdowntown – we would like to have you join us!

Literally, SO much is going on this time of year, and this is just the beginning. So get out and about and enjoy the most wonderful time of the year! n

Z and Q – A Children’s Boutique

1037 New York Ave.

Saint Cloud, FL 34769

QUICK REFERENCE DIRECTORY

ADVERTISING & MAGAZINES

Harmony Life

Bill Bokunic

321-331-6398 Bill@QMCWorld.com www.QMCWorld.com

AIR-CONDITION SERVICES

Access Air

Eric Farnsworth

*Harmony Resident* 407-921-0760 ELFarnsworth@live.com

AUTO DEALER

Kisselback Ford 1118 13th Street St. Cloud 407-892-2141 www.KisselbackFord.com

CHILDREN'S BOUTIQUE

Z and Q

*Harmony Resident* 1014 New York Ave. St. Cloud 34769 www.ZandQ.com

CHURCH

Harmony Community Church Meeting 10am Sundays at Harmony Community School (844) 444-FBCH www.HarmonyCommunity.church

CHIROPRACTOR

Living Well Chiropractic

*Harmony Resident* 4041 13th St. St. Cloud 34768 407-957-1337 www.LivingWellCFL.com

CLEANERS

Angie's Glory Cleaning 678- 523-5280 cleaninginharmony1@gmail.com

FINANICAL SERVICES

Edward Jones

Kerry L. Scott, CRPC

4115 Neptune Rd.

St. Cloud 34769 407-498-0147 www.EdwardJones.com

GARAGE DOORS & OPENERS

D.S.I.

Sales / Service / Repairs 407-970-5847 dsigaragedoor@yahoo.com www.dsigaragedoorandopener.com

GOLF CLUB

Royal St. Cloud Golf Links 5310 Michigan Ave., St. Cloud, FL 34769 407-891-7010

GRAPHIC DESIGN & BRANDING SERVICES

Blair Creative Group, Inc. Renée Blair Lake Nona 321-972-3669 www.BlairCG.com

HEALTH & FITNESS / GYM

The Workout 407-764-0297 1429 Hamlin Ave., Unit 10 St. Cloud 34771

HOME INSPECTORS

Budget Services 407-892-8811

HOSPITALS

AdventHealth Partin Settlement Health Park & ER 2488 & 2500 East Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy. Kissimmee, FL 34744 www.YourOsceolaCare.com

Health First-Holmes

Regional Health Care 1350 South Hickory St. Melbourne, FL 32901 321-434-7000

Orlando Health

St. Cloud Hospital 2906 17th St., St. Cloud 407-892-2135 www.OrlandoHealth.com

INSURANCE

Brightway Insurance, The Sterner Agency 407-891-9361 www.BrightwaySterner.com

Healthcare Solutions Team Kim Kirsch 407-870-3462 kkirsch@myhst.com

LAWN CARE

Luv-A-Lawn & Pest Control 407-908-9139 www.LuvALawn.com

Triple Palm Lawns

*Harmony Resident* 407-957-3489 TriplePalmLawn@aim.com

MORTGAGE LENDING

Mortgage Studio

Julie Bretz-Swinarksi 407-758-3443 julie@mtgstudio.net Alyssa Shivmangal 407-408-1413 alyssa@mtgstudio.net

MUSIC LESSONS

Harmony Performance Arts Studio

Amber Lanning & Ellen Short Voice/Piano/Acting 682-936-9551

PAINTING & PRESSURE WASHING

Champions Property Maintenance *Harmony Resident* Joe Murray, 407-766-5051 PARK Wild Florida 3301 Lake Cypress Rd. Kenansville 407-957-3135 www.WildFL.com

PET GROOMING

The Magic Paws 321-440-3724 www.TheMagicPaws.com Mobile Service

Pawfect Cuts of Harmony 407-257-1414 PawfectCutsOfHarmony.com Serving Harmony & St. Cloud

PHYSICIANS

Miriam Carnemolla, APRN AdventHealth Primary Care+ Partin Settlement 2488 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy Kissimmee, FL 34744

St. Cloud Medical Group 1700 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy. St. Cloud 407-891-2965 www.StCloudPhysicians.com

PRINTERS

Creative Printing Services 1115 Pennsylvania Ave. St. Cloud 34769 407-891-9797

Lucky Dog Printing

*Harmony Resident* 1014 New York Ave., St. Cloud 34769 407-593-6984

REAL ESTATE

Corcoran Connect

*Harmony Resident* Jeanine Corcoran Owner/Broker Buy/Sell/Rent/Property Mgmt. 407-953-9118 www.CorcoranConnect.com

RESTAURANT

Koffee Kup

1407 13th Street St. Cloud 34769, Under the Water Tower 407-891-81488 www.TheKoffeeKup.com

Phyre at Harmony 7251 Five Oaks Dr. Harmony

ROOFING

Janney Roofing Brad Hogan 407-567-7856

TRAVEL

Meisner Cruise and Travel *Harmony Resident* 407-738-7088 • tvlwithlinda@gmail.com Facebook: Harmony Get Aways With Meissner Travel

WATER SYSTEMS

Dependable Water Treatment 407-242-7150

WINE & SPIRITS

Levee Liquor & Gas Now Delivering in Harmony! 718 13th St., St. Cloud 407-593-9605 www.LeveeLiquor.com

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