June 2017 LAKE NONA | NARCOOSSEE | LEE VISTA | ST. CLOUD | CONWAY | HARMONY | KISSIMMEE
what’s
INSIDE: CONWAY-BELLE ISLE where the lake is your living room THE
I LIVE HERE: RIVAS FAMILY
real estate rental listings
JULY
social
Say hello to Taylor, the red fox, and Honeybear, the ring-tailed lemur, two of your educational ambassadors at Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge in Moss Park. Photo credit: Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge
A ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday, April 4, 2017, marked the reopening of the Belle Isle Police Station and honored Chris Comins’ generous gift to his community.
Because you live, work & play in the East Orlando area Publisher/Owner
STEVE FUSILIER steve@realtygroupfl.com
Editorial
LYNNETTE FUSILIER lynnette@cfmonthly.com
EDITOR’S NOTE
Sales
KELLY MOE kelly@cfmonthly.com COURTNEY NEZBETH courtney@cfmonthly.com
& chill
You get to a place in life where you can slow down and have more time to help people. I’ve had a life of blessings. Now it’s my turn to share those blessings with my community wherever and whenever I can. —Chris Comins, Florida National News
Hi
there, neighbors.
Have you thought about what you can contribute to making your community a better place to live? Belle Isle resident Chris Comins privately funded and managed the renovations of the local police station. He not only repaired the space—he improved it, making it a safer, environmentally friendly, and more comfortable workplace for law enforcement officers. It’s easy to confuse giving from your wallet with giving from your heart. In this case, Mr. Comins did both.
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A simple kind act (helping an elderly neighbor, picking up litter on the street, smiling at a stranger, saying hello to your neighbor) is a form of social currency. And the more you spend from your emotional wallet, the richer our community (and your life) will become.
In gratitude,
lynnette
P.S. Read more about the Belle Isle Police Department and Mr. Comins’ generous gift at Florida National News, floridanationalnews.com/ blog/local-resident-funds-belle-isle-police-station-renovations.
AMI BROWN shearosefoto@aol.com
Graphic Design
AUDREY MORAN audreymdesigns@gmail.com
MORE ABOUT YOU, PLEASE!
Connect with others who live, work and play in the East Orlando area. Meet new people, discover new places and learn new things.
eat, drink and network — poolside
So, like the commercial says: what’s in your wallet?
Photography
JULY 12, 6-8PM at
But heartfelt contributions don’t have to be financial.
We each have unique gifts—yes, you too! And I wager Mr. Comins will agree: Collectively, our social capital can make us more wealthy than our financial capital.
SHANNON SMILEY shannon@cfmonthly.com
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1660 Marina Lake Dr, Kissimmee, FL 34744 5 BED • 3 BATH • 3676 SQ FT ASHLEY COVE Chris Pixley 352.267.4244
Lakefront Living at It’s Finest! Don’t miss your chance to own this immaculate, custom-built lakefront home. This Mediterranean inspired home features 5 Bedrooms-3 Baths offers plenty of room for any family! Entering the home you’re greeted by a beautiful foyer with views through the home to the amazing backyard and lake.
6778 New Hope Rd, Orlando, FL 32824 4 BED • 3 BATH • 3314 SQ FT • CUSTOM Laura Alves 407.496.7616
12155 Aztec Rose Ln, Orlando, FL 32827 4 BED • 3 BATH • 2455 SQ FT • VILLAGE WALK Lisiana Dutka 248.563.9889
11825 Nautica Dr, Orlando, FL 32827 4 BED • 3 BATH • 1720 SQ FT • CORNER UNIT Laura Alves 407.496.7616
16431 Tudor Grove Dr, Orlando, FL 32828 3 BED • 2 BATH • 2160 SQ FT • GATED Patrick Pixley 352.516.4427
8088 Prestbury Dr, Orlando, FL 32832 3 BED • 3 BATH • 1799 SQ FT • EAGLE CREEK Joey Guest 407.476.7660
6072 Lake Melrose Dr, Orlando, FL 32829 5 BED • 3 BATH • 3920 SQ FT • GATED Joey Guest 407.476.7660
5331 Carson St, Saint Cloud, FL 34771 5 BED • 5 BATH • 5772 SQ FT • POOL HOME Chris Pixley 352.267.4244
2140 Shadow Creek Dr, Kissimmee, FL 34746 4 BED • 2.5 BATH • 2840 SQ FT • CORNER LOT Lourdes Valdes 407.234.1955
13661 Granger Ave, Orlando, FL 32827 5 BED • 4.5 BATH • 4650 SQ FT • POOL HOME Haji Shimabukuro 407.435.1910
1141 Audubon Way, Maitland, FL 32751 4 BED • 3 BATH • 3376 SQ FT • PRIVATE LAKE ACCESS Chris Pixley 352.267.4244
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FEATURE PROPERTY conway
0 Seminole Dr, Belle Isle, FL 32812 4 BED • 3.5 BATH • 3800 SQ FT • LAKEFRONT Chris Pixley 352.267.4244
10203 Kristen Park Dr, Orlando FL 32832 4 BED • 3 BATH • DOWNSTAIRS MASTER • $2100 Lourdes Valdes 407.234.1955
6072 Lake Melrose Dr, Orlando, FL 32829 5 BED • 3 BATH • VISTA LAKES • $2450 Joey Guest 407.412.4111 x 1
9858 Tivoli Villa Dr, Orlando, FL 32829 3 BED • 2.5 BATH • 1-CAR GARAGE • $1395 Laura Alves 407.496.7616
1550 Caterpillar St, Saint Cloud, FL 34771 3 BED • 2 BATH • TURTLE CREEK • $1650 Keith Race 407.476.0476
7830 Holiday Isle Dr, #302, Belle Isle, FL 32812 3 BED • 2 BATH • 1808 SQ FT • LAKEFRONT Chris Pixley 352.267.4244
0 Nela Ave, Belle Isle, FL 32812 4 BED • 4.5 BATH • 3850 SQ FT • LAKEFRONT Chris Pixley 352.267.4244
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to live in a lakefront condo on the Conway Chain of Lakes! This immaculate condo is located on the top floor in the Windward Condos on Lake Conway. The condo contains a western view and offers some of best sunsets that Central Florida has to offer!
3654 Gatlin Place, Orlando, FL 32812 4 BED • 3 BATH • 2611 SQ FT • LAKEFRONT Keith Race 407.476.0476
2414 Hoffner Ave, Belle Isle, FL 32812 3 BED • 2 BATH • 1647 SQ FT • UPDATED Chris Pixley 352.267.4244
11835 Gennaro Ln, Orlando, FL 32827 3 BED • 2 BATH • PRIVATE POOL • $2395 Keith Race 407.476.0476
8012 Prestbury Dr, Orlando, FL 32832 3 BED • 2.5 BATH • EAGLE CREEK TOWNHOME • $1675 Ryan Smith 407.616.3301
5018 Monet Ave, Belle Isle, FL 32812 4 BED • 3 BATH • 2431 SQ FT • COMMUNITY BOAT RAMP Chris Pixley 352.267.4244
0 Daetwyler Dr, Belle Isle, FL 32812 4 BED • 3.5 BATH • PRECONSTRUCTION • LAKEFRONT Chris Pixley 352.267.4244
8449 Martinson St, Orlando, FL 32837 4 BED • 3.5 BATH • LAUREATE PARK • $2595 Lisiana Dutka 248.563.9889
11854 Nautica Dr, Orlando, FL 32827 4 BED • 3 BATH • MAINTENANCE-FREE LIFESTYLE • $1925 Laura Alves 407.496.7616
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CONWAYBELLE ISLE
The Conway Chain is one of Orlando’s most popular lakefront communities.
WHERE THE LAKE IS YOUR LIVING ROOM Text by Chad Walsh
hen Sara Evans first moved to a new lakeside home right off the Conway sandbar in Central Florida’s Belle Isle last year, she received a friendly tip: Make Costco runs a habit, and while you’re there, stock up on snacks and soda pop— especially for the weekends. The reason? When school’s out, the neighborhood’s kids and teenagers have made a ritual of taking out the family boat and docking it outside of random homes. The snacks and soda pop are for them. On its face, one could conclude that the town’s kids might have more autonomy than is good for them, but Evans says this isn’t the case. Residents of the Conway neighborhood and the quaint nearby town of Belle Isle are tight-knit, and the chain of lakes that surrounds them is the community gathering space. Collectively, they’re its living room where people water ski, wakeboard, wakesurf, tube, swim, fish and socialize. “We love to spend time on the lake here,” Evans says. “And we love the town, too. It’s small, quiet and has a real hometown feel—we even have our own police department.” Before moving to Belle Isle, Evans and her husband, Brock, ran an excavation company out of Wedgefield, a small town that she says was far away from everything—restaurants, grocery stores and lakes. But Brock had grown up in Belle Isle and was able to persuade her to move to the neighborhood, which also happened to be a lot closer to where most of their excavation work is done: Lake Nona.
Residents of the Conway neighborhood and the quaint nearby town of Belle Isle are tight-knit, and the chain of lakes that surrounds them is the community gathering space.
“Besides,” Evans says, “Brock still has roots here. A lot of his family still lives here, and his mom still lives in the same house he grew up in.” The same story is true for Jennifer Hinkle, a commercial loan assistant for Valley National Bank. She and her husband, Greg, decided to raise their two children in Conway because of family roots in the area.
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The Evans Family: (left to right): Britney, Sara, Meritt, Brock and Brayden.
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“I have lived in Conway my entire life,” Hinkle says. “My father was born and raised in Conway, too. My mother still lives in the house that my two brothers and I were raised in. I stayed in the area because there’s a strong sense of community here. It’s great that the friends I grew up with are still here and our children are growing up together and playing baseball together.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Baseball, she says, consumes most of her family’s time. But she’s used to it. She and her brothers all used to play ball. A passion for the game is blood-deep. In addition to the yearlong baseball weather and water activities, Evans and Hinkle both like Belle Isle and Conway because, unlike other Lake Nona-area neighborhoods, they have their own amenities. If Evans wants to take her husband and their three kids to dinner, they don’t have to load up the car and make the short drive to Lake Nona or the longer one to downtown Orlando. Rather, they can just hop in the car and go—or even walk—to Cork & Fork, a farm-to-table restaurant that specializes in seafood and wine. (Evans says she always orders the pan-seared salmon, but not before starting her dinner with an order of deviled eggs that come topped with bacon jam.) The neighborhood also has its own craft beer bar, The Gnarly Barley, which pours all kinds of drafts and whips up gourmet sandwiches. (Evans says she’s a sucker for the turkey bacon and cream cheese sando.) With a small-town feel, nearby restaurants, a family-like community that values the many interconnected lakes that surround it, and living just a 20-minute walk from her job, Evans says she’d rather be here than anywhere else. With all that, frequent Costco trips seem like a small price of admission. n
...unlike other Lake Nona-area neighborhoods, [Belle Isle and Conway] have their .
own amenities
Central Florida’s Conway-Belle Isle area is a water lover’s paradise, encircled by a chain of lakes that can be traversed at any time of year. The lakes are ideal for a long, casual boat ride, but it’s the swimmers, water skiers, tubers and wakeboarders who bring the neighborhood’s waterways to life. And they’re ideal for fishing, too —there’s even a community bass fishing competition held each week.
4 BOAT RAMPS Public
IS HOME TO...
the Co nway
CHAIN a chain of lakes comprised of:
• Randolph Ramp: Intersection of Randolph Ave. and Hoffner Ave.
• Venetian Ramp: Intersection of Parkway Dr. and Pasadena Dr.
• Perkins Ramp: Intersection of Perkins Rd. and Lake Dr.
• Ferncreek Ramp: Intersection of S. Ferncreek Ave. and Waterwitch Dr.
• • • • •
LAKE CONWAY (SOUTH POOL) LAKE CONWAY (MIDDLE POOL) LITTLE LAKE CONWAY (WEST POOL) LITTLE LAKE CONWAY (EAST POOL) LAKE GATLIN
The canals connecting all of the lakes are managed by the Conway Navigational Board, which is volunteer board through Orange County that assists in the allocation of funds and resources for management of the Lake Conway Chain waters.
The city of Belle Isle is close to Orlando International Airport, being only three miles northwest of it.
ZIP CODES 32806 & 32812 TOTAL HOMES SOLD in 2016
1205
$220,000 MEDIAN HOME PRICE 2016
Two of Conway’s young residents: (left to right) Lukas and Aries Rivas
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$235,645 AVERAGE HOME PRICE 2016
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PUBLIC PARKS:
8 IN BELLE ISLE: • Regal (Montmart) Park • Venetian Park • Lesser Park • Swann Beach • Delia Beach (Gene Polk Park)
• Lagoon (Trimble) Park • Gilbert Park • Warren Park
2 IN CONWAY: • Barber park • Fort Gatlin Recreation Complex CENTRAL FLORIDA MONTHLY
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THE RIVAS FAMILY
I LIVE
Q&A with KATHERINE RIVAS Name and age: My name is Katherine Rivas, and I have a family of five. My husband and I have been married for eight years. Our 13-year-old daughter attends Conway Middle School and, this upcoming school year, our five-year-old son will start Kindergarten at Shenandoah Elementary. Our two-year-old son keeps us all very active. Hometown: New York. I was born in Astoria, Queens, and my husband migrated to Washington Heights, New York City when he was 13 years old. Current neighborhood: Conway, KennedySimmons neighborhood How do you pay the bills? I work for Fusilier Management Group as a Realtor and specialize in property management and leasing. I also work in the office as the administrative assistant. My husband works for Berman Property Management at Nona Village Plaza where he handles maintenance. What do you create? I believe I’ve created a beautiful, humble family and my priority is for my children to grow up to be kind, independent individuals. How did you land in Orlando? Years ago, my sister came here to attend college, and later, my mother and then my brother followed. And as soon as I started my family, I knew I wanted to raise my children in Orlando, FL. Do you hold an annual pass? If so, to which park? Yes, we all have Seaworld and Aquatica passes. They offer lots of fun rides, activities and entertainment for children under five— and adults.
How you can participate: Say hello to the Rivas Family: (pictured left to right) Katherine, Aries, Gustavo, Lukas, and Nicole.
There are three simple rules to participate in CFM’s I Live Here Project. You must: 1. answer all of the questions. 2. be willing to be photographed in your neighborhood.
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What is the last book you read? The “50 Shades of Grey” trilogy. As a former stay-athome mom with my first child, I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Now, I try to grab a book and fall asleep. Name your favorite tattoo: My wedding date on my ring finger. Last thing you ate at a food truck? Latin Food Truck, last summer on Conway Road. I also had curry, but I don’t recall the name of the truck. What is your favorite farmers’ market and why? Conway Farmer’s Market in Barber Park every third Sunday of each month. Butterbeer, Dole whip, or _______? Margaritas. Springs, lakes, or oceans? Oceans. Clearwater is my favorite. Only in Orlando moment? The weather changes in the blink of an eye but at least there’s no snow. Dog person or cat person? Dog. We have a beautiful Labradoodle. If you could change one thing about Orlando, what would it be? Coming from New York, where you can find every food, at every hour, in every corner, I miss the variety of foods. There are too many chain restaurants in Orlando. Where can we find you on the web? Fusilier Realty Group, www.realtygroupfl.com, for any of your real estate needs. n
3. live, work or play in one of the zip codes we cover: 32812, 32827, 32829, 32832, 34741, 34771 or 34773. Sound good? Great. Send us an email (lynnette@cfmonthly. com) and we’ll send you the questions. After you return your answers to us, we’ll schedule your photo shoot and put you in the queue for publication. And, of course, we’ll give you the heads up when we publish your Q&A in the magazine or online. Because #InternetFamous.
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The Harmon
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COMMUNITY AT A GLANCE: Prices from the mid $300s | Up to 6 bedrooms and approx. 4,350 sq. ft. | Dual master bedrooms and guest suites available Near popular schools, shopping, dining, Lake Nona and Medical City | Few homesites remain Ask about our complimentary design assistance!
SPECIAL OFFER FOR COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS: Police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, paramedics, teachers, government employees and members of the military enjoy $2,000 toward Home Gallery™ options and upgrades on homes that contract by 6/30 and finance through HomeAmerican Mortgage Corporation.*
Tour our stunning Harmon model home at 2799 Autumn Breeze Way, Kissimmee, FL 34744. *Offer is only valid for teachers, police officers, firefighters, paramedics, doctors, nurses and government employees (“Community Champions”) and military buyers on new contracts by new buyers signed on or before June 30, 2017, with Richmond American Homes of Florida, LP if financing is provided by HomeAmerican Mortgage Corporation. HomeAmerican Mortgage Corporation’s principal offices are located at 4350 S. Monaco Street, Suite 200, Denver, CO 80237 (NMLS Unique Identifier #130676; NMLS Consumer Access website: http://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org), 866.400.7126. Community Champions will need to show proof of employment as a Community Champion and military buyers will need to present their military identification cards. Buyers will receive a $2,000 credit toward options and upgrades at the Richmond American Home GalleryTM. Promotion amount is not payable or redeemable in cash. Actual amount may vary by community, plan, elevation and/or location, and is subject to legal limits and restrictions. One certificate per purchase. Visit a Sales Center for details. Promotions must be mentioned at time of contract and are not valid on lot or community transfers, plan changes or in conjunction with any other promotions. Richmond American reserves the right to change or withdraw these promotions at any time without notice. The Richmond American Homes companies (RAH) and HomeAmerican Mortgage Corporation (HMC) are owned, directly or indirectly, by M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. and, therefore, are affiliated companies. RAH and HMC offer services independently of each other, and if you obtain a product or service from one company, you are not required to utilize the services of, or obtain products from, the other company. Your decision to use a company that is not affiliated with RAH or HMC will not affect your ability to obtain products and services from these companies. Prices, specifications and availability are subject to change without notice. Actual homes as constructed may not contain the features and layouts depicted and may vary from image(s). Square footage is approximate. Dates and times are subject to change without notice. ©2017 Richmond American Homes, Richmond American Homes of Florida, LP, CBC125824.
Call 321.441.3671 or visit RichmondAmerican.com for more information. 22
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