Baldwin Park Living October 2022

BALDWIN PARK LIVING

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CONTENTS

ONLINE:

PROST!

Tactical Brewing hosted its annual Oktoberfest Saturday, Sept. 10. OrangeObserver.com

10 BALDWIN PARK NOTEBOOK

Read about recent decisions made by community leaders.

12 WHAT A GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD WE LIVE IN It’s fall, y’all! Time for some seasonal fun!

12 COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Find your community fun in our monthly calendar.

14 ALL THE RIGHT NOTES Singer Florencia Minniti released her first single.

18 PEDAL POWER! Meet the men behind Baldwin Park’s Pedego.

21 BEAUTIFUL BALDWIN Baldwin is the perfect community for Halloween!

LIVING

EDITORIAL

ADVERTISING

PRODUCTION

BALDWIN PARK ALTAMONTE SPRINGS

Baldwin Park notebook

ROA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

BY STACEY FRYREAR

The following information is a glimpse of the ROA’s general updates for the month. A copy of the official Aug. 9, 2022, Organi zational Meeting Minutes and the Aug. 23, 2022, Regular Meeting Minutes can be obtained on the Community Network, Baldwin ParkNetwork.com.

The board approved the following items or work:

n The board appointed Mr. Kai Fu as president, Mr. Michael Gibbons as vice president, Mrs. Tiffani Lindstrom as treasurer and Mr. Frederick Burnett as secretary.

n The Board appointed Mr. William Campbell and Mrs. Irene Navarro de Lara to the Joint Com mittee as the Residential Owners Association representatives.

n The board approved plant fill-ins in the City Homes No. 3 Mews.

n The board approved replacing the server at the Association office at Grace Hopper Hall, including Sonicwall Firewall.

n The board approved revising the Association Assessment Management Policy (collection policy) to allow for 20 days between sending the reminder notice and the notice of late assessment through the end of January 2023.

UPDATES

COMPLETED ACTIONS

1. Replaced light fixtures, includ ing a dimmer, in High Park pavilion.

2. High Park replacement slings for lounges and dining chairs have been installed by main tenance.

HELPFUL INFORMATION FOR OWNERS

Fall is a great opportunity to get outside, take a look around and make notes of any maintenance needs that you see on your property. Keeping your property well maintained coincides with property values. Baldwin Park has been described as vibrant, presti gious, shiny and new-looking. The first home was moved into in 2003, so some areas of the community are starting to show their age. Just because a property isn’t new doesn’t mean it can’t still be beautiful and well maintained. Home owners should do their part to

3. Gutter cleaning at High Park.

4. Repainted sections of Enders pool deck where it peeled. Warranty work.

5. Re-affixed pool light poles at Enders.

6. Biannual pressure-washing of Parks and Mews.

7. Quarterly pressure washing of City Homes No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 Mews.

8. Playground mulch installation at Union Park playground and Ender’s playground.

9. Maintenance replaced the drivers in 21 bollard lights in CH No. 2 and CH No. 3 Mews. These took a lightning hit.

10. Plant installs at Oak Mews.

11. Sod replacement at Dorwin Park.

12. Replaced declining Podocar pus at Union Park. Warranty work.

keep the neighborhood one of Orlando’s finest. The below is a list of items to get you started on maintenance needs.

n Fences: Does your fence need to be cleaned (power-washed) or painted/stained and repaired?

n Grass/sod: Should always be neat (cut, edged and trimmed). Grass or weeds including grass growing over and along the curb, in the street or alleyway, should be remedied. Weeds in the yard and in landscape beds must be addressed and a treatment plan in place.

n House: Does your house need power-washed or painted? Are there obvious repairs needed? Check the roof, siding, gutters,

PENDING ACTIONS

1. Replacement tables for Enders pool.

2. Coordinating pool furniture donation to Habitat for Humanity after all of the new furniture at Enders is delivered.

3. Rafter tail repairs at Enders.

4. Repaint NEV garage floor.

5. Bermuda sod aeration to be done in September.

6. Parts to repair two bollard lights in CH 2 Mews and one bollard in CH 3 Mews. Light ning hit.

7. Mailing of notice to members related to the adoption of the basketball equipment policy and change to Exhibit C along with the 2023 coupons.

8. AC systems replacement at Grace Hopper Hall downstairs.

9. Proposal for elevator update to address changes in code at Grace Hopper Hall (monitor ing position of the power-op erated car doors that are

screens and trim for any prob lems.

n Driveways, sidewalks and porches: Should be pow er-washed and repaired if necessary.

n Exterior changes: Any exterior change to your home including but not limited to painting, re placing or adding gutters, roofs, fences, windows, plant mate rials/sod/trees, accessories, structural changes, etc. requires ARC approval. All applications can be found at baldwinparknet work.com under ARC Appli cations. If you have questions, please call the ARC Coordinator at 407-740-5838 or email ARC@ baldwinparkpoa.com.

mechanically coupled with the landing doors).

10. Repair and painting of talking table at Grace Hopper Hall.

11. Backflow repairs at Grace Hopper by Wayne Automatic.

12. Replacement of cameras and recorders at facility centers. Estimated 10- to 20-week delivery.

13. Pressure washing, calking and touch up painting at Grace Hopper Hall and Enders facility centers. De ferred to 2023 by the board.

14. Pressure washing, calking and painting of the pergolas at Parkland Quadrangle and Longview. Deferred to 2023 by the board.

15. Pressure washing and paint ing of the bollard lighting in CH No. 2 Mews. Deferred to 2023 by the board.

16. Pressure washing and painting of the knee walls and benches in CH No. 2 and CH No. 3 Mews. Deferred to 2023 by the board.

TOWNHOME SERVICE AREA COMMITTEE MEETING

BY MELISSA PARKER

The August 2022 Townhome Service Area Committee meet ing was canceled due to a lack of quorum. A copy of previous official minutes can be obtained on the Community Network (BaldwinParkNetwork.com).

UPDATES

n Please remember to report any landscape, building, or irri gation issues on Baldwin Park Solutions. Reporting items on Baldwin Park Solutions allows residents to share photos of the reported area(s) and receive real-time updates from management staff on corrective measures being taken. Baldwin Park Solutions can be accessed on the Baldwin Park Network.

n Roof replacements are com ing to the Issa 22 service area. (Not all addresses will have roof replacements this year; some

addresses are listed to be re placed in 2023 per the Reserve Study. Please refer to the pre vious mailing sent out for the address list.) A notice will be left on the townhome’s front door a week prior to the projected start date confirming the roof replacement is beginning. Make sure to remove all items located in the backyard/private zone area — the roofing contractor nor the association will be held responsible for these items.

Here is the current roof replace ment schedule provided by R.F. Lusa & Sons:

n 4701-4741 Fox Street: Sept. 12 n 962-974 Fern Avenue: Oct. 10 n 909-919 Fern Avenue: Oct. 31 n 901-907 Fern Avenue: Nov. 28

Dates are subject to change because of weather delays, city or county document reviews/ processing, and if work is com pleted ahead of schedule.

n New sod that was installed in August/September has been

HELPFUL INFORMATION FOR TOWNHOUSE OWNERS

Mulching is completed once or twice a year based on the approved budgets. The mulch used is pine straw (pine needles). The following reasons are why the TSAC decided to use pine straw: n Pine straw breaks down quicker into the soil, thus helping the very high pH leaves in the soil.

n Pine straw does not at tract termites as pine bark/ pine nuggets can.

n Pine straw is considered an all-natural or “green” mulch.

n Pine straw doesn’t float away as easily during rain storms, because the needles become tangled together. When pine bark /pine nug gets float away, many times it lands in the sod and can damage the sod.

n The groundcover beds have pine fines installed instead of pine straw, to help enhance the overall growth of the groundcover beds.

treated with a fungicide. n BrightView has installed pine straw mulch in the townhome service areas.

n BrightView enhancement crews installed plant material and sod in Cambridge — Lake Baldwin Lane, Fern Avenue, Baldwin Park Street, and in City Homes 2 — Mattamy, Issa 28 and Live/Work.

n Per DRS Inc. here is the Townhome painting schedule for September/October 2022: Cambridge

n Per DRS Inc. here is the Town home maintenance schedule for September/October 2022: Live/Work

Schedules will be projected one to two months out to anticipate any possible future changes or delays. Notices still are being left on townhome front doors one to two weeks in advance to inform residents of any upcom ing projects beginning in their address range.

BY BILL PATTERSON

The month of October is dedi cated to all the ghosts and gob lins. For all your spooky decora tions and delicious delicacies, check out the Village Center shops and restaurants.

THINGS TO KNOW

n The fourth quarter Board of Directors meeting is sched uled for Oct. 25. Check out the Baldwin Park Network for more information. In this meeting the 2023 budget will be adopted. Coupons for the 2023 assess ments will be mailed in Novem

ber. Please let Bill know if your mailing address has changed.

n Commercial owners, tenants, and managers can submit work requests through our new Baldwin Park Solutions system. It is located on the Baldwin Park Network. Simply click “Resident Home” at the top right and you will find the link in the middle of the page. If you do not have a Baldwin Park Network account, you can request one from that page as well. Visit baldwinpark network.com to start.

n Please be aware that differ ent areas have different ARC

guidelines, specifically with signage. Any changes to the exterior of the building requires ARC review. For any questions, please contact Bill.

n Architectural Review Commit tee meetings take place twice a month on the second and fourth Tuesday for application reviews regarding commercial changes to exterior structures (roofing replacements and painting), landscaping and signage. All corresponding applications can be located on the Baldwin Park Network under Commercial Owners Association and Com mercial Architectural Review

Committee. For questions and application submission, please feel free to email Bill at BPatter son@BaldwinParkPOA.com.

n The parking lot dumpsters are not meant for large items. This can break or clog the city’s dumpsters and cause issues. If you have any bulk items, the city of Orlando offers bulk pickup — in most cases, for free. This can be used for most items that cannot fit in the commer cial dumpster. Visit orlando. gov/Trash-Recycling for more information and to schedule future pick-ups.

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It’s finally fall, y’all!

All right folks: It’s time!

Fall is here, and that means it’s time for all things pumpkin spice, earth tones, slightly cooler temps and changing our mindsets to get ready for the holidays ahead.

WILL CAMPBELL PRESIDENT BALDWIN PARK JOINT COMMITTEE

BE SEEN HERE!

Ever been interested in sharing your own stories with your neighbors right here in Baldwin Park Living? Well, we’re looking for guest columnists for future issues.

Submit your potential columns to Brie at media comm@baldwin parkpoa.com to be considered.

Let’s not forget: It’s also official ly spooky season. For the next 31 days, we have free rein to watch scary movies, attend as many Halloween parties in as many costumes we want and do random, fun spooky stuff! Living in Central Florida, there’s always the staples such as Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios, Howl-OScream at SeaWorld and, for the calmer/kid-friendly night, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World.

On the movie front, one thing I know we’re all excited for is the return of three sister witches, who are back for a second round of tormenting Salem in “Hocus Pocus 2.” By the time you read this, I will have watched it at least once, if not several times. If you don’t know what I am talking about, I’m going to need you to phone a friend and get on board.

For Orlando, October also means it’s time for Come Out With Pride, Orlando’s LGBTQ+ pride events. The week’s worth of events culminates in a huge parade around Lake Eola. The week kicks

off with a 5K Sunday, Oct. 9, right here in Baldwin Park and will ben efit an incredible organization, the Zebra Coalition. Zebra Coalition helps young LGBTQ+ people who are facing homelessness, bullying, isolation and abuse — whether it be sexual, physical or drug by providing programs that guide them to stability. There’s still time to register if you’re interested. Just head over to secure.qgiv. com/event/dragrace5k to secure your space. I’ll be out there with the husband and a group of our friends, so I hope to see you there.

Quick shameless plug: Don’t for get about the Mini Monster Bash for residents and their families. This event was previously known as Kidtoberfest, and we thought it could use a refresh — hence the new name. Be sure to bring your family and friends out to Corrine Commons Park in front of Grace Hopper Hall on Oct. 29 to join in on the festivities!

This is also the perfect time of year to take a minute to check in on ourselves. The holidays can be hard for many, what with missing loved ones, being away from families, and, in some cases, just spending time with family. Ever since COVID came into our lives, I think I can speak for a lot of us when I say it’s a lot harder to people these days. We spent so

much time locked up in our homes and away from other people that I feel like we’ve become ultra-sen sitized to being around other groups of people despite some of us having been the polar opposite.

I feel that as humans, we’re meant to be gregarious creatures. Some people are better than it than others, and sometimes, those opposites attract and become the best of friends or partners. In early 2020, I could be in front of a room full of 100 strangers for sev eral hours and would leave invigo rated. Fast-forward to now, I leave after leading an in-person meeting of 40, and I am exhausted!

We’re living in a different time, and it’s time we think about things in a different way. One of those things is how we approach other people and how we approach the holidays. As we head into one of the most stressful parts of the year for people, take a beat, take a minute and think about those around you and yourself. If you need to take a break, take it. Keep an eye on those you love because they might also be in a similar position. In the end, even though it’s stressful, this is also one of the best times of the year, and we shouldn’t forget that.

Until next time, stay safe, stay well and remember: We Are Baldwin Park!

SAVE THE DATE!

TASTE OF

BALDWIN PARK

Taste of Baldwin Par is back and taking place Nov. 3 on New Broad Street. Find out more information including the ticket link by searching “Taste of Bald win Park” on Facebook.

BALDWIN PARK

WINTER WONDERLAND EXTRAVAGANZA

Baldwin Park Winter Wonderland Extravaganza returns from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, in the Village Center. A favorite tradition for more than 10,000 local Central Flor ida residents, the parade and tree-lighting event are back in Baldwin Park and better than ever! This family-friendly event be gins with a holiday festival with fun kid’s activities, live holiday performances on the main stage, photo ops, artists, vendors, food, stilt-walkers, balloon artists, and an oppor tunity for pictures with Santa. A fantastic lighted parade will march down New Broad Street toward the lake and following the conclusion of the parade, the new holiday tree will be lit by Santa himself.

LIGHT UP

BALDWIN PARK

Light Up Baldwin Park is back! Decorate the outside of your house, apartment, yard or busi ness in the most festive and creative manner then register to be entered the contest to win some awesome prizes! More information to come in fu ture newsletters, including the categories, prizes and how you can enter!

Community Calendar

SATURDAY, OCT. 1

BALDWIN PARK

COMMUNITY MARKET DAY

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, on New Broad Street. As if these markets weren’t a blast already, this month, they are turning your shopping experience into a scavenger hunt with the vendors! Visit BPCommunityMarket.com.

SATURDAY, OCT. 8

STUFF YOUR FACE RACE 2022

6 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 8, at Harbor Park. Join the City of Orlando in a test of both endur ance and gastro-intestinal forti tude. This unique, professionally timed event challenges teams and/or individuals to run — and eat — their way to the finish line of a 3.1- or 6.2-mile course. Visit Orlando.gov/Events/Stuff-YourFace-Race-2022.

SUNDAY, OCT. 9

DRAG RACE 5K

7 to 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 9, at Harbor Park. Join hundreds of runners as they come together to raise funds for the Zebra Youth. More information can be found by searching “Baldwin Park Drag Race 5K 2022.”

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 12

ROTARY CLUB OF THE PARKS

6:15 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12 at Enders Park Gathering Room. Email Rotary President Monica Teran at monicat@miteran. com for more information.

THURSDAY, OCT. 13

ROA ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING

6:45 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, virtually. Check the Network calendar for call-in information.

MONDAY, OCT. 17

ROA COVENANTS HEARING

6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17, at Grace Hopper Hall. Check your weekly newsletter for updates.

THURSDAY, OCT. 20

TOWNHOME SERVICE

AREA COMMITTEE MEETING

6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, virtually. All information also can be found on the Baldwin Park Network, along with the link to join the meeting.

SATURDAY, OCT. 22

4C 5K RACE/WALK 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at Harbor Park. Join Community Coordinated Care for Children, Inc. — also known as 4C — for its inaugural 5K Run/Walk in sup port of the mission to improve the quality of life for Central Florida’s economically disadvan taged young children enrolled in 4C’s early learning programs and their families. Visit skisignup. com/Race/FL/Orlando/4C5K RunWalk.

TUESDAY, OCT. 25

JOINT COMMITTEE

BOARD MEETING

5:45 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, at Grace Hopper Hall. All information for the meeting can also be found on the Baldwin Park Network.

TUESDAY, OCT. 25

ROA BOARD MEETING

6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, virtually. November and De cember meetings are scheduled one week earlier because of the holidays. Call-in information can be found on the Baldwin Park Network.

THURSDAY, OCT. 27

TACTICAL BREWING COMPANY’S FOURTH ANNUAL ZOMBIE RUN

Join the Tactical Brewing Run Club as they take off down by Lake Baldwin dressed as brain eaters in a capture the flag-style race! The more flags you manage not to lose, the more free beer you win! Follow Tactical Brewing on social media outlets for more details (@tacticalbrewing).

ROA ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMITTEE APPLICATIONS

Because of the current high vol ume of Residential ARC applica tions, the number of applications accepted is being capped at 25 per meeting. Once this number is reached, subsequent appli cations will be held for the next meeting. More information can be found in your weekly news letter.

SATURDAY, OCT. 29

MINI MONSTER BASH

3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at Corrine Commons. Hosted by the Baldwin Park Residen tial Owners Association and presented by the Munkberg Bianca Realty Group. Baldwin Park residents of all ages and their guests are welcome to join in on the fun! The family fun never stops with activity stations galore — pumpkin patch, stilt walkers, caricature artists, photo ops, DJ, dancing, candy, games and more will be featured in this kid friendly event. Get your business in front of about 1,000 Baldwin Park residents by contacting event director Adam Bailey today, Adam@TimWeb berEvents.com.

SATURDAY, OCT. 29

16TH ANNUAL ORLANDO

CREEPY CRAWL WALK AND 5K

4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at Harbor Park. The Hemophilia Foundation of Greater Florida is excited to announce the 16th an nual event to benefit the bleed ing disorder community. Register at hemophiliaflorida.org.

Courtesy photo Florencia Minniti has a passion for both music and filmmaking.

FOCAL POINT

Although her first single is called “Blurry Visions,” Baldwin Park singer/ songwriter Florencia Minniti’s eyes are focused on a career in music.

ANNABELLE SIKES STAFF WRITER

Florencia Minniti still re members the first time she fell in love with cre ating music.

The then-middle-schooler would sit in her room and listen to her father, who was part of a local band in their hometown in Argentina, play the piano and guitar from their living room

in New Jersey, and she would sneak down to watch him play and hear him sing — even join ing him sometimes.

One day when her father had left for work, she spotted the piano and knew she wanted to play, even though she had no idea how. She started to make up tunes and melodies, and be gan recording with her dad’s small piano recorder. Eventu ally, she composed a song book

where she would jot down ideas and store it under the piano bench.

“I feel like I got into it and I never stopped, because there were certain things through out growing up where I felt like no one understands me, or I’m not able to communicate it fully through words,” Minniti says. “Growing up I just felt so

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Continued from page 14

misunderstood and it was really frustrating, because I would want someone to understand and to not be alone in it, but the only way I could feel like I could express how I was feeling was through writing a song.”

Now 22, the Baldwin Park res ident never stopped reaching for her dreams, and she is embarking on the next chapter in her musical journey.

BLURRY VISIONS

Minniti released in June her first single, “Blurry Visions,” with the help of her producer and friend Thomas-Ray Armstrong.

The song is a personal anthem of resilience and a constant fight to believe in oneself.

“I wrote this song while fac ing the struggles in listening to myself and not wanting to live in fear anymore,” Minniti says. “It is buzz-worthy, because nowadays, it can be hard to trust your own instincts against the influence of

the outside world. Listening to so many messages on what is best for you rather than trusting oneself can rapidly take us down a rabbit hole of misery and self-doubt and ultimately make you believe that you are not good enough.”

The debut single is part of the young artist’s five-song EP, titled “Blurry Visions,” set to come out in the next few months. Corey Phillips served as Minniti’s mixing and mastering engineer for all the songs.

“The EP is a roller coaster of emotions and a bit depressing — but also hopeful,” she says. “One of my favorites is actually a more positive song called ‘On My Way’ that talks about looking towards the light and moving forward de spite the darkness of your past. It’s a rebirth, like the start of something new.”

The second song, “Hostage,” a collaboration with the help of pro ducer and friend JArthur Grubbs, is set to come out soon, just before the release of the new EP.

“It’s honestly so surreal to real ize how far I’ve come and to recog nize that this is my life right now,” Minniti says. “I wouldn’t be living out my dreams and be where I am today without the amazing group of talented individuals I get to work with and call my friends. It’s like there’s always something new to learn and they truly help bring my visions to life.”

Writing in a dark pop style, Min niti often uses hidden metaphors in her music and derives inspira tion from artists such as Ariana Grande, Tate McRae, Demi Lo vato, Billie Eilish, Lana Del Ray, Selena Gomez and Doja Cat.

However, Madison Beer played the biggest role in helping her form her vocal style.

Most recently, the performer was in New Jersey to film a music video for “Blurry Visions” with her music video crew, which in cludes Kevin Shaw, Cole Decker, Rahi Raval and Dylan Varian.

PASSIONATE PERFORMER

Although Minniti studied film in college, music was always her passion.

She attended Full Sail Univer

sity, where she learned both sides of the performance aspect, collab orating in the studios, networking, recording and meeting artists, producers, and mixers.

In 2019, she decided to pursue music as a profession. Minniti performed her first original song in front of an audience at an open mic event at the college. Although she was nervous, the outpouring of positive messages surprised her and motivated her to follow her heart to pursue her passion.

She says sharing her struggles and experiences is what drives her enthusiasm to share her music.

“If at least one other person lis tens to the song that I wrote and they cannot feel alone in their struggles and feel like someone else understands — that is a dream of mine,” she says. “That’s why I like to write in hidden metaphors. They don’t have to go through the same exact situation I did to be able to have similar feelings and emotions and to understand or enjoy the music.”

Minniti began to search for art ists with similar goals to her at Full Sail, which is where she met her current producers, as well as Yasukuni Masuda, with whom she is working to compose larger or chestral and cinematic songs for a different project. In addition, she is currently working with mixing and mastering engineer Mark Barrie on these new upcoming songs.

After graduating in 2020 as part of the college’s accelerated pro gram, Minniti knew she wanted to continue to chase her dream of creating music that makes a dif ference.

FILM FANATIC

Minniti’s extensive résumé also in cludes one of her first loves — film.

Her passion for film started in high school, where she attended Middle Bucks Institute of Tech nology on a part-time basis.

Although she worked in audio her first year, she directed and acted the second year and says she loved it.

“You have people’s full attention at that moment, they are sitting down in a theater ready to watch

Courtesy photo

Florencia Minniti inherited her love of music from her father.

this film and they’re not going to just get up and leave,” she says. “You have the opportunity to

2018 to the Orlando area for col lege at Full Sail University.

them

experience and to give them an experience and present them with a different perspective. You can literally change the world with the arts.”

The students at the school created short films together and competed in their hometown of Pennsylvania before then com peting nationally in competi tions such as SkillsUSA, The 10 Day Film Challenge and more.

The young artist recently has had the opportunity to com bine her love for film and music through the creation of produc ing her first music video, and storyboarding the layout, help ing in the planning process, and managing the crew in different states, for her upcoming second and third music video.

Minniti even created her own film business, Minniti Films, with her father.

In January, she won notable awards for her short film “The Promotion,” composed by Bran don Rufer, which was an official selection in the Indie Short Fest, Los Angeles International Film Festival, and a finalist for the Cannes World Film Festival.

The psychological thriller film also was nominated for awards and selections including an official selection for the Paus Premieres Festival in the Unit ed Kingdom, an official selection for the Sessions by Lift Off Glob al Network in the UK and Los Angeles, an official selection in the Madrid Film Awards in Spain, nominated for best orig inal score in the Indie Short Fest in LA, an official selection in the Orlando International Film Festival in Florida, and an official selection in the Crystal Ship Mini Indie Film Festival in New York.

In addition, Minniti was an award winner in the Cannes World Film Festival in France.

EARLY LIFE

Minniti was born in Argentina but grew up in New Jersey and Pennsylvania before moving in

Although she took a few piano lessons in her younger years and played clarinet in her elemen tary and middle school bands, her earliest memories involv ing music were when she audi tioned for a young performer’s workshop for musical theater for the Bucks County Playhouse Youth Company in 2015. When she realized she loved singing and acting on stage, she contin ued musical theater throughout high school and loved the rush she felt from a live audience.

The first time Minniti per formed one of her original songs in front of an audience, she wished someone got it on camera.

The performance was for her middle school talent show when she was in sixth grade.

“I remember my fingers were shaking so much as I touched each key on the grand piano, and the popular girl came up and complimented me on my song after — even though she had never talked to me before in her life,” Minniti says. “I knew I wanted to feel that feel ing again, and now here I am, lucky enough to feel that feeling everyday.”

In addition to singing and songwriting, the performer al so plays piano and the baritone ukulele, mostly by ear.

In the future, she hopes to go back to school and study music theory, although one of her big ger goals is to get her music into shows and films.

Her mom, Cecilia Regueiro, loves to paint, and her dad, Vincent Minniti, shares her love of film and music. One of his dreams is to expand upon their film company and run it with Florencia.

“I wanted to find something where I could combine my strong passions of film and mu sic without having to choose between the two crafts,” Minn iti says. “This would do that for me, and I can’t wait to make it happen.”

Find the new you with

Pedaling pros

Matthew McKay and Jack Thomas are educating Baldwin Park

locals on the benefits to Pedego, America’s No. 1 electric bike retailer.

ANNABELLE SIKES STAFF WRITER

Since July 9, 2021, Matthew McKay has ridden more than 10,000 miles on his electric bike.

McKay, the owner of Pedego in Bald win Park, fell in love with the bike from its first use, when he bought it that same day in his home state, Delaware.

Pedego, founded in 2008, is Amer ica’s No. 1 electric bike retailer, with more than 200 locally owned stores.

Don DiCostanzo, CEO and founder of the company, says Pedego is differ ent because it puts people first.

“The most important part of every Pedego isn’t some high-tech gadget

or fancy bicycle component — it’s the person riding it,” he says. “Producing great electric bikes is just the begin ning. To be truly great, a company has to stand for something. … Pedego stands for you.”

BALDWIN BEGINNINGS

The Baldwin Park Pedego store hosted its grand opening in April and already has become a destination for Central Florida locals and visitors alike — a goal McKay says he had hoped to fulfill from the beginning.

“The idea is that we are trying to bring people into Baldwin Park,” McK ay says. “Whether that be by engaging with our residents or partnering with our local businesses, we want to really

create that destination experience.”

McKay said he believed Baldwin Park was the perfect location for a store.

“The ideal model of Pedego is to have a bike trail outside your back door, and Main Street outside your front door, and that’s really exact ly what we have here,” McKay says.

“There are so many beautiful trails here, there’s great parking, and you can even enjoy a drink or a bite to eat all in one location.”

In addition to a strong sense of com munity, McKay prides himself on the importance of family. In the Pedego lounge area, where customers can go to relax, recharge and converse after bike rides, there is a sign on the wall

Annabelle Sikes

Jack Thomas and Matthew McKay are excited to bring Pedego to Baldwin Park.

the owner said has been a motto for him throughout his business journey which reads, “God, family, Pedego.”

To follow through on this mes sage, the owner closes his store on Sundays for his employees to enjoy a day off.

DIFFERENTIATORS

Although McKay says all electric bikes are similar in terms of what they do, Pedego is known not only for its high quality bikes but also extensive warranties and services.

Pedego offers a five-year parts warranty, five-year battery war ranty, five-year anti-theft protec tion and lifetime frame warranty, all qualities the owner said drew him to the company when he originally had a deposit on another national brand of bike.

“I got my money back after decid ing I didn’t want the original bike for some reason, and on the way home we passed the Pedego store that had opened up only a week earlier,” McKay says. “I spent more money on this bike than the other brand, but I didn’t feel like I was spending too much, because I got a whole lot

more for it. It had more things on it, it fit me better, I rode it better — it just checked all the boxes.”

Despite the common miscon ception that electric bikes provide little to no exercise, some consider e-bikes to be more inclusive, allow ing people of all ages and fitness lev els to enjoy bicycling. They can be less demanding physically (depend ing on customer adjustable prefer ence settings), which encourages riders who may otherwise be inac tive and offering the opportunity for people to ride longer periods of time and go greater distances.

The day after buying his bike, McKay’s wife, Gretchen, and one of his two daughters rented bikes, and the family rode more than 30 miles together, burning about 1,400 calories.

Pedego offers 16 different frames of bikes with multiple colors and styles including adventure bikes, cruiser bikes and commuter bikes, all depending on where and how the customer chooses to ride.

The business’ most customizable bike style is the “element” bikes, which McKay and his friend and

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general manager, Jack Thomas, re fer to as “Jeep Wranglers.”

“No one ever buys just a normal Jeep Wrangler, they always want to customize it with accessories to make it unique,” McKay jokes.

In addition, the company offers maintenance and repair services on any and every Pedego model.

Thomas says although the pair can tell their customers every sin gle element and function of the dif ferent bicycles, actually getting on the bike is a whole other experience.

“One of the first times we ever had true freedom in our life was when we got on a bicycle and mom or dad was holding the seat, they let go, and all of a sudden for the first time we were riding a bicycle on our own,” Thomas says. “Now here we are getting together again, helping people of all ages relieve that feel ing again, pain-free, worry-free and filled with excitement.”

EXCITED ENTREPRENEUR

McKay considers himself a serial entrepreneur. His business back

Continued on page 20

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truth be told, needs to happen,” Thomas says. “Hope is a wonder ful thing, and we provide that.”

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ground began with becoming the largest franchise owner of Oreck, a vacuum cleaner and air purifier business. He owned 15 stores.

After selling off most of his stores, McKay then started a painting franchise and was a na tional trainer for 150 franchises across the country, followed by starting his own disinfection business before COVID-19 in both Maryland and Delaware.

The purchase of his first elec tric bike ignited his pedaling pas sion, and within a week, McKay had flown to Florida, talked with his old friend and former Oreck employee, Thomas, who lived in Orlando, and began to search for places to open his own Pedego store franchise.

“I like the model that Pedego offered, I like the way that the business is set up, I like the fact that it’s not real high pressure,” McKay says. “It’s more about the experience that the custom er wants.”

Thomas says when his old friend called him and said they were going to go ride bikes, he laughed, as it was not something he said someone at his age does every day.

“I loved my job at Disney, but I have absolutely zero regrets in leaving Disney and coming back here and doing this, because I really feel like we are making an impact on people’s lives that,

FUTURE PLANS

Although McKay still lives fulltime in Delaware, he and his wife plan to move to the Orlando area when their youngest daughter graduates from high school.

The owner says the business has some new bike styles com ing out soon, and he is working on planning group rides for local residents this fall.

In addition to the local rides, the electric bike enthusiast says he is planning a “Tour de Florida” for November.

His goal is to ride from Baldwin Park to the store in Deland fol lowed by the store in New Smyr na Beach, the new store opening in Melbourne, Jupiter, Boca Ra ton, Fort Myers, Sarasota, Tam pa, The Villages, Mount Dora and then finally back to Orlando.

The total ride will be about 900 miles and will take about two weeks, with the longest segment being 130 miles in a day.

Although he is going do the ride by himself first, if all goes well, next year, he will invite oth ers interested in riding to partici pate from select destinations.

McKay also is looking at open ing more locations in Central Florida. He has explored loca tions in the Windermere/Dr. Phillips area as well as the Lake Nona or Avalon Park area.

Annabelle Sikes

Family and faith are central cornerstones of the Baldwin Park Pedego location.

Perfect Halloween weekend

Did you know Baldwin Park is nationally ranked for its trick-or-treating? It’s true! No matter what street you walk down Halloween weekend, there will be a sea of ghost, goblins, princess Elsas and every DIY costume you can imagine! A bucket of candy? Try a pillow case full!

There are plenty of activities to keep you and the family busy all month long, but here is how you can spend a full and fun weekend without ever having to leave the community.

Start by ending the work or

school day and treat-yo-self! All of the Baldwin Park shops will have specialty desserts, beverages and dishes all weekend long to keep you in a “spirited mood.” Take a quick walk around Baldwin Park before everyone else to pick up some last-minute decorations or to see what the businesses did to creepify their storefront!

The real fun kicks off Saturday, Oct. 29, with the Mini Monster Bash, formally Kidtoberfest. This daytime, family friendly event is perfect for those who want to beat the nighttime mayhem but

SEND US YOUR HALLOWEEN HAUNTS!

Is your home the scariest in Baldwin Park? If so, why not share some photos with your neighbors? Send in photos of your decorations to Brie Bernstel at MediaComm@BaldwinParkPOA.com, and we will feature them in the weekly newsletter and on our Facebook and Instagram page.

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still want to celebrate! There will be face painters, a pumpkin patch, stilt-walkers and more, making this the perfect party right in your backyard. After a nap, head back out to cruise around and see all of the unique costumes/decorations. Snap a photo of your favorite decorations and tag us on social media to be reposted at @visitbaldwinpark!

Another unique to Baldwin Park is the Creepy Crawl 5K, benefiting the Hemophilia Foun dation of Greater Orlando. This evening race or walk — taking place from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct 29 around Harbor Park — is the 16th annual race that gets better each year. Dressing up is strongly encouraged, and unlike most races, there will be games, prizes, food and drinks making for a spooktacular experience. For

BRIE BERNSTEL MULTIMEDIA & COMMUNITY COORDINATOR

more information, visit our social media or search for “16th annual Creepy Crawl Orlando.”

Brunch may not seem like a Halloweeny happening, but in Baldwin Park, anything becomes an excuse to get out for some themed drinks. Sundays on New Broad Street are always full of great vibes and even better food. Check out our Instagram at @visitbaldwinpark for more details.

Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter at BaldwinPark Network.com for all current information. Let’s have a safe and spooky Halloween around #BeautifulBaldwinPark!

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