Beach Restoration Resumes

Anna Maria Island - After waiting for three weeks due to the weather, crews began working yesterday on restoring local beaches with new sand. Ben Goodloe, project manager, claims that 37 days of work were lost due to the 4 hurricanes passing through the area. Goodloe commented that the work had been prolonged due to hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Ophelia and Rita. The stall in restarting the work was reportedly done out of concern for the workers safety. The delay has cost Goodloe's company upwards of $200,000. If the weather cooperates, Rutger said the contractor should be finished within 60 days.

Real Estate Transactions Recorded

Real Estate transacations were recorded at the Manatee County courthouse recently. For an up to date list of the ongoing transaction market be sure to ready through the Real Estate Transactions Record!

Housing Costs To Jump?

Florida's housing market will feel the effect of the latest hurricane despite Katrina's mightiest blow landing two states away. Many local builders are concerned that the massive construction involved in rebuilding the city of New Orleans will cause increases in the costs of lumber and other supplies needed to build the new homes. These increases in prices caused by such a demand are sure to be felt even in Florida. "We still have shortages due to last year's hurricanes in Florida," Jerry Blumberg, co-owner of Gibraltar Homes, said Thursday.

Not only could the builders see an increased price due to high demand but many fear that because of the loss of rich resources in the New Orleans area we will see the prices jump simply due to availability. All of this concern builds when we add in the rising cost of fuel which will be needed to ship the materials to builders in Florida and across the country. Dave Wick, president of the Home Builder's Association of Manatee County, doesn't expect a large number of local workers to leave because of the amount of work readily available here. Instead, Wick predicts skyrocketing fuel costs combined with the inevitable hike in the price of building materials will drive home costs to new heights. "Is this going to help burst the bubble? We don't know," Wick said.

Crown Prince to Work in Sarasota

Crown Prince is the Palmetto based contractor infamous for pushing the upward growth of Florida. At some point, I am sure that you have all wandered down roads rich in his archtectual achievements. Prince has completed many projects some of which include: premier golf courses, community site development projects, stormwater management projects, public roads, landfill construction and port construction. "Florida is the boom state and we have grown with that boom," said Jimmy Walker, president and chief operating officer at Prince. "We do a little bit of everything."

Prince was recently selected as the general contractor for a more than $30 million Center Road project in Sarasota. The company will widen the two-lane road into four lanes and reconstruct more than three miles of roadway from Jacaranda Boulevard east to River Road. In addition, Prince also will add sidewalks, bicycle lanes, landscaped medians, street lighting, roadway drainage, signals and stormwater-management facilities.

The Housing Bubble

T-shirtHumor.com's latest t-shirt design is one that has stirred quite an audience in the real estate world. "Mr. Housing Bubble" has become it's biggest seller in the last few weeks as it pokes fun at the real estate market.

Anthony Phipps, T-shirtHumor.com communications director, said, "I think it's pretty clear that there are a lot of people in fear over the potential of a housing bust. A lot of individuals have made some interesting moves financially with interest-only mortgages and the idea of suddenly having all that equity disappear is something that scares home buyers and policy-makers alike."

But the Realty Times newsletter chafed at the notion that real estate prices have reached unsustainable levels, declaring in a headline, "Mr. Housing Bubble T-shirts Indicate Market Confusion."

Alan Greenspan, the Federal Reserve Chairman, recently talked about the real estate market claiming he had not seen the US housing markets reach such omnious heights. Phipps' response to Greenspan's comments? "If this thing does pop, a lot of people are going to need an affordable shirt to wear."

New School Opens in East Manatee

Braden River High School proudly opened their doors to students today. The new school became the 6th high school to open in the area staking its claim on the corner of State Road 70 and Caruso Road in East Manatee. The school opens with an enrollment of 650 freshmen and sophomores and about 900 King Middle School students, displaced by demolition and rebuilding of their school. The University of Florida's Gulf Coast Research and Education Center once resided where the new high school now sits.

"If you looked all over Manatee County, you couldn't find a more ideal site for the next high school," said then-Superintendent Dan Nolan.

The school opening helped to relieve the stress and frustration of over-crowding which existed at Lakewood Ranch high school. "What this all means is that classes will not be overcrowded and we will not have double sessions at Lakewood Ranch High School," Nolan said.

The 8 academic buildings making up the campus took a total of 16 months to build. Even though the athletic fields and other areas were not done, the classrooms were ready and a need arose to use them. King Middle School students began attending Braden River High in April this year while their school was being torn down. As students return to class today, those at Braden River High School will begin a new adventure with more than just a new building to collect in their box of changes for the school year. School will be starting earlier this year.

Elementary school, 8:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Middle School, 9:30 a.m. to 3:35 p.m.
High School, 8 a.m. to 2:05 p.m.

If you have any questions about the academic year call the school hotline at 708-4976 or visit their website www.manatee.k12.fl.us.