During my almost 10 year employment with Davidson Development, I have come to understand the importance and dynamics of growth and I’ve seen and experienced the spectrum of it in that short time. We all know that the last few years have resulted in a slow down of growth in our area, which has affected a multitude of services. 

There is however some positive signs on the horizon that things may be picking up.  For instance, just across the street from the King & Bear, there is a new McDonalds under construction.  In the same shopping center, a Chiropractor has leased retail space, another tenant is expanding their space and the shopping center owners tell me that more contracts are in the works. 

It is exciting to see a new elementary school under construction at Palencia, to add to the portfolio of the best schools in Florida.  The school is due to be ready for the school year 2012-2013.  In addition, a new fire station recently opened there, reducing insurance rates for thousands of residents.

Home construction is also on the rise.  St. Johns County recently reported that the number of commercial permits has doubled those of last year and residential home permits are up almost 10 percent.  I can report that here at World Golf Village, we have  approved a total of 77 residential units for construction so far this year.

Growth brings jobs, services and improves our quality of life and I for one support that! Enjoy the Growth video blog!

Not too long ago I spied some wild turkeys strolling around the King & Bear front entrance.  It was really early in the morning, the sun was just coming up and I think I said a soft “morning” to those turkeys as if I was nodding at my neighbors leaving for work.  It’s great to be reminded of all the creatures that call our community home.  In fact, a fantastic variety of wildlife thrive here.  Some of our lesser known “neighbors” include bobcats, wild hogs and even black bears. Fox squirrels are one of my favorite.  They are bigger and more exotic looking than the common grey squirrels that dart around our lawns. In fact, they are the largest species of tree squirrels in North America. I snapped this photo of a fox squirrel right here in the King & Bear. 

For me, seeing an otter in the wild, right here in Royal Pines, was an amazing experience. Since I’ve been living in Northeast Florida for most of my life, I was under the impression that I had seen all of the wildlife the area had to offer. So I was understandably surprised one night when I was walking my dog and caught a glimpse of a funny creature waddling across the street. It never crossed my mind it could be an otter until it stepped into the light. It was going from one lake to another. While otters are graceful in the water, they definitely have a clumsy looking hop waddle when they move on land.

The thing that struck me about talking with Letti Bozard of Bozard Ford Lincoln Mercury was that, despite her family’s legacy of owning and operating the successful St. Augustine dealership for generations, Letti was focused on all the great things Bozard is doing now.  From the new Quick Lane Service Center to the numerous ways the company supports area schools, Bozard is not a company to rest on its laurels.

Its laurels are plentiful by the way.  The company was founded in St. Augustine over 60 years ago and three generations of the Bozard family have operated the local institution.  Today Letti Bozard, Vice President of Community Involvement & Customer Strategy, and her brother Bo Bozard, Controller, are following in the family business.  Jeff King serves as General Manager. The dealership has received numerous awards over the years, including 14 Ford Motor Company President’s Awards, Ford’s highest honor in customer satisfaction. And just last month, Bozard was #1 in sales volume among area Ford Lincoln Mercury dealerships throughout Duval, St. Johns and Clay counties. “It was especially great to see the strong rebound in truck sales last month,” says Bozard.  “July 2011 was the biggest month of F150 Ford Trucks sales ever in our history.”

I can classify my friends into two groups; those that can’t wait for school to start and those who don’t want summer to end. Either way, the 2011/2012 school year is near. I know for the next few weeks I will be working on my “bucket list” for the summer and taking some time off from work to get the girls ready for back to school.

Fall sports have started in our St. Augustine golf course community. In our clique, we catch up on each other’s summer vacations, how many teeth our children lost, compare children’s injuries, and find out what teacher every child has this year. I brought something different and exciting to the discussion. I got to share with the ladies the exciting giveaway that Davidson Realty is doing for one lucky student and teacher at Wards Creek Elementary and Mill Creek Elementary schools.

Davidson Realty is celebrating Back to School with a fun coloring contest. All your child has to do is go to http://www.davidsonrealtyinc.com/teachers-contest, download the coloring sheet, and drop it off at the Davidson Building by September 15th.  The winner will receive two $50 gift certificates for Barnes & Noble. Your child keeps one gift certificate and gives the other to the teacher to buy books for the classroom. What a way to kick off back to school!

Starting October 3rd you can email me, Kristen Calhoun at kcalhoun@davidsonrealtyinc.com your nominations for 4th and 5th grade Davidson Appreciates Teachers contest. I look forward to finding out why your child’s teacher is the best!

Daddy-Daughter Dates are some of the best experiences in a girl’s life! My hubby, Austin, took our oldest daughter, Audrey on a date around our St. Augustine golf course community.  Audrey didn’t know what the day had in store for her, but she knew wherever they went a tutu and lip gloss was a must! When they ended up in front of Justice, a fashionable girl’s store located at the St. Augustine Prime Outlets, Audrey got so excited.  Being the best date a daddy can be entailed looking at every single item in the store before deciding on a pair of “Super Skinny Jeans”.  One of the benefits to the residents of World Golf Village is the convenience of the numerous shops located on State Road 16, which is one exit down off of I-95.

All that looking and shopping worked up an appetite! Next, they went to the Renaissance Resort in WGV at 500 South, a contemporary American grill restaurant located inside the resort. Audrey had the best  mac n’ cheese, while Austin feasted on the lunch buffet. He had mashed potatoes, turkey sliders, fried chicken, roasted vegetables – just to name a few. But, the best was the homemade tomato bisque! Now after that you would think a nap would be in order, but not for these two!

The Neighborhoods of the World Golf Village is structured as a traditional planned community – without the burden of a Community Development District (CDD) taxing entity. As such, the Neighborhoods have been “turned-over” to the independent Boards of Directors and residents for each Neighborhood.

The process of turn-over – from Davidson Development, Inc. the original Master Developer and their clients, IT Land Associates, LLC and SJ Land Associates, LLC – to the individual Neighborhoods, has its inherent challenges. Issues of common area maintenance, safety, security, financial stability, amenity operation and asset protection are all important activities that must be monitored and managed by the volunteer residents who choose to help lead their Associations.

On all accounts – the transition to the homeowner leadership is on a great path. The Associations have recognized the unique attributes of their community and are making every effort to protect the defining elements of their neighborhoods. A real sense of collective stewardship has emanated. Residents are coming forth, with pride, to look after and care for their investments.

Major neighborhood collector roads, which served the community for the first 13 to 14 years, are being milled and re-surfaced – using monies from the various Home Owner Association (HOA) repair, maintenance and reserve funds. Royal Pines Parkway and WGV Boulevard have both recently been fully renovated and re-surfaced.

“Knives are simple tools. A well-made knife resonates on a primal level.”  Bob Kramer, ABS Master Bladesmith

Lou Kindelberger is the owner of The Knife Factory in St. Augustine, Florida

After my visit to The Knife Factory on State Road 16 near the St. Augustine Outlets, I vow to never again take my kitchen knives for granted.  Form and function are so elegantly executed in the unassuming knife.  And they make my favorite pastime of eating so much easier! So grateful was I this morning that I have just the right bread knife to evenly and smoothly cut through my bagel and a fine filet knife for slicing perfect slivers of tomato.  Of course you can also acquire a tomato knife for exactly that task. In fact, there seems to be a knife designed for every task in the kitchen, and several outside of the kitchen too.  Lou Kindelberger, owner of The Knife Factory, introduced me to a fantastic array of cutlery. 

Lou Kindelberger started The Knife Factory in 1989 in Orlando.  He opened his first St. Augustine location at the outlet mall and recently moved to the Shoppes at Mill Creek, a shopping center next to Sonny’s Barbecue and across from St. Augustine Harley Davidson on SR 16.  The Knife Factory offers the largest selection of cutlery in Florida, including pocket, sporting, kitchen, tactical and collectible knives.  The store carries Wustof, Shun, Global and Henckels kitchen cutlery.  They are an authorized dealer of Benchmade and W.R. Case products, offering a full line of automatics and W.R. Case collector knives. Lou also has swords in his shop which are so beautiful and exotic that you can certainly understand the appeal for collectors.  The next time I have to drag my son reluctantly to shop for new clothes at the outlets, I will surprise him with a stop at The Knife Factory to ooh and aah over the samurai swords, collectible knives, throwing knives and other unusual cutlery.

For sportsmen, Lou has a wide array of hunting, fishing and diving knives. I made a mental note of the Bear Grylls of Man Vs. Wild fame line of survivor knives by Gerber as a great gift for my brother-in-law.  Some of the W.R. Case collector knives were as beautiful as a piece of jewelry and would make a great man’s gift.  Not only is Lou an expert on knives, he’s a straight talker who gives sound advice without any hint of sales speak.  He explained, “There’s a tendency for some folks to think that products from China or Taiwan are not as well-made as the German brands, but actually some of the new lines like Rock Creek’s hunting and utility knives are extremely well-made and some of the finest swords we see come from China.” The Knife Factory also offers cutlery lines from well-known weapon manufacturers like Smith & Wesson and Colt.  The store has an ongoing special on Smith & Wesson knives that are $14.99 or 4 for $50.

You can’t go wrong with Cino’s! Just ask anyone in our St. Augustine golf course community or stop in there and see all the people at lunch or dinner any day of the week! Dine in, take out, or have them deliver right to your door. Treat yourself to some awesome Italian food!

My favorite thing about Cino’s is the lunch specials. They offer 18 different lunch options for only $4.95 between 11 am and 3 pm! Their chicken parmigiana is incredible and I plan on trying their Gnocchi Rosata next time. All of their lunch specials come with delicious garlic bread. It’s very filling and you can’t beat the price.

Not in the mood for Italian? Try their gyro platter, wings, or salads. Like I said…you can’t go wrong. Their fried mozzarella is incredible and so is their bruschetta! They also offer a kid’s menu and desserts. I have ordered a colossal pizza from them before. It fed about 10 adults and we had leftovers. It’s tasty and perfect for your kid’s sleepover or an adult get-together. 

We are very lucky to have Cino’s serving our community. If this blog is making you hungry put in your order now – (904) 940-4445. They are located at 425 West Town Place Suite 114 in St. Augustine, FL. To see the full menu visit them online at www.cinospizza.com.

If you don’t know Carol, you should.  Especially if you live in The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village, Murabella or the surrounding area.  Because if there’s something happening in our neck of the woods, Carol knows about it and she shares it with her neighbors.  Carol Carnicelli is the Editor of a weekly e-newsletter called the WGV & St. Augustine Fun News and the website www.neighborhoodconciergewgv.com.

You say you fell in love with World Gold Village at first site?
I’ve been a huge fan of World Golf Village and St. Augustine since moving here in 2002.  My husband Michael and I came for a visit to see where my sister and her husband were moving.  When we made a right turn into World Golf Village, that was it – I immediately loved this beautiful, unique community.  We make our home in St. Andrews Place.

How did you become the “Town Crier” for World Golf Village?
There was so much going on in this relatively new development that I felt we needed to get a communication out about activities in WGV and the surrounding areas.  Along with some other neighbors, we started the WGV Community Journal, a monthly publication by the St. Augustine Record.  Next for me, was a weekly email to neighbors.  Now I have a new website that incorporates an activities calendar, a virtual yard sale with the FOR SALE tab, a FUNd Raiser tab, GOLF SPECIALS tab, LINKS tab to fun events in St. Augustine, a N2N (Neighbor to Neighbor) tab for those neighbors with personal businesses to help them get the word out, and more.  The site is  www.neighborhoodconciergewgv.com.  It’s been a great way for me to meet neighbors and learn more about our area, and it’s an absolute pleasure to do. 
 
And the website is not all you do?
That’s right.  It’s not my paid job.  I am the Marketing Coordinator for Baker Distributing, a large HVAC/R distributor based in Jacksonville.  It’s a great company with wonderful people and the best products.
 
Carol, Davidson Realty is thrilled to have you as a Referral Agent. Why did you decide to add that to your plate?
Being such a big WGV fan, it really was a natural progression for me.  In fact, I referred a new neighbor who is a friend from years ago and now lives here.  You take the same real estate courses and the Florida state exam, but if you can’t commit full time to real estate, you can be a Referral Agent.  You get to know the Davidson Realty agents and work closely with them.  When you have friends wanting to buy or sell their home, but they’re not sure who to work with, you can help them.  For me, it’s just another avenue to meet people, connect with neighbors and brag about World Golf Village!

Email Carol Carnicelli at carnicel@bellsouth.net to receive her weekly newsletter and stay informed about what’s happening in the community.

Residents of our St. Augustine golf course community are lucky to live here for many reasons – nature, location, activities, friends, shopping, serenity, and of course our one-of-a-kind golf courses.  In April, we shared a behind-the-scenes look at the King & Bear golf course. This month, we want to show the beauty of the Slammer & Squire – the only resort golf course in the world designed by Bobby Weed with design consultants Sam “The Slammer” Snead & Gene “The Squire” Sarazen. So, we had Davidson agent and golf aficionado, Jock Ochiltree, highlight some very special things about the Slammer & Squire.

Jock gives us a sneak peek at the Pro Shop shopping, takes us on a golf cart ride through the course, stops to chat with a cart lady, interviews Head Golf Pro Anthony Vaughn, and shows us beautiful views of the Hall of Fame Tower. Both World Golf Village courses are owned and operated by Honours Golf and include complimentary range balls, cool towels, GPS in every cart, and fresh chilled apples on the 1st and 10th tees.

Enjoy the Slammer & Squire Video! For more information on memberships, Jacksonville and St. Augustine golf, or Jacksonville, FL real estate  please contact Jock Ochiltree at (904) 940-5000 or jock@davidsonrealtyinc.com.