Palm Beach Real Estate News & Events

According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, police in Boynton Beach, near Palm Beach, have enlisted Twitter to help catch a suspect in the armed robbery of a gas station.  A message asking, “Can you ID this armed robbery suspect?” was sent out via Twitter with a link to online surveillance footage.

“It’s an easy way to reach people very quickly,” said Seamus Condron, community manager of mediabistro.com, an online media and training website. “This is a really large set of eyes and ears that police can call into action.”

In South Florida, police in Boynton Beach and Boca Raton were among the first in law enforcement to embrace websites like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace as additional ways to connect with their communities and gain residents to help fight crime.

Boynton Beach and Boca Raton police departments began sending messages via Twitter in the past year, and have now procured around 850 followers each.

Fite Shavell & Associates is pleased to announce that Realtors, Maggie Sarubbi and Victoria Brewer have received the National Association of Realtors’  ”green” designation.  This makes them your “go to” advisors on energy trends from listing and marketing your home  to finding your “dream green” home.

To illustrate the growth in green building,  in 2007, U.S. construction starts totalled $2 billion or .3 percent of the construction market.  By 2010, the market value of residential green homes is expected to surge to $20 billion.

Interestingly enough, Florida is the number two state behind Texas in new “green” construction starts according to the Mcgraw Hill Construction Co.  All around us we are seeing green from Frank McKinney’s triple certified green mansion in Manalapan to the new Max Planck research facility in Palm Beach Gardens which will be Certified Gold.

Being green is all about lowering your carbon footprint or the total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases you generate annually.  Among other factors, this involves: your household energy and water consumption; your driving habits and use of public transportation; your food purchasing vs. home growing; as well as your consistency in recycling products.

A new calculating tool by Eco Hatchery offers a great way to determine your household and personal carbon footprints vs. the U.S. averages.  Take the test at www.greenresourcecouncil.org under Resources.  You’ll need to reference your utility bills to obtain the results.

Listed below are a few ways in which you can  lower your household carbon footprint and save money at the same time:

-Buy native plants to reduce water needed

-Use permeable pavers instead of cement walkways

-Use low-VOC paint products to reduce air pollution

-Use CFC lightbulbs

-Install a tankless water heater system

-Buy Energy Star appliances

We’re just scratching the surface in this blog entry.  Stay tuned for continuing “green blogs.”  And for more immediate information, contact your “green” real estate professionals here at Fite, Shavell & Associates.

This June take the opportunity to try out all the great local restaurants around Palm Beach with the inaugural launch of Palm Beach Restaurant Month: June 2009. Prices will be fixed for lunch and dinner at 14 select restaurants around Palm Beach.

Lunch is priced at $20 per person and dinner is priced is $35 per person at all participating establishments. Prices include a three course meal including an appetizer, main course and dessert; but tax, beverages, and gratuity are extra.

Participating restaurants are:

• Bice Ristorante
• Café Boulud at the Brazilian Court
• Café L’Europe
• Charley’s Crab
• The Leopard Lounge & Restaurant at The Chesterfield Hotel
• COCO Palm Beach at Bradley Park Hotel
• The Flagler Steakhouse at The Breakers
• The Italian Restaurant at The Breakers
• The Seafood Bar at The Breakers
• The Ocean Bistro at the Four Seasons
• Renato’s
• Temple Orange at The Ritz-Carlton
• Ta-Boo
• Trevini

Reservations at individual restaurants are highly recommended.

Looking for a new home in the home of extraordinary dining? Let the experienced professionals at Fite Shavell & Associates help you find the exact piece of Palm Beach Real Estate you’re looking for. Contact one of our realtors today.

Time to hit the golf course, start those landscaping projects, and enjoy South Florida’s new lush, green face! The month of May brought an outstanding amount of rain to South Florida. About 15.7 inches fell the latter part of last month putting an end to a very dry November-to-May season.

Paul Quilan from the Palm Beach Post writes in the article “Second-wettest May on record takes bite out of drought, weather service says”:

“West Palm Beach experienced its second-wettest May on record, as rainfall across South Florida all but cured the region’s severe drought… The wettest May on record in the West Palm Beach area occurred in 1890, when 16.2 inches of rain fell. Rainfall records in the area date back to 1880… Weather service forecasters say the outlook for June calls for an equal chance of above- or below-normal rainfall, with the above-normal odds increasing in July.”

Dress up your home for the summer from the outside and take advantage of the moist soil and projected rainy season to come. Or, pick a sunny day to tee off and see the new green dress on your favorite golf course! If home searching is on your agenda this summer, let Fite Shavell & Associates introduce you to the luxurious Palm Beach real estate market. While the weather may be changing, the market remains in favor of the buyer and now is one of the best times to invest in a new home!

Enjoy yourself this June and take advantage of all the events and performances happening in and around Palm Beach. Visiting Palm Beach this month? Have some relatives or friends coming in? Looking for something new or different? Most operas, ballets, and other performance series don’t have an active June/July season, but South Florida has plenty of great alternatives.

Here’s a list of a few venues with upcoming events to get you started in planning your fun this month:

Clematis By Night
“The hot spot to chill” music venue located in downtown West Palm Beach.

• 6/11/09: Terry Hanck with 8’s & Aces. Influenced by mixture of blues, soul, and jazz, Terry Hanck is most known for his unique sound and hard-blowing sax. The show will take place in the City Center Courtyard.
• 6/18/09: Mighty Quinn.  A high-energy, interactive, rock ‘n roll cover band.
• 6/25/09: Marijah & The Reggae Allstars. Headlining Reggae Night, Marijah & The Reggae Allstars perform stirring island sounds of well-known reggae hits and originals.

Center for the Arts at Minzer Park
A state-of-the-art cultural entertainment center located in Boca Raton.

• 6/13/09: Steely Dan. The rock legends Steely Dan come to South Florida.
• 6/18/09 & 6/25/09: Centre for the Arts Presents – Magical Movie Nights featuring the Harry Potter films. A special screening of the first two Harry Potter movie featuring face painting, “wizard training,” fortune telling and a costume contest. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone will be shown 6/18/09 and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets will be shown 6/25/09.
• 6/19/09: FAU’s Musical Extravaganza. A free event produced by Florida Atlantic University.

Lighthouse Center for the Arts
An art gallery in Tequesta featuring local artist’s exhibits and art classes.

• Exhibits featured this month (opening June 5^th):
• Earth Elements: unique interpretations of Florida nature.
• Find ART – Staff Style: an exhibition spotlighting the hidden talents of the Lighthouse Center for the Art’s Staff.
• SURFari – The Old and New of Surfing in Florida: an exhibition featuring surfing with vintage surfboards, movie posters, photographs, and a special surf movie.

South Florida’s Fairgrounds
Fairgrounds and the Americacraft Expo Center located in the center of Palm Beach County.

• 6/13/09: 11^th Annul Summer Festival hosted by The Philippine American Society, Inc.
• 6/ 19/09: 2^nd Annual West Palm Beach Carnival presented by the Palm Beach County Multicultural Organization.

Culio Centre for the Arts
A multi-stage venue in West Palm Beach within walking distance from great restaurants.

• 6/11/09: The Jeff Harding Group. A pop/rock group native to West Palm Beach similar to Dave Matthews or John Mayer.
• 6/18/09: Blues Dragon. A South Florida blues and folk band specializing in pre-WWII and 1950’s Chicago-style Blues.

For more events and suggestions for local activities, visit the Palm Beach County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau website.

Palm Beach is a thriving home for great talent and entertainment. If you’re searching for Palm Beach real estate please visit us and get in touch with an experienced realtor today.