How To Apply for Neighborhood Mini-Grants in Hillsborough County

Neighborhood Relations Program in Hillsborough County 
The program is responsible for working with community groups, county departments and other organizations, in order to build partnerships that improve, enhance, and preserve the quality of life in Hillsborough County neighborhoods. 
 
The Program

• Disseminates information about County government and related subjects to neighborhood associations.
• Assists citizens / groups in developing neighborhood associations.
  Provides training and technical assistance to neighborhoods.
• Provides mini-grants to neighborhood organizations. ( including low volume drip irrigation, tree and cleanup grants )
• Conducts outreach for community based planning initiatives.
• Sponsors Neighborhood Awards Programs.
• Host Annual County Neighborhoods Conference and assists in the coordination and planning of the State Neighborhoods Conference.
• Coordinates Government Leadership University.

Funds are now available for the 2009 Neighborhood Mini-Grant Program. Hillsborough County established the mini-grant program in 1998 to help strengthen neighborhood associations and the communities they serve. The maximum award to any neighborhood association is $1,500.

Neighborhood Mini-Grant orientation classes are scheduled throughout the county later this month, and in June and July for those who would like to become familiar with the grant process. Topics covered in the orientation classes include a review of the application, grant criteria, projects that qualify for the funds, and question and answer sessions. Dates, times and locations for the five optional orientations are:

*May 7 - 6:30 p.m.
Lutz Branch Library, 101 W. Lutz-Lake Fern Rd., Lutz

*May 12 - 6:30 p.m.
Brandon Regional Library, 619 Vonderburg Dr., Brandon

*May 20 - 6:30 p.m.
Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, 2902 W. Bearss Ave., Tampa

*May 28 - 6:30 p.m.
Bloomingdale Regional Public Library, 1906 Bloomingdale Ave., Valrico

*June 10 - 10 a.m.
SouthShore Regional Service Center, 410 30th St. SE, Ruskin

*June 19 - 6:30 p.m.
Bruton Memorial Library, 302 McLendon St., Plant City

*July 9 - 6:30 p.m.
County Center, 26th Floor, Conference Room A, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa

Neighborhood Mini-Grant Applications are available here. Completed applications are due July 25 and may be mailed to Office of Neighborhood Relations, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., 13th Floor, Tampa, FL, 33602, or faxed to (813) 276-2621. Applicants will then be forwarded to the Grant Review Committee. The committee’s evaluation and recommendations are expected to be completed by early September, and forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for approval in early October.

The program is co-sponsored by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, Hillsborough County Children’s Board, and the Frank E. Duckwall Foundation within the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay.

FishHawk Sports Complex Grand Opening

Hillsborough County hosted a grand opening ceremony for the FishHawk Sports Complex a couple of weeks ago.  The FishHawk Sports Complex is another reason why buying a home in FishHawk Ranch is a great choice for your family. The Fishhawk Sports Complex is a state-of-the-art facility built to serve a growing population of youth sports participants in southeast Hillsborough County.

In addition to Hillsborough County Commissioners, young athletes were presented to help inaugurate the facility by throwing the first pitch, passing the first football, kicking the first soccer ball and performing the first cheer!

The $8-million-project consists of eight ballfields, four football/soccer fields, batting cages, two concession/restroom buildings, four storage buildings, and many picnic shelters. Property within the complex will also be set aside for a Park-n-Ride with HART and a Hillsborough County Fire Station.

The FishHawk Sports Complex in Lithia, Florida is the result of a public-private partnership among Hillsborough County, Newland Communities, the developer for FishHawk Ranch, and other contributors. Land was provided by Newland Communities; Hillsborough County designed, constructed and will maintain the facility; corporate sponsors provided various equipment and amenities; and community volunteers will bring the facility to life through various sports leagues. Partner, sponsor and volunteer representatives will also be on hand for the grand opening celebration.

FishHawk Sports Complex address is 1612 FishHawk Blvd. in Lithia, Florida.

Tampa Among the Cleanest Cities?

The Sunshine State took four of the top-10 metro slots on the Forbes.com 2008 list of “America’s Cleanest Cities.” Not California but the other Sunshine State.  According to the magazine, clean water and air result from assertive steps by Florida’s cities as well as “the built-in advantage of weather patterns that blow out smog.”

Miami took the top spot, followed by Jacksonville (No. 3), Orlando (No. 4) and our very own Tampa/St. Petersburg (No. 8).

On another bright note for Florida, air and water cleanliness apparently energizes these metro economies, according to the survey. Nine of the 10 cleanest cities showed population increases between 2000 and 2006.

In recent years, Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection has launched programs aimed at providing power plants with the equipment needed to scrub out harmful emissions before they’re discharged. The agency has singled out the Tampa Electric Co. (TAECM) for going beyond federal and state requirements on emission reductions. 

On the water side, the agency has aimed its budget not only on fighting direct discharges into public waters but on indirect spillage from things like storm drain runoff.

To read the entire article.  Click here.

The Upside of Tampa Real Estate: 20 Market Positives

Thinking of moving to the Sunshine State? Perhaps Tampa? 

Let’s take a look at some of the opportunities and positive indicators for the future of Florida’s real estate market.

1. Long-term economic and demographic trends continue to favor Florida. By 2010 it has been forecast that Florida will be the third most populated state in the country. Florida’s population is expected to increase about 75 percent by 2030. Florida demonstrates a long history of strong growth. It has been one of the 10 fastest-growing states in the U.S. for each of the past seven decades, and often it has been in the top four, according to census data. Population growth will continue to provide a foundation for other economic growth such as new jobs and growing incomes.  All of which is good for real estate.
2. People continue to move here. It’s estimated that 900 people move here every day. Based on recent trends, Stan Smith, director of UF Bureau of Economic and Business Research, said he expects Florida to add about 300,000 residents a year during the next two to three years unless there is a recession.
3. Five of the top 15 cities in the Milken Institute’s 2007 “Best Performing Cities” survey, which looks at sustainable economic growth, are in Florida, including the No. 1 city, Ocala. A total of 13 Florida cities are in the top 50.
4. Low unemployment. Almost 120,000 jobs were created in Florida in the year between August 2006 and August 2007.  Florida’s unemployment rate has hovered at or under 4% for a long time; and was 4% in August 2007, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Department of Labor. That not only puts it well below the national unemployment average, it also is the lowest unemployment rate among all ten of the most populous states.
5. Jobs are plentiful, and that trend will continue. A recent study by Bizjournals called “Where the Jobs Are” found that 7 of the hottest 15 job markets are in Florida.
6. Let’s take a look at the weather. If you think the hurricanes we experienced are going to have long-term effects on the Florida real estate market, consider this tidbit from Fortune Magazine.  It recently reported, “Economists and geographers who have studied how natural disasters affect real estate values have generally found there to be no lasting impact.”   Example #1:  When Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston, S. C., home values were actually higher one year later.  Example #2:  That same year, 1989, a huge earthquake made big news in San Francisco, and the same thing happened—house prices went up.
7. Grant Thrall, a professor of what’s called Economic Geography, explains this phenomenon this way—residents move away and home prices fall only when natural disasters start becoming regular occurrences in an area, not when they happen periodically.  And while the hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005 may still be fresh in our minds, the fact is, historically it was a fluke.  Eight storms hit the Florida mainland in those two years.  But if you look back at the 50 years prior, only six Category 3 or higher storms hit the Florida mainland in half a century.
8. Gov. Charlie Crist, state lawmakers and business groups are committed to finding real solutions to the escalating costs and shortage of property insurance in Florida, as well as much-needed property tax reform. Florida Realtors will continue working closely with lawmakers to help resolve these complicated issues and keep the state’s economy moving forward. For example, 2007 FAR President Nancy Riley sits on the governor’s property tax reform commission, and 2005 FAR President Frank Kowalski served on the governor’s insurance reform commission.
9. Interests rates currently are still low, on a par with interest rates in the 1960s.  And thanks to the Fed’s recent rate cut, we’re already seeing lower rates on home equity and mortgage loans, including jumbo loans. The Fed’s action effectively increases the number of homebuyers able to make a purchase, which should increase demand, and also help support home prices. Home prices continue to stabilize, inventory is plentiful and homebuyers have lots of options.
10. Homeownership has value: Realtors believe… and research supports that belief … that homeownership provides a variety of benefits, tangible and intangible, to the community as well as the individual homeowner. 
11. Studies show that home equity is still the largest single source of household wealth, both for the individual homeowner and for homeowners as a group. Home value is the most important single aspect for homeowners.
12. Owning a home leads to increased personal well-being. Research shows that people who own their own homes tend to show higher levels of personal esteem and life satisfaction, which in turn helps to make homeowners and their children more productive members of society.
    Studies show that children raised in homes owned by their families are more likely to stay in school and more likely to graduate high school.
13. They’re also shown to have a higher lifetime annual income.
14. People who own homes have a strong financial stake in what happens to their community and tend to become more involved in community and civic affairs. Studies show that homeowners also interact with their neighbors to gain wider influence over their neighborhoods and communities.
15. Homeowners join up to 41 percent more civic and/or nonprofessional organizations than renters, such as the PTA or Scouts; vote in local elections 15 percent more often; enhance their neighborhoods with gardens 12 percent more often; attend church about 10 percent more often; and have a 3 percent greater chance of being interested in public affairs.
16. 2007 Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR) President Nancy Riley says, “Florida Realtors know buying a home is a very personal investment – an investment in a family’s future. Although research shows it is the largest single investment most families make and helps to provide security for the future, owning a home isn’t just a financial investment. Ownership is about having a place to call home: a place where families build a future and become part of a community.”
17. Over the past five years, the average homeowner has seen an increase of 50 percent in value, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Here in Florida, the statewide median home price has shown an increase of 52.5 percent from November 2002 to November 2007, according to FAR records. NAR housing industry analysts project that prices will rise about 2 percent next year, and in coming years, average home price appreciation should return to historical averages of around 6 percent.
18. Florida is a great place to live and work. According to Enterprise Florida Inc., the Sunshine State has one of the nation’s strongest tourism industries; it is fourth in the nation in high-tech jobs; is the third largest exporter of high-tech goods and services; and is ranked as one of the best states in the nation to be an entrepreneur.
19. Orlando-based economist Dr. Hank Fishkind recently said in several media reports he believes that “the worst of the so-called housing crisis has probably been mitigated by the actions of the Fed. Recovery will take a while, but it has begun.” Another economist, Dr. Lawrence Yun, chief economist with the National Association of Realtors, predicts that the Florida housing market will get stronger in 2008 and will be booming again by 2010.
20. And let’s not forget the things that brought people to Florida in the first place, and will continue to attract them – beautiful beaches, fabulous weather and a friendly business climate, with no state income tax.  It’s no wonder that Florida’s combination of temperate climate, outstanding recreational amenities and economic opportunity has consistently put us at the top of Harris Poll’s “most desirable places to live” survey.

If there’s any other time to buy Tampa Real Estate, now is the time.  Contact us today so we can discuss your real estate needs.

Central Bank Ready To Cut Rates

Looking to buy a home in Tampa?  Stay informed on the latest mortgage trends.  Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said in a speech Thursday that the central bank is prepared to continue lowering interest rates in order to help keep the economy on track.

“We stand ready to take substantive additional action as needed to support growth and to provide adequate insurance against downside risks,” Bernanke said in prepared remarks before the Women in Housing and Finance and Exchequer Club in Washington, D.C.

Stocks, which had been trading lower before the speech, rebounded on the news as Wall Street interpreted Bernanke’s comments to mean that there is now an increased likelihood the Fed will lower its key federal funds rate by a half of a percentage point, to 3.75 percent, at the conclusion of its two-day meeting on January 30.
To that end, investors are pricing in an 86 percent chance that the Fed will lower rates by a half-point on January 30, according to federal funds futures listed on the Chicago Board of Trade.

Florida’s Home Sales Slower in Oct 07

Disruptions in the mortgage market and tightening credit continued to impact Florida’s housing sector in October. Statewide, sales of existing single-family homes totaled 9,165 last month while 12,846 homes sold in October 2006 for a decrease of 29 percent in the year-to-year comparison, according to the Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR).

While the latest market outlook from the National Association of Realtors’® (NAR) expects conditions for the mortgage industry to improve in the coming months, it predicts that the impact of the credit crunch will continue to be felt through the end of this year, leaving home sales fairly flat. Keeping the current housing market in perspective, 2007 will be the fifth highest year on record for existing-home sales, according to NAR Senior Economist Lawrence Yun. “It appears raw inventories are stabilizing, but the housing supply is a bit inflated now because the sales pace does not reflect underlying market conditions – sales were dampened by the mortgage cancellations,” he says.

Florida’s median sales price for existing single-family homes last month was $222,100; a year ago, it was $242,700 for an 8 percent decrease. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less. In October 2002, the statewide median sales price for single-family homes was $140,900, for an increase of 57.6 percent over the five-year-period, according to FAR records.