Architecture and Aperitifs at Lamolithic House

The Sarasota Architectural Foundation will hold its third Architecture and Aperitifs social event from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Lamolithic House, 5540 Avenida del Mare, Siesta Key.

The house, designed in 1948 by Paul Rudolph and Ralph Twitchell, was built using a monolithic reinforced concrete structural system developed by John Lambie.

Admission is $10 for members and $15 for non-members, payable at the door by cash or check. Online RSVPs are requested at www.sarasotaarchitecturalfoundation.org.

Let's think on that

Part II of economist John Tuccillo's viewpoint on the financial crisis was due to be posted here today, but considering what happened on Capitol Hill this afternoon, where the House of Representatives voted down the bipartisan bailout bill, and Wall Street, where stocks fell sharply in value, I am going to re-ask the questions to John and post his responses later this week.

Jennifer Languell is new president of Florida Green Building Coalition

Jennifer Languell, a civil engineer who has advised many Sarasota-Manatee developers and builders on green construction, has been elected president of the Florida Green Building Coalition by its board of directors.

Languell owns Fort Myers-based Trifecta Construction Solution, which provides builders, developers and other industries with a variety of services to improve the application of green building and sustainability principles in their businesses.

Languell also stars in the Discovery Channel’s newest environmental series, Discovery Project Earth.

The Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) is a nonprofit Florida corporation dedicated to improving the built environment. Its mission is to provide a statewide green building program with environmental and economic benefits.

The financial crisis: Housing economist John Tuccillo explains it all for you

Sarasota-based economist John Tuccillo is busy traveling the country as a consultant, giving speeches about the real estate market to various professional organizations. But the former chief economist of the National Association of Realtors took some time Friday morning to discuss the proposed financial bailout with Real Estate Editor Harold Bubil:

Harold: Why is the trouble these financial institutions are having so important to Joe Homeowner and Jane Consumer?

John: “The big issue we have to address in this whole problem is the impact of tightening credit on the economy as a whole. I think that really is the big threat. What has happened is there’s a real capital crisis in the financial sector. All these bad loans have essentially forced companies to write down their capital. As they write down their capital, they don’t have the capacity to expand their provision of funds (lend money). And that will affect the real economy. What caused it was people misunderstanding or mis-portraying risk.”

Harold: So the borrowers did not understand the loan obligations they were assuming, and the lenders did not market or explain the loans satisfactorily?

John: “Pretty much. The question is how do you solve this? There are two precedents here. The first is that we haven’t seen a contraction of the credit system like this since 1929. So there is something to fear there. The second precedent is the S&L crisis of the 1980s.

“Now you can solve this issue in one of two ways. You can either say, ‘This is like 1929,’ or you can say, ‘This is like 1985.’ Warren Buffett has chosen to say, ‘This is like 1929. So what we need to do is infuse capital directly into the institutions.’ This is what he did with Goldman Sachs (into which Buffett invested $5 billion this week), and this is what the feds have done with WaMu (Washington Mutual) and Merrill Lynch, and earlier with Bear Stearns. What they have done is say, ‘Let’s take an ailing institution and hook it up with an institution that has a strong capital base.’ In Warren Buffet’s case, ‘Let’s increase the capital base. Let’s invest directly in the financial institutions. And then let the market sort out all the problems.’

“Now that’s not going to help people who have foreclosed properties or are in danger of having foreclosed properties. But by the same token, it is going to keep the financial system sound and functioning. The greater issue here is how do you isolate this from affecting the greater economy? People who have suffered the foreclosure of their houses, we know they are in trouble. What we don’t want is for an economic downturn to hurt everybody else. That’s sort of that one line of reasoning.

“The second line of reasoning is, ‘Let’s treat it like the savings and loan crisis.’ In that case, what we need to do is have the government step in as an intermediary, and, in effect, buy bad assets at face (value) and sell them off at market (value). In other words, say, ‘Look, we’re not going to absorb the whole hit, we’re going to absorb the difference between face value and market value. And I know there are people out there who will buy these things at market value, betting that they will come back to market and they will make a lot of money, just like people did during the savings and loan crisis.’ So that’s the other model.

“Now, the second model is much closer to where the Treasury Department’s initial proposal is. Granted, the proposal is kind of vague, the details aren’t spelled out. There’s a lot of discretion in there. But essentially, the lines of that proposal are very close to the solution we used in the savings and loan crisis.

“So if you believe this is 1929, you favor a direct infusion of capital into the financial institutions. Now that occurs either by finding mates for them, as we did with WaMu (JPMorgan Chase purchased Washington Mutual on Thursday), or getting new capital infused, as Warren Buffet did, or as some people think the government should do by buying stock in these institutions. So that is one side of the argument.

“The other side says, ‘Let’s get all this trash out of the market and then the market can start again on its own.’ That is what the Treasury is suggesting.

“Now the Democrats in Congress are introducing another aspect of this by saying, ‘We have to do something for the consumers who are losing their houses.’ What they want is for the government to go through and selectively buy loans that have gone bad so that people can retain their houses. That is a complicated solution because it puts the government in the business of actually being a bank, as opposed to investing in a bank.

“Those three things are warring for attention. If you look at it, you’ve got economists divided. Sen. Dick Shelby says, ‘Hey, we’ll just infuse capital directly into the institutions and let the market sort it out.’ You’ve got (Treasury Secretary Hank) Paulson saying, ‘Let’s buy up all of these bad loans and get the trash off the market, so the financial market can survive.’

“It’s kind of a mess.”

Harold: Isn’t Treasury’s solution akin to having the government clean up the hurricane debris in Galveston, as opposed to leaving the job to individual property owners who may not have the means to do it in a timely fashion?

John: “It is a good analogy, because the reason the government has to step in at a place like Galveston is that there is a public health issue. Here, there is an economic health issue. So you have to worry about that.

“There is justification for the government to get involved. And we are facing a brand new financial system in any case. The financial system is going to be reformed, just the way it was reformed, to a lesser extent, when the savings and loan crisis was resolved.

“As far as consumers are concerned, there are sources of credit out there, but you have to look for them. One of the major sources of credit is small community banks, the independent banks that are left. They are well capitalized, and are not terribly hit by the foreclosure problem. They are going to be good sources of credit. Unfortunately, there are not enough of them, and they are not big enough in volume to keep this whole engine going. You really do need the big boys to weigh in.”

Harold: What is your outlook for real estate?

John: “I firmly believe that for 90 percent of the country, the slump in residential housing is over. But the recovery is going to be delayed.”

The Nadels are honored for conservation efforts in North Carolina

Art and Peg Nadel are leaders in the local sustainability community. (Staff Photo / Harold Bubil)

Operating under the assumption that a forest saved anywhere benefits the planet everywhere, Art and Peg Nadel of Sarasota thought it would be a shame to develop 169 wooded acres at their Laurel Mountain Preserve community near Black Mountain, N.C.

So they created a conservation easement that will protect a rare, old-growth ecosystem that is home to 283 species of wildlife. The land is now part of the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy.

For their efforts, the Nadels were inducted into the Buncombe County Hall of Fame by the county's board of commissioners.

In North Carolina, the Nadels, who also are part-owners of Home Front Homes in Englewood, as well as Green Building Systems, and are active in the Sarasota green building and sustainability community, are developing a 430-acre forest tract that could have accommodated 200 or more homes. Instead, they are preserving 40 percent of the property and limiting the remaining area to 29 home sites of 10 acres each.

You can listen to my conversation with the Nadels on the Real Estate Today podcast section of this page.

Nokomis Beach Pavilion reopens in front of big crowd

In 1954, the Sarasota school of architecture was in its hey day, and 32-year-old Jack West was among its cadre of young practitioners.

One of his choice assignments was the Nokomis Beach Plaza, the first such project undertaken by Sarasota County. Its thin planes and slender supporting posts were the epitome of the International Style as interpreted on Florida's Gulf Coast. The open, airy design allowed unencumbered views of the beach and the water just a few steps away.

Of course, nothing deteriorates a structure quite like salt water, so over the years the building fell into decay. By the late 1990s, it was in such bad shape that it was closed.

But now it has reopened, after a $1.3 million rehabilitation project that was the brainchild of former Sarasota County History Center general manager Dave Baber.

And Jack West, now 86, was again the architect of record for the six-year rehab project. He was the man of the hour Friday evening as several hundred citizens, and a number of politicians and county leaders, gathered to celebrate the reopening. They gave West a standing ovation when he was introduced by John McCarthy, general manager of Sarasota County Parks and Recreation.

The structure, restored by Howell Construction, looks as good as ever, but there is one important difference in the site. You can't see the Gulf from the pavilions anymore, as sand dunes now obstruct the view. But they do serve as a measure of protection from high surf.

A historical perspective: Hurricanes and barrier islands

Gary Mormino, professor of Florida Studies at the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg, discusses the history of coastal construction with Herald-Tribune real estate editor Harold Bubil. Mormino is the author of “Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams: A Social History of Modern Florida” (University Press of Florida, 2005).

Harold: When did it become popular to build on barrier islands?

Gary: “The barrier islands were called barriers for a reason. They were difficult to get to. You needed bridges, and bridges were a 20th-century phenomenon. Otherwise you had to row there or sail there. They were inaccessible.

“When Florida was an agricultural society, things you needed, you really couldn’t grow well on islands. So what was the point of living on an island if you couldn’t grow much there? You do have some exceptions: They grew tomatoes on Sanibel. But for the most part, barrier islands were more sterile than the mainland.

“You have stories of people swapping 100 acres of beachfront for five acres of good farmland in the interior. Aesthetics aside, what was the point of living on the beach? Ultimately, this is the law of physics. Nature will wash it away. It just happens.”

Harold: But it doesn’t happen very often in the Tampa-Sarasota region.

Gary: “We’ve been incredibly lucky here. You could argue that it has been 160 years since a catastrophic hurricane hit the area – 1848. It hit Tampa straight on. Only a few hundred people lived there, around Fort Brooke. But it is believed that what would be downtown Tampa would have been 10 feet under. It literally reshaped the geography of the barrier islands. Not just 1848, but the ones that followed, 1921. Honeymoon and Caladesi islands were cut in two. But ’21 was a relatively minor storm in the big scheme of things.

“The important point here is that you could write this off as ‘natural disasters will occur,’ but they really are not natural disasters. It’s not natural for people to live on barrier islands. It’s like an alligator eating your dog. Isn’t that a natural disaster, except that the difference is, dogs and humans live where only alligators once lived. On the same point, humans probably should have never built homes on barrier islands. But we’re way past that metaphysical or moral debate. We’re here now, and we’re going to have to deal with it. The reality is, people who live on barrier islands have a lot more clout than newspaper reporters or history teachers. They will get insurance and they will build seawalls, which are also counterproductive, and they will rebuild.”

Harold: Isn’t that what we call urban renewal by hurricane.

Gary: “Literally months after two or three hurricanes in two or three years had struck Pensacola Bay, land values were higher than ever. There is a precedent here. When Hurricane Donna hit in 1960, developers later said it was the best thing that happened. It cleared out the inexpensive housing, the mobile home parks, and you really saw that with Punta Gorda in 2004. I like to ask my students, do you really thing those mobile home parks will emerge as mobile home parks. The answer is no. They are going to be condominiums and things like that. It’s just the law of Florida physics.

Harold: We saw this happen in Sarasota after the 1921 hurricane. It destroyed the fish houses along the bayfront, and the city rebuilt with a nice park and went into the historic real estate boom.

When we look at the damage near Galveston, Texas, from Hurricane Ike, most of the homes destroyed on the Bolivar Peninsula were rather modest wooden structures on wooden stilts, and not very tall ones at that. You won’t find many houses like those on Sarasota’s barrier islands. Tough building codes mandate solidly built structures elevated on concrete pilings, sunk to bedrock, to meet FEMA flood requirements.

Gary: “The irony is that if you rebuild in Florida, the property taxes and insurance will make living on the beach even more exclusive. That certainly is another important theme of beachfront living in Florida in the 20th century. It’s gotten to be incredibly exclusive.”

Harold: I think that’s a good thing. If it is very expensive to build on the beach, then only the wealthy will be able to afford to live there, and they will have the means to pay for their own rebuilding.

Gary: “That is an interesting take on that. You may be right. It could be that only the wealthy will come in and build single-family homes, or more likely will be that only wealthy condominiums will be there, but only higher and higher because of the risk associated with building on the beach now.

“One point of my book is that I looked at real estate prices in the mid-1950s, and a school teacher could afford to live on the beach in Pinellas and Sarasota – the price of a lot and an inexpensive home was about double that of a teacher’s salary. But again, we have long passed this debate. It’s a privileged beach now.

“This is a bipartisan issue, by the way. If your district is on the beach, Democrats and Republicans both support beach re-nourishment, because it is huge business.

“A very perceptive colleague of mine, Harvey Jackson III, who teaches at Jacksonville State in Alabama and has been going to the panhandle beaches for most of his 60 years, talks about Hurricane Eloise in 1975, a hurricane most people have forgotten. ‘Surveying the wreckage, developers quickly realized that storms did not destroy so much as they cleared the way for new construction, and soon speculators were buying property, drawing plans and laying foundations … Soon there were more motels, restaurants and amusement outlets than ever before.’ ”


“I’m sure you’ve seen this famous quote from Matthew in the Bible: ‘A foolish man built his house upon the sand, and the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell.’ There is nothing new about building on the beach. This has been a rather old struggle.”

Harold: Floridians who move out of the state often quote the threat of hurricanes as a reason for leaving. Can the state recover?

Gary: “Let’s face it. Florida is in a real world of hurt right now, and the question is, can Florida bounce back? It will be the beach, it has always been the beach, at least since the 1920s. I always give the example that there were 80 million baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964. Many have done well – or at least have done well until this week – with their 401(k)s. Let’s assume you are living in Des Moines or Kankakee, and you come down to Siesta Key or Naples Beach, and you are looking out at that sunset, and someone is saying, ‘It’s overpriced, it’s tacky, you should have seen it 40 years ago.’ It’s still magical.

“The sunset on the Gulf coast, the walk along the beach, there is nothing quite like it. And yet, it probably is overpriced. But real estate is not rational. It’s really about confidence. You have to have confidence that Florida will be a better place and your real estate will be safe. I think the sunsets will continue to lure people here.”

MyGreenBuildings wins award for remodeled house

Steve Ellis and Grant Castilow of MyGreenBuildings of Sarasota were awarded the 2008 Professional Remodeler "Best of the Best" Design Award for a Whole House Remodel, presented at the National Professional Remodeler Celebration of Stars ceremony in Baltimore.

“We feel fortunate to be building projects consistent with the best designs in the country and architecture that our peers feel is worthy of this kind of award,” said Steve Ellis, MyGreenBuildings co-owner.

The competition recognizes outstanding design, craftsmanship and functionality in the projects of remodelers across the United States. The judging panel included remodelers, architects and kitchen and bath designers.

LEED is catching on in Sarasota region

A story in the Sept. 7 Sunday Real Estate section explains how architects increasingly are being hired to consult with builders and developers to make their structures green.

These architects apply the standards of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program to the projects. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Locally, LEED-certified structures include two public buildings — the North County Library and the Twin Lakes office complex in Sarasota, constructed by Sarasota County. Twin Lakes was designed by architect Michael Carlson, a LEED-accredited professional (LEED-AP), whose office on Fruitville Road in downtown Sarasota has a LEED-Commercial Interiors certification.

The Whole Foods Market in Sarasota is also a LEED-certified structure, as is the Girl Scouts headquarters designed by Guy Peterson on Proctor Road. Thirty more Sarasota projects are in planning or construction, according to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Web site.

In Charlotte County, Peace River Elementary School in Charlotte Harbor and Neal Armstrong Elementary in Port Charlotte, and the Baker Center, in Punta Gorda, are certified; four other LEED projects are in the works.

In Manatee County, four projects are completed or in the works, including the SMR Corporate Headquarters, according to the USGBC.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has mandated that all new public buildings in the state be built to LEED standards.

Sustainability Month podcast

Want more details on Sustainability Month? Listen to my podcast interview with Nina Powers of Sustainable Sarasota and Greg Carlson of Sarasota County Libraries. It's at:

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080903/PODCAST0101/809030186/-1/multimedia&template=multimedia&show=podcasts

Sustainability month at Sarasota County's libraries

Sustainability is one of the most important concepts in homeownership. It goes beyond just having a home that energy efficient, conserves resources and fosters good health.

Sustainability also includes the durability of the structure, its ease of maintenance, and its affordability. After all, the mortgage lender would like it quite a bit if you could afford to make the payments, and would keep the place up -- at least until the loan is paid.

Toward these ends, the Sarasota County library system has set aside September as Sustainability Month, with lectures and events at the various libraries. Here's the schedule:



VENICE PUBLIC LIBRARY, 300 S. Nokomis Ave., Venice, FL 34285

-- "People, Places, and Planning for Prosperity." SC (Sarasota County) Neighborhoods Office, SC Health Department., and SC Planning and Development Services representatives will discuss elements of sustainable communities. Program will address water-resource management, “walkability,” public transportation and related concepts. Audience Q&A to follow presentation. Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2 p.m.

-- “The 11th Hour.” Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, this captivating documentary explores the perilous state of our planet and the means by which we can change our course. Film contributors include noted politicians, scientists and other ambassadors for the importance of a universal ecological consciousness. Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2 p.m.

-- "Compost 101." Learn how to build and benefit from your own compost box. Master Gardeners and representatives of The Home Depot will demonstrate this project using inexpensive materials. Thursday, Sept. 11, 2 p.m.

-- "Measure Your Carbon Footprint." Measure your personal and family impact on global warming and join your neighbors in reducing greenhouse-gas output. Complete a carbon-footprint survey, sign a pledge to take action, and receive a free compact fluorescent bulb while supplies last. UF/IFAS Extension Services, along with Nina Powers of Sustainable Sarasota, will be your guides. Thursday, Sept. 18, 2 p.m.

-- "Stretch Your Food Dollar." To address economic sustainability, UF/IFAS Extension Services will offer a smorgasbord of strategies and recommendations directed to a targeted reduction in personal food expenditures. Participants will receive a packet of best practices, including "stretch your food dollar" recipes. Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2 p.m.




ELSIE QUIRK LIBRARY, 100 W. Dearborn St., Englewood, FL 34223

-- "Compost 101." Saturday, Sept. 6, 10 a.m.

-- "People, Places, and Planning for Prosperity." Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2 p.m.

-- "Stretch Your Food Dollar." Tuesday, Sept. 23, 10 a.m.




FRANCES T. BOURNE JACARANDA PUBLIC LIBRARY, 4143 Woodmere Park Blvd., Venice

-- "Compost 101." Saturday, Sept. 6, 2 p.m.

-- "Perils in Paradise." Environmental specialist Jeff Weber will explain how to enjoy Florida’s great outdoors while avoiding potential danger from flora and fauna. Wednesday, Sept. 10, 10 a.m.

-- "Stretch Your Food Dollar." Thursday, Sept. 11, 10 a.m.

-- "People, Places, and Planning for Prosperity. "Tuesday, Sept. 16, 5:30 p.m.

-- "Living Green." Living green does not require lots of time or money. Betty Alpaugh from UF/IFAS Extension Services will provide practical, affordable choices for a comfortable and eco-friendly life. Thursday, Sept. 18, 10 a.m.

-- "Measure Your Carbon Footprint." Monday, Sept. 22, 10 a.m.

-- "Florida Pond Life." View the aquatic ecosystem on the Jacaranda Library campus through the lens of high-quality optical scope. Tuesday, Sept. 23, 5:30 p.m.

-- "Living on the Water’s Edge." Robert Wright will present a primer on the variety and importance of aquatic plants to the health of our ecosystem. Wednesday, Sept. 24, 5:30 p.m.




NORTH PORT LIBRARY, 13800 S. Tamiami Trail, North Port, FL 34287

-- “The 11th Hour. ” Friday, Sept. 5, 1 p.m.

-- "Measure Your Carbon Footprint." Saturday, Sept. 6, 1 p.m.

-- "Stretch Your Food Dollar." Tuesday, Sept. 9, 10 a.m.

-- "Compost 101." Saturday, Sept. 13, 1 p.m.

-- "People, Places, and Planning for Prosperity." Thursday, Sept. 25, 5:30 p.m.

-- “Six Degrees Could Change Your World.” This film discusses why many scientists believe that the Earth's average temperature could rise by as much as 6 degrees Celsius by the year 2100 and explores what each rising degree could mean for the future of humanity and our planet. Special features celebrity interviews; everyday green living tips; preserve our planet PSA; degree-by-degree impact guide. Friday, Sept. 26, 1 p.m.




GULF GATE LIBRARY, 7112 Curtiss Ave., Sarasota

-- "The 11th Hour" documentary film, Thursday, Sept. 4, 10 a.m.

-- "Measure Your Carbon Footprint." Friday, Sept. 5, 1:30 p.m.

-- "Florida Yards and Neighborhoods: Nine Landscape Principles." As our communities have grown, tremendous pressure has been placed upon on natural resources, such as water. Learn how you can play an important role in minimizing the potential harmful effects of urbanization on our resources through adapting environmentally friendly landscape maintenance practices. Friday, Sept. 12, 2 p.m.

-- "Stretch Your Food Dollar. ' Friday, Sept. 19, 1:30 p.m.

-- "People, Places, and Planning for Prosperity." Monday, Sept. 22, 5:30 p.m.

-- "Compost 101." Thursday, Sept. 25, 3 p.m.

-- "Native Plants." Laurel Schiller, author and owner of the nursery Florida Native Plants, advocates for the use of Florida-friendly plants and leads a tour of the library's outdoor landscape, identifying plants that thrive in the Gulf Gate neighborhood. Friday, Sept. 26, 1:30 p.m.




SELBY PUBLIC LIBRARY, 1331 First St., Sarasota, FL 34236

-- "Landscaping for Climate Change." Nina Powers of Sustainable Sarasota. Tuesday, Sept. 9, 1 p.m.

-- "Compost 101." Friday, Sept. 12, 1 p.m.

-- "Your Food Choices and Carbon Footprint." Dr. Robert Kluson of Cooperative Extension, Agriculture Management, Friday, Sept. 16, 11 a.m.

-- "People, Places, and Planning for Prosperity." Friday, Sept. 19, 1 p.m.

-- “Florida Yards and Neighborhoods: Nine Landscape Principles.” Friday, Sept. 23, 10:30 a.m.

-- "Measure Your Carbon Footprint." Friday, Sept. 26, 1 p.m.




FRUITVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY, 100 Coburn Road, Sarasota, FL 34240

-- "People, Places, and Planning for Prosperity." Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2 p.m.

-- "Compost 101." Tuesday, Sept. 9, 1 p.m.

-- "Measure Your Carbon Footprint." Saturday, Sept. 20, 2 p.m.

-- "Stretch Your Food Dollar." Wednesday, Sept. 24, 3 p.m.




NORTH SARASOTA PUBLIC LIBRARY, 2801 Newtown Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34234

-- "Measure Your Carbon Footprint." Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2 p.m.

-- "Stretch Your Food Dollar." Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2 p.m.

-- "Compost 101." Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2 p.m.

-- "People, Places, and Planning for Prosperity." Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2 p.m.




SCLS YOUTH DEPARTMENTS

-- "Save the Environment: Preschool Storytime." Environmental awareness and conservation themes run through interactive songs, puppet play, crafts, and games for preschool children. Sarasota County Forestry has donated Florida native tree seedlings for distributing to attendees while supplies last. North Sarasota, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 10 a.m.; Fruitville, Tuesday. Sept. 9, 9:30 a.m.; Gulf Gate, Friday, Sept. 12, 10 a.m.; North Port, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 10 a.m.; Elsie Quirk, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 10:30 a.m.; Selby, Thursday, Sept. 25, 10:30 a.m.; Jacaranda, Monday, Sept. 29, 10 a.m.; Venice, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 10 a.m.

Longboat Key lot sells for nearly $3 million

A 1.42-acre property at 3515 Gulf of Mexico Drive, on the southern half of Longboat Key, sold Tuesday for $2,850,000, reports Michael Saunders & Company.

According to the firm, the transaction was the most expensive re-sale of a Gulf-front home site on Longboat Key so far this year.

MS&C had both sides of the sale: Linda Driggs of the Main Street office brought the buyer, and Michael Moulton and Annette Rogers of the Longboat Key office had the listing.

The buyers are entitled to build an 11,200-square-foot house and a gulf-front pool. The site has 425 feet of frontage on the beach.

StormStruck hurricane exhibit opens at Epcot

The StormStruck set at Innoventions in Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort. (Staff Photo / Harold Bubil)

LAKE BUENA VISTA -- If you've ever had the urge to load up a Hummer with emergency supplies and be a storm chaser, but then thought better of it, you can experience a simulated hurricane -- safely -- in a new exhibit at Disney World.

Nuture your inner Jim Cantore, the storm-chasing Weather Channel meteorologist, at "StormStruck: A Take of Two Homes," which opened Tuesday at Epcot in the Walt Disney World Resort.

Developed by the nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, in partnership with RenaissanceRe, Simpson Strong-Tie and State Farm, the interactive exhibit, in the Innoventions section of Epcot, gives visitors the scare and sensation of riding out a strong windstorm, then educates them on how to mitigate the risk of such disasters in their own houses.

"This is a one-of-a-kind combination of interactivity and education for weather of all kinds that will help protect families and their homes in the future," said Leslie Chapman-Henderson, president and CEO of FLASH.

"With the large number of windstorms that we've seen this year, there's no better time than now to make sure homes are built right," said Terry Kingsfather, president of Simpson Strong-Tie, which makes metal connectors used in building construction.

"This exhibit will help homeowners understand how high winds affect their homes and how to make sure their homes are storm-ready by installing such products and wind-resistant windows ... and using metal connectors to secure their roofs, walls and foundations."

I'll have a feature story on StormStruck in the Home & Real Estate section this Saturday.

Just call him Professor Peterson

Guy W. Peterson has been awarded a visiting faculty position by the Ivan H. Smith Eminent Scholar Chair in Architecture at the University of Florida School of Architecture.

Peterson, a fellow of the American Institute of Architects, will continue his architectural practice in Sarasota.

He will teach an advanced graduate design studio for the fall 2008 semester.

Boarding up? Here's how

Decision No. 1 on your homeowner chore list today: Whether to board up for Tropical Storm (soon to be hurricane?) Fay.

Regardless of Fay's wind speeds, protecting your windows is the safe and prudent thing to do during a tropical storm or hurricane. But if you don't have shutters or impact-resistant windows -- forget about getting them today -- you can still board up with plywood.

Instructions are online at the Web site of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, www.flash.org. At the left of the home page, click on "Hurricanes," then scroll down to "Animated How-To: Emergency Board-Up," under the heading "Strengthen Your Home."

"Boarding up windows, doors and garage doors with plywood can be very effective in preventing damage from wind-borne debris and missiles,” said FLASH President/CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson. “But it is essential that the panels are properly secured and of the correct width (5/8” thick), or the panels can cause more damage than they prevent.”

Chapman-Henderson emphasizes: Do not tape your windows. Taping provides a false sense of security, it will not keep damaging winds from entering your home through a broken window, and the tape becomes very difficult to remove after just a day.

Do-it-yourself instructions on building temporary shutters are available at www.flash.org in English and Spanish, a printable brochure is at www.flash.org/resources/files/3-28-06FinalFLASHNewsletter.pdf, and a link to the organizations’ nonprofit YouTube channel www.youtube.com/stronghomes will give viewers access to a library of animated short videos on disaster safety and prevention techniques.

FLASH, based in Tallahassee, also maintains a toll-free telephone hot line at (877) 221-SAFE, where homeowners can speak live with builders, engineers and other experts.