Blog

Our winter temperatures go back and forth all season here in North Florida – one week it's winter, the next week we may think spring has arrived. This back and forth with cold and mild temperatures throughout winter is typical in North Florida.

As a result of the freezing periods, the less cold-hardy tropical and subtropical landscape plants can be injured. For example, it's normal for popular landscape plants such as oleander, hibiscus, bottlebrush and philodendron to suffer some cold damage. Then, the first impulse for many gardeners is to c...

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One key question that's top of mind for homebuyers this year is: why is it so hard to find a house to buy? The truth is, we're in the ultimate sellers' market, so real estate is ultra-competitive for buyers right now. The number of buyers searching for a home greatly outweighs how many homes are available for sale.

While low inventory in the housing market isn't new, it's a challenge that continues to grow over time. Here's a look at two reasons why today's housing supply is low and what that means for you.

1. New Home Construction Fell Behind for Several Years

The graph below shows 

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If you're thinking about selling your house in 2022, you truly have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at your fingertips. When selling anything, you always hope for strong demand for the item coupled with a limited supply. That maximizes your leverage when you're negotiating the sale. Home sellers are in that exact situation right now. Here's why.

Demand Is Very Strong

According to the latest Existing Home Sales Report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 6.18 million homes were sold in 2021. This was the largest number of home sales in 15 years. Lawrence...

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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recently approved continued development of Species Conservation Measures and Permitting Guidelines for four state-listed beach-nesting bird species, including the American oystercatcher, snowy plover, least tern and black skimmer.

All four species of state-listed beach-nesting birds are included in one set of draft guidelines, which is now available at MyFWC.com/wildlifehabitats/wildlife/species-guidelines/

Staff will return to a future commission meeting for final approval of the guidelines.

For more information on Florida's shorebirds, go to MyFWC.com/Shorebirds.

The guidelines are designed to be a tool for landowners, consultants, agency partners and other interested parties on...

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After working through the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, city officials have managed to press on in 2021 and get some big-ticket items accomplished. 

Topping the list of accomplishments was acquiring a new public beach for residents and visitors to use in the Crystal Beach area. 

"Two parcels were acquired this past year, tripling the public beach area available at the Shores of Crystal Beach Park," Destin City Manager Lance Johnson said in an email.

Those parcels are located on the east end of Destin. 

Next on the list, but not visible to folks yet, was the city staff completing revisions to the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Districts. 

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