Notes from Charlotte County

"New" HOME OF THE EAGLES

Punta Gorda Middle School is Charlotte County Public School’s fourth completed hurricane replacement school. A total of six schools were destroyed in the aftermath of the August 13, 2004, Hurricane Charley. East Elementary School and the Charlotte High School are both in the process of being rebuilt. It is anticipated that children will occupy East Elementary School in November, 2008. Charlotte High School’s classroom phase, including the historic three-story, building, in scheduled to open in 2009. Additional Charlotte High School buildings will be occupied as they are completed, 2009, 2010. Baker Center opened on August 13, 2007, followed by Neil Armstrong Elementary, which opened on October 10, 2007, and Peace River Elementary, which opened on December 3, 2007.

Punta Gorda Middle School was destroyed on August 13^th, 2004 by Hurricane Charley. From August 23, 2004, until February 14, 2005, Punta Gorda Middle School students attended classes in a split shift arrangement on the campus of Murdock Middle School. Since February 2005, Punta Gorda Middle School students have attended classes in temporary modular buildings on the same campus grounds as the original Punta Gorda Middle School and had the opportunity to watch construction of their now completed new facility.

May 27, 2008 marks the opening of the newly completed Punta Gorda Middle School. The twenty acre site now houses the new three-story, 172,111 square foot replacement school designed by Harvard Jolly Architects and constructed by Ajax Building Corporation. School District, Insurance, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds, paid for the $37,580,474 newly constructed school. Students will be classes in the new school on August 19, 2008. Design, engineering, layout, technology, security and aesthetics make this an impressive facility by any measure and it will serve the community long into the future.   STATS/INFO: Cost $37,580,474, Classrooms/Labs 53, Total Seating 1198, Parking Spaces 153, Security Cameras both inside and out, Ground Breaking 10/11/06, Open House 05/27/08, Firsts day of use 08/19/08.

In hard and discouraging times, even small signs of hope really stand out. Below are the results of a recent poll by ZOGBY.com, which finds that the majority of Americans feel that there is no time like present to buy a home. There are lots and lots of homes on the market, fantastic prices, great mortgage rates and with the right Realtor (US!), you can land a truly great bargain which will stand the test of time as a good investment. Call us and we’ll show you some of these amazing buys!

WASHINGTON – April 18, 2008 – A new Reuters/Zombie poll finds that more than half (54 percent) of Americans now think it’s a good time to buy a home. While consumers still view the economy with a wary eye, confidence also improved in April, rebounding to 95.5 percent from a low of 87.7 in March.

“Despite months of negative economic news, the overall mood of Americans is showing some signs of improvement – even though most still believe the U.S. is in the midst of a recession,” the poll says. The Reuters/Zogby Index includes 10 poll questions that gauge perception of the state of the country and the economy.

Nearly three in four Americans (71 percent) believe the U.S. economy is currently in a recession, a slight decrease from 74 percent who said the same last month. This month’s survey also finds fewer Americans give their personal financial situation a negative rating (47 percent), compared 54 percent who said the same in March. Slightly more than half (53 percent) rate their personal financial situation as excellent or good, compared to 46 percent last month who felt the same.

The telephone survey included 1,049 likely voters nationwide and was conducted April 10-12, 2008. It carries a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.

For a methodology statement on this poll, please visit:
http://www.zogby.com/methodology/readmeth.dbm?ID=1292

Skybus, the Columbus, Ohio-based regional airline ceased operations Saturday, in the face of mounting financial concerns and announced plans to file for bankruptcy protection early next week. Skybus was the only airline since the 1980s to offer commercial service in and out of the Charlotte County Airport in Punta Gorda. It operated out of the recently completed Bailey Terminal where it operated for only four months.

"We're disappointed. However, we feel like Skybus has proved our market," said Airport Authority Executive Director Gary Quill, who added that the airline had 40,000 passengers coming through the airport in March. "Clearly, we're a good prospect in the future for someone else or possibly Skybus, if they emerge from bankruptcy." Quill went on to indicate that the Airport Authority has been in conversation with other air carriers.

The Loop-Punta Gorda

Things are getting exciting in South Punta Gorda, as the LOOP PROJECT gears up for a mid-2008 ground breaking. The Loop-Punta Gorda, as it is called, is a 200 acre mixed-use development including 1.2 million square feet of retail, 500 residences, offices and a hotel all located just off I-75 (exit 161) in south Punta Gorda, the state’s last great growth corridor.

The Loop-Punta Gorda’s retail component is poised to change the shopping dynamic of four fast growing southwest Florida counties-Charlotte, Sarasota, Desoto and Lee. A fundamental economic shift will take place as residents in the underserved portions of the Fort Myers-Sarasota corridor finally have the updated shopping, dining and entertainment components they desire–all in one beautifully designed, easily accessed town center environment.

For more details, checkout the Loop-Punta Gorda website by clicking HERE

The following LINK reflects statistics from the Charlotte County area Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and reflect a rollowing twelve months of data regarding listing counts, marketing time and pricing averages.  The Tables below are segregated into the following property types: HOMES, CONDOS and VACANT LAND.  The data is presented in a rollowing twelve months format.

Rollowing 12 month MLS STATS

An English pub has opened in town and is located at the old Ice House building on North Bound US-41.

A wine bar / pub will open at location of what was the Bike Shop on Marion Street.

Isles Café, located at Bal Harbor and Aqui Esta, is offering home delivery within Punta Gorda Isles.

The Laishley Crab House Restaurant expects to begin construction in late April and will occupy 15,000 sf on the 2nd floor of the soon to be built harbor-front structure. Retail shops will occupy the 12,000 sf ground floor.

The 2008 Punta Gorda Block Party has booked the Outlaws ("Ghost Riders in the Sky") as headliners for the big summer to do.

The fabulous Harbor Center, now well under construction, has already been booked for the first two months of 2009.

The following LINK reflects statistics from the Charlotte County area Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and reflect a rollowing twelve months of activity regarding listing counts, marketing time and pricing averages.  The Tables below are segregated into the following property types: HOMES, CONDOS and VACANT LAND. 

The Following LINK shows information through January 2008.

Rollowing 12 month MLS Statistics