Have we all had enough of the insurance fiasco here in Florida?  On top of the first two sur-charges we have paid on our auto and homeowners insurance premiums, to bail out the now defunct POE Financial insurance company, the legislature has just approved another 2% surcharge.  Add that to the 3.5% surcharge to Citizens insurance company, and the 2% FIGA assessment, and the minimum we're looking at is an additional 7.5% added to our insurance premiums. That totals around $200 additional per year for me, far more than the crummy savings the new and improved tax reform garnered me.  I wonder, where was the Insurance Commission when POE was in business?  Were they monitoring their financial activities or as I suspect, allowing them, as they do all the insurance companies here in Florida, c... 10/31/2007

Did you know that Avon Skin so Soft, not only moisturizes your skin but it also can be used to:Repel mosquitoes. This skin cream also happens to double as the best mosquito repellent available.Remove makeup. Rub a dab of Skin-So-Soft over your face, then wash clean with water.Get a suntan. Skin-So-Soft works as a suntan oil.Take a soothing bath. Add two tablespoons of Skin-So-Soft to a warm bath as a bath oil.Soften finger nails. Warm Skin-So-Soft and use as a hot oil treatment to soften nails.Enjoy a massage. Skin-So-Soft is an excellent massage oil.Relieve itching from insect bites. Applying Skin-So-Soft over the affected areas alleviates itching.Repel insects. Sponge Skin-So-Soft on screen doors and around door jambs and windows to keep out crawling bugs, flies, and mosquitoes.Polish... 10/29/2007

Two months ago my house became free of the old incandescent, energy sapping light bulbs.  I wasn't particularly sure that I'd see a huge savings in my electric bill, but hey, CFL's are more environmentally friendly and they put out less heat than the old bulbs, so it was a no brainer in my quest for going green.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that in the month of August my bill was down by almost 150 kwh.  Thinking it could possibly be beacuse my A/C might not have run as often, I reserved judgement till I got my September bill.  And there it was, 150 kwh less than the year before.  Given this past September was on record with September 06 as being the hottest September on record here in Central Florida, the reduction in kwh can be solely attributed to the CFL's.  So if you've hesit... 10/28/2007

Melbourne has a small town atmosphere joined with all the amenities of the big city are a big draw for newcomers. It boasts all the cultural arts including symphony orchestras, bands, jazz groups, art exhibits and cultural festivals all year long. The Maxwell King Center continually offers big name entertainment year round, including concerts, plays, and musicals. Whether you enjoy seafood or steak, dining is a pleasure with restaurants ranging from 5 star establishments to beachside cafes. If boating is your pleasure, many riverside restaurants offer river access.Education is a strong point of Brevard County with the Florida Institute of Technology, the University of Central Florida, Brevard Community College and Rollins College being located here. A high level of education is also inc... 10/25/2007

Recently while looking in the phone book for some kind of product to make a pad to park our boat, I came across a business that sells crushed concrete, the same product used as underlayment on asphalt roads.  Not only was the price much less expensive than the available alternatives, the fact that it is not quarried, nor reaped from river beds was appealing.  When we received the delivery and were in the process of spreading it out, I was pleased to see it not only contained concrete, but terrazzo, ceramic tiles, and bits of this and that I couldn't identify.  Awesome!  All this in one recycled batch.  The other benefit to this product is that it packs down hard like concrete but can be removed if desired.  I see this as not only a useful product for parking pads but also in landscaping... 10/21/2007

Greg Bluestein | The Associated Press 2:58 PM EDT, October 20, 2007 CUMMING, Ga. - With water supplies rapidly shrinking during a drought of historic proportions, Gov. Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency today for the northern third of Georgia and asked President Bush to declare it a major disaster area.Georgia officials warn that Lake Lanier, a 38,000-acre reservoir that supplies more than 3 million residents with water, is less than three months from depletion. Smaller reservoirs are dropping even lower.Perdue asked the president to exempt Georgia from complying with federal regulations that dictate the amount of water released from Georgia's reservoirs to protect federally protected mussel species downstream."We need to cut through the tangle of unnecessary bureaucracy to mana... 10/20/2007

BANGKOK, Thailand - Cities around the world are facing the danger of rising seas and other disasters related to climate change. Of the 33 cities predicted to have at least 8 million people by 2015, at least 21 are highly vulnerable, says the Worldwatch Institute.They include Dhaka, Bangladesh; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Shanghai and Tianjin in China; Alexandria and Cairo in Egypt; Mumbai and Kolkata in India; Jakarta, Indonesia; Tokyo and Osaka-Kobe in Japan; Lagos, Nigeria; Karachi, Pakistan; Bangkok, Thailand, and New York and Los Angeles in the United States, according to studies by the United Nations and others.More than one-tenth of the world's population, or 643 million people, live in low-lying areas at risk from climate change, say U.S. and European experts... 10/20/2007

The communities: The Melbourne area includes Palm Bay and other southern communities plus West Melbourne, and Melbourne Village in central Brevard up to Viera, Cocoa and Titusville in the north. And it also includes a half dozen beach communities on one long, fabulous barrier island stretching from Sebastian Inlet to Cape Canaveral.About the area Historically, the place that gives this entire area its “name” is Melbourne, the oldest and best-known community on what Floridians call the “Space Coast”. Melbourne is right in the center of a long north-south corridor – coastal Brevard County – that is sandwiched between the St. Johns River Basin to the West and the Atlantic Ocean. Melbourne is a technical center and thus a strong a job producer plus has a great cost of living standard. The r... 10/09/2007

October 23 on CNN Anderson Cooper will begin a series about our planet and climate change.  In one of the segments he interviews a researcher who has been making trips to Greenland for the past 20 years, doing research on the environmental impact of climate change in Greenland.  During his last trip, he stumbled upon an island that had not been there a few years before.  This island had been connected to Greenland by ice but climate change has caused so much of the ice and snow pack in Greenland to melt, this island is now an entity unto its own surrounded by water.  The series promises to show us visually the impact climate change is having on the environment worldwide. 10/05/2007

I hope everyone had a great Wednesday!I am working with a lot of clients that are in need of buying assistance. I always knew about local programs and what was available for sales and rentals, but I didn't realize that the threshold had changed so much in the last year. I expect that it may change again in March 2008.The Melbourne Housing Department has many programs funded by federal and state funds to improve the quality of life for Melbourne's low-income residents and low-income neighborhoods. The programs range from housing assistance to code enforcement activities, demolitions, neighborhood public facility improvements, and funding assistance to a variety of social support agencies.Low Income qualifications for a 1 person family is 32K: Family of 8 is 60K Very-Low Income qualificat... 10/03/2007

For those that are looking to find out more about Melbourne, Florida or Melbourne Real Estate then you have to visit our new page that caters to Melbourne Properties only.You may view all properties for sale including Vacant Land, Homes, Town Homes and Condos of if you like we have even added a few links to only display Melbourne Homes for Sale as well as a Page for Melbourne Townhomes currently for sale.Melbourne is the second largest city / area located in Brevard County, so naturally we thought it best to help our clients keep up with what is going on in the area.If you are looking for a home in Melbourne, then look no further and visit our Melbourne Real Estate page.This page displays all properties for sale via the Brevard MLS, so stop in, look around and when you are ready we will... 09/27/2007

These great tips come straight from our grandmother's generation.  Interesting that we are actually moving back in time, when GREEN living was the norm.1. Cut back on processed foods - a lot of it is already cooked, and it gets cooked again when you heat it up, using even more energy.2. Use powder detergents - Laundry liquids contain 70-80% water.  It costs energy and packaging to bring this to the consumer, which is unnecessary when your washing machine adds it.  And, powder is more effective at cleaning clothes.3. Use biodegradable cat litter - consider wheat, pine or corn based alternatives to clay kitty litter (including clumping), which contains carcinogenic crystaline silica and is obtained by open-pit mining.  Who knew?4. Get a fridge with a freezer in the bottom - the freezer on... 09/21/2007

The 2008 Ikea catalog that is.  Bargains galore!  For example, they are offering a package deal with the following items:1 wall shelf2 free standing bookcases1 coffee table1 sofaall for the low low price of ..............$184.  Yep you read it right $184.  The sofa is available instore only.  Sorry if I misled you earlier.  The month of October they are offering a complete dining table and chairs, metal with glass top for $199, and the November special is a bunkbed set for $79!!!!!So, if you don't have your catalog yet, you can order one at www.ikea.com.  Happy shopping! 09/20/2007

The Northwest Passage is the body of "ice" that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.  Typically, ice breakers have had to be used to clear a path for commercial shipping.  However, according to BBC America this evenin, the Northwest Passage has completely melted, for the first time in recorded history.  Below is an excerpt from Wikipedia.  Personally, I find this information the most alarming indication so far that global warming is escalating at a faster rate than predicted.There has been speculation that with the advent of global warming the passage may become clear enough of ice to permit safe commercial shipping for at least part of the year. On August 21, 2007 the Northwest Passage became open to ships without the need of an icebreaker. According to Nalan Koc of the Norwegian ... 09/14/2007

When you approach the Ocean over the high bridge across the Indian River (the Intra-Coastal Waterway or ICW), your view is sweeping. It is not blocked by condos and hotels, thanks to strict zoning laws enacted well before the current rapid growth and development. For one thing, there are 3- and 4-story height limits, unlike what you find throughout much of South Florida. For another, there is lots of easy to find, easy to use “forever” beach access. Before development there was conservation, and Melbourne and its beachside communities have some of the nicest public beaches in all of Florida Melbourne also has a great Old-Town, downtown area with specialty shops, antique stores, theaters, restaurants and more. There are dining places overlooking both the Indian River Lagoon (the IntraCoa... 09/14/2007

We know everyone would like to get better gas mileage, and we all know keeping our tires properly inflated will use less gas.  But is anyone familiar with "low rolling resistance" tires?  First manufactured by Michelin and poo-pooed by the auto manufacturers, these tires have been around a long time but are now just getting the attention they deserve.  Low resistance tires essentially hug less of the road than the traditional tire, thus reducing the drag produced and garnering up to 4 mpg more in gas mileage.  Several tire manufacturers make these tires, Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear, and Yokohama.  I chose the Yokohama Geolander because of reputation, price, and composition. 09/13/2007

Melbourne Arts and CultureThe Melbourne/Brevard County area is extremely welcoming to actors, artists, musicians, photographers and writers in all genres.There are first class Art supply stores, photography, book stores and libraries for supplies and research.The Maxwell King Center brings in national acts, from Rock legends to Tony Bennett.Another important thing is that its very easy to get involved in the community and the Arts scene. I do wildlife photography and have found incredible promotional support from the Brevard Arts society here. It is very professional and very approachable group. email: at brezinal@artsbrevard.orgMelbourne and its communities are definitely receptive to new ideas and creativity.Listed below are a few places/organizations in the area. 09/11/2007

Going Green?  Well you may as well go all the way and include eco-friendly cleaning methods.  Here are just a few:Inside of your stainless steel pots "stained?"  Just boil a bunch of rhubarb for 10-20 minutes.  Rinse and your stainless is, well, stainless.Kids coloring on your walls again?  Use a toothbrush and tooth paste and watch the crayon disappear.Kids again, putting those pesky stickers on walls and doors?  Use a hairdryer to soften the stickers, gently scrape with a plastic putty knife.  To remove left on glue, a little eucalyptus oil on a cotton ball does the trick.Crusty shower and tub?  Mix one box baking soda with laundry detergent to make a paste.  Using a plastic scrubby apply the mixture and scrub, comes off like magic.Cruddy microwave oven?  Beyond scrubbing?  Take a cle... 09/06/2007

In a recent study, with a major space employer in Melbourne, the employees had this to say.Melbourne is a safe place to liveIt has great weather and lots of sunIt’s easy to travel and get to work and there are good job opportunities..There is a wide variety of recreational facilities.It’s easy to get involved in the community.It’s a great place for creative people.Three out of four would recommend a friend or family member to relocate to Melbourne.Melbourne has the amenities that a larger town would have yet it has a small town atmosphere.I call it user friendly.All that and the Real Estate is a good deal. As of this writing (summer 2005) single-family homes, minutes from the beaches can be had from 200,000 up.Melbourne, and its landside communities of West Melbourne and Melbourne Villa... 08/28/2007

Looking for a tire that is not only environmentally friendly but also made in the good old U.S. of A?  Then Green Diamond tires are just what you've been looking for.  Invented in Iceland and made in America, they have distributors in Alaska, Colorado, and New York and can be ordered online. Check out their website www.greendiamondtire.com. 08/24/2007