Keystone Heights

Debbie Roney Smith on

Keystone Heights is a small North Central Florida town tucked away amidst several lakes. It boasts holiday parades down the main street, a great selection of outdoor activities for all ages, and a welcoming small-town community home to all kinds of people and wildlife. 

Love lake days? There are SIXTEEN lakes for you and your family to visit including Santa Fe Lake, Keystone Lake, Paradise Lake, Crystal Lake, White Sands Lake, Little Lake Johnson, and more!

Craving some seafood and a fun festival? Check out the Cedar Key Seafood Fall Festival, the Sponge Docks Seafood Festival, or nearby festivals in Gainesville – a nice day trip. 

Prefer parades? Check out the annual Christmas Parade, Christmas Boat Parade, the Micanopy 4th of July Fireworks Parade, the nearby Hawthorns Christmas Festival, and more! 

Does this sound like your dream town? Check out this current listing by CLICKING HERE and start your journey to your small-town, dream home!

 

Emerald Coast Native Plant Fair

Debbie Roney Smith on

Paradise Plants and Palms is excited to announce that they’re hosting the first-ever Emerald Coast Native Plant Fair! Join them on September 16th from 10am – 4pm EDT. The Fair will be a celebration of all things Florida Native Plants and conservation. There will be a variety of conservation groups, local artisans, native plant sellers/nurseries, and arts-n-crafts vendors. There will also be a food truck! 

Along with arts-n-crafts, native plants, and food for sale, the event will feature free educational classes, wildlife conservation experts, and coastal ecosystem informational services. A complete list of native plant sellers, vendors, and conservation groups listed below:

  • Paradise Plants and Palms
  • Sandhill Native Nursery
  • Native Plant Company
  • Revive Native Plant Nursery
  • Root and Stem
  • Pojars Plants
  • Pawsative Chaos
  • Hannah’s Treasures
  • Bohemian Funk
  • Aleigator Supply
  • Clay by Kim
  • Nate Buckley: Bat Conservation
  • Saneka’s Legacy Corp: Ecology Conservation

Visit the event Facebook page HERE for more information.

Gulf Breeze Zoo Welcomes New Giraffe

Debbie Roney Smith on

The Gulf Breeze Zoo, located in Navarre, is home to over 900 animals. On July 13th, a giraffe calf joined the family. Born to 14-year-old Kenya, the calf was 6’3 and 160 lbs at birth. 

Did you know that most giraffes are pregnant for 15 months?! They are considered a vulnerable population by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They are susceptible to population decline due to habitat loss, illegal hunting, and ecological changes. There are only an estimated 4,500 wild giraffes; the birth of a new calf is something to celebrate for such an endangered species. 

The baby has not yet been named.

Visit the Gulf Breeze Zoo website for open hours to visit the new calf!

Easements and Encumbrances on Property Titles

Debbie Roney Smith on
  1. Easements:  An easement is a legal right granted to a third party (such as a neighbor or utility company) to use a portion of a property for a specific purpose. Common types of easements include:
    • Right-of-way easements, which allow access to neighboring properties or shared resources like a driveway or private road.
    • Utility easements, which grant utility companies access to maintain or install infrastructure such as power lines, water pipes, or sewer lines.
    • Easements typically “run with the land,” meaning they remain in effect even when the property is sold or transferred to new owners.
  2.  Encumbrances: An encumbrance is a claim or liability that affects a property’s title or restricts the owner’s rights. Encumbrances can include: 
    • Liens, which represent a financial claim on a property to secure a debt, such as a mortgage, tax lien, or mechanic’s lien.
    • Deed restrictions, which are limitations placed on the use of a property by a previous owner, such as restrictions on building height, exterior colors, or commercial use.
  3. How to identify and address easements and encumbrances: A thorough title search and examination conducted by a reputable title company can identify any existing easements and encumbrances on a property. Once identified, your clients can:
    • Review the impact of these issues on their intended use of the property.
    • Negotiate with the seller to resolve any outstanding liens or encumbrances before closing.
    • Obtain title insurance to protect against unforeseen title defects or discrepancies.

Thanks to Burg Title, LLC for this helpful, comprehensive summary on Easements and Encumbrances. 

Mid-South Harbor Farmers Market

Debbie Roney Smith on

Mid-South Harbor Farmers Market is hosting their monthly Farm, Garden, Craft & Animal Swap next Saturday, September 9th from 8AM – 2PM. This is a FREE event for both vendors and the community. Meet with local vendors and creators supplying fresh produce, baked items, canned goods, hand-made arts & crafts, plants, and small animals. Interested in being a vendor? Email: youngstown@midsouthlumberco.com or midsouthlumber@knology.net for a vendor application. Visit the event’s Facebook page to stay up-to-date with event announcements and more. 

 

National Beach Day

Debbie Roney Smith on

Enjoy a Florida summer beach day to celebrate National Beach Day today! National Beach Day was created in 2014 to raise public awareness of the beauty of beaches while also calling attention to keeping them clean and safe. To celebrate yet honor beaches, remember: enjoy the beach, leave nothing behind. See the list below for some suggestions of Pandhandle beaches you could visit:

  • Navarre Beach
  • Henderson Beach State Park
  • Pensacola Beach
  • St. Andrews State Park
  • Seagrove Beach
  • Grayton Beach State Park
  • Okaloosa Island

Tallahassee Film Festival 2023

Debbie Roney Smith on

The 15th annual Tallahassee Film Festival is happening September 2-3 at multiple venues downtown and in the Railroad Square arts district. The event will feature over 70 films and scores, over 40 shorts, and a dozen feature films. The fest has partnered with Sunshine State Biodiversity for a curated short film program titled ‘Environment in Focus.’ Visitors can purchase a weekend pass OR tickets for individual screenings. Learn more or purchase tickets in advance by visiting the event website here. 

 

How Did Two Egg Get its Name?

Debbie Roney Smith on

Two Egg is a small Florida gem of a town located at the intersection of State Road 69 and State Road 69A. A few local fables are discussing how the town got its name. The most prevalent is that, during the Depression in the 1930s, cash was very hard to come by so locals began to trade farm products for other staples in store. It is believed that two boys used to come in with two eggs from their family farm to trade for sugar. It essentially became a local joke to refer to the store as the “two egg store” and the name stuck.

FL Scallop, Music, & Arts Festival

Debbie Roney Smith on

Celebrate Labor Day weekend by feasting on freshly harvested St. Joseph’s Bay scallops with the ambiance of two days of live music. The Florida Scallop, Music, and Arts Festival is happening September 2-3 at George Core Park.

The festival lineup includes John Del Toro Richardson, Memphis Lightning, the Bo Spring Band, Damon Fowler, and more! The festival kicks off the Port St. Joe scallop season which runs from August 16 through September 24. If you have a fishing license, you can dive for your own dinner! Make sure to bring your mask, snorkeling gear, and eagle eyes because most finds are hidden in seagrasses in four to six feet of water.

Learn more by visiting the event website HERE. 

National Dog Day 2023

Debbie Roney Smith on
Duke, one of Debbie’s furry family members.

National Dog Day was first established in 2004 by pet advocate Colleen Paige. Now, it is an annual celebration of our beloved pets and a day of advocacy for those who are waiting for their forever homes in shelters or foster homes. In honor of our four-legged friends, let’s look at some quick dog facts!

JD, another of Debbie’s dogs.
  • A dog’s nose print is unique, much like a person’s fingerprint.
  • Speaking of noses, a dog’s nose has as many as 300 million receptors! For reference, a human nose has about 5 million.
  • Dogs curl up in a ball when sleeping to protect their organs — a genetic instinct that lingers from their days in the wild when they were vulnerable to predator attacks during sleeping hours.
  • Dogs are not actually color-blind. They can see blue and yellow! 
  • When dogs kick backward after they go to the bathroom, they are not covering their excrement but marking their territory using scent glands in their feet.