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WILDLIGHT, FL – Jan. 23, 2019Wildlight, the new town being developed in Nassau County, is taking shape with residents moving in, commercial buildings under construction and exciting events going on for the greater community. The community’s distinctive Florida Lowcountry aesthetic is coming to life through its residential architecture.

Raydient Places & Properties, the developer of Wildlight, is working with three home builders, D.S Ware Homes, Dream Finders Homes and Dostie Homes, to design and build single family homes and townhomes inspired by the Florida Lowcountry’s character, culture and pattern of living. All three homebuilders are following Wildlight’s Pattern Book to build homes inspired by 19th century, southern architecture, but with a forward-leaning, more-contemporary perspective. Florida Lowcountry’s timeless design is characterized by large front porches, simple lines, native Florida landscaping and exterior color palettes that tie directly to the community’s natural surroundings.

Wildlight’s first homebuilder, D.S. Ware Homes, recently opened its second model home, the Willow. The new model is 1,866 sq. ft. with three bedrooms, two baths, and a covered patio. Much like D.S. Ware’s first model home in Wildlight, the River Birch, the Willow features high ceilings, large windows and a front porch, perfect for Lowcountry living. Base price for the Willow is $309,900.

Dream Finders Homes will hold a grand opening for its first two model homes on Wednesday, Jan. 23, for interested individuals to tour the Augusta II and Anderson models. The Augusta II model is a two-story plan with 2,776 sq. ft. of indoor/outdoor living space. This home features four bedrooms, three bathrooms with grand double porches on the front of the home that capture the essence of Florida Lowcountry living. Base price for the Augusta II model is $344,990. The Anderson model is also a two-story plan, but with 2,862 sq. ft. and four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms. Base price for the Anderson model is $367,990.

Dostie Homes has broken ground on its first townhome model in Wildlight called the Charleston featuring one of the renowned builder’s all-new floor plans with 2,015 sq. ft., four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. Small, fenced rear yards with covered lanais also provide a sense of privacy, which is not typical of townhome living. Pricing for the townhomes start at $230,000. Dostie will also be building single family homes on 70-foot wide manor homesites with square footage ranging from 2,500 to 3,000 sq. ft.

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About Wildlight
Wildlight is envisioned as a new town inspired by a character, culture and pattern of living that we call “Florida Lowcountry,” where play is a part of every day and the natural world is a natural part of life. The plan for Wildlight includes a mix of homes, townhomes and rental apartments together with businesses, shops and restaurants, a new elementary school and a system of connecting trails and pathways intended to promote a walkable community and healthy lifestyle. Our Phase 1 plan is flexible and currently designed for about 1,000 homes throughout 260 acres, approximately. In addition, the community will have approximately 350 acres of permanently preserved open space. Wildlight offers comfortable and friendly Florida Lowcountry living located 20 miles north of Jacksonville and just east of Interstate-95 on A1A. There is easy access to both Amelia Island and the Jacksonville International Airport. Wildlight is being created by Raydient Places + Properties, a taxable subsidiary of Rayonier Inc., a real estate investment trust. For more information please visit Wildlight.com.

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Beating the Heat FLOCO-Style
What should we thank for the charm and beauty of our Florida Lowcountry (FLOCO) architecture? Days are mostly sunny and hot, therefore some architectural elements make FLOCO homes distinctive because they were designed to beat the heat. Large high windows allow the breeze to refresh hot rooms. High ceilings create space for air to rise. Raised first floors allow air to circulate under houses for a cooling effect.

We Saved the Best for Last

The Front Porch
It blocks the hot sunlight from overheating interiors. It’s a shady place to cool off. Most importantly, it’s an outdoor living area where we connect with our community, friends, family, neighbors and the outdoors. Looking to turn your front porch into an outdoor oasis? Here’s how:

Ten Front Porch Must-Haves
1.  A rocking chair. More than one, of course. They’re the best seats in the house for melting stress, catching up and napping.
2.  A glider or porch swing—when you need to get close for cozier conversations.
3.  Sweet tea for cooling off, and tables to set your glasses within reach.
4.  A friendly, tail-wagging porch-sitting pooch. Don’t have one? Borrow the neighbor’s or adopt!
5.  Plants in pots, big and small. Try geraniums for color that pops.
6.  Fans to keep the warm air moving. Hand fans or electric will do.
7.  Bug spray to stop pesky pests from ruining your evening.
8.  Background, toe-tapping music.
9.  Light. String lights and lanterns add charming ambiance to porch-sitting evenings.
10. Finally, good company. Your neighbor, kids, mother…whoever you need to catch up with, love to talk to, or just want to sit quietly with. And sometimes, no company at all.