Home is where the heart is but after spending so much time there, it may be feeling a little less sweet. Even though things are starting to transition back to normal here in floco, it’s more important than ever that your home is a space you love. Here are a few tips to make at-home spaces more accommodating.
- Keep up with cleaning. Taking a few minutes to tidy up each day can go a long way toward improving your mood. Knowing where things are, seeing everything in order, and a sense of accomplishment will help your mood and your space. And it will save you from having to spend hours or days on a deep clean later.
- Make WFH work better for you. If you’re still working from home, it’s important to maintain consistency. It helps to have a place where you know you can get work done. Even if you don’t have a home office or desk, you can pick out a counter, table or even a spot on the couch, and know that when you’re there, you’re on the job. It’s a small decision that can keep you extra productive at home.
- Clear things out. Believe it or not, now is a better time than ever to get rid of excess stuff around the house. If there’s an item you haven’t been using while you’ve been home every day, chances are you aren’t going to be using it. Channel your inner Marie Kondo and go room by room to find furniture, appliances, décor and more that you can live without. You’ll open up more space in your house and as an added benefit, it can be the perfect opportunity to do some rearranging, too!
- Rearrange and redecorate. Whether you do #3 or not, consider taking some time to rearrange the layout of a room or your whole house. Is your current setup conducive to your normal everyday lifestyle? If something’s getting in the way, or there’s something you don’t need immediate access to (sorry, ironing board!), take this opportunity to change things up. It could be just the refresher you need to give your house a new feel, and make the everyday feel less ho-hum.
So, you’re home for a while. Spending your days under a roof and in a handful of rooms you know very well – in fact, you know them even better now. But if home sweet home is feeling a little less sweet or you feel like you or your loved ones are climbing the walls, here are some ways to pass the time and even have some fun doing it.
Learn to cook a new dish. Now’s a great time to build up your cooking skills. Find a simple recipe that fits the ingredients you have on hand or check which of your local farms are offering delivery service for fresh produce so you can make your favorite lowcountry dish. Right now, cooking celebrities like Alton Brown are sharing great tips, too. Not feeling up to cooking? Support your favorite local restaurant by ordering takeout!
Catch up on chores. Okay, okay, this just sounds like adding insult to injury. But those projects you’ve been putting off, like spring cleaning, doing your taxes or fixing things up around the house are a great way to burn a few hours of the day. And when you’re done, you can enjoy the feeling of accomplishment.
Perform an experiment. If you’ve got kids, even they might be getting tired of toys or excess screen time. The good news is you can dazzle and delight with at-home experiments using household items. Make a canola oil lava lamp or mix food coloring with baking soda and vinegar for a colorful twist on the classic science project volcano.
Throw a party online. Getting together via video conference has become a major trend, and here’s a fun twist: Pick some songs, a play or a favorite book; do some rehearsing; then invite friends and family for a special performance. It’s another great way to get kids involved, or you could have everyone on the invite list prepare and put on a teleconferenced talent show!
WILDLIGHT, FL – February 3, 2020 – Skinner Bros. Realty is continuing expansion at Wildlight with a new multi-tenant retail complex that will bring additional retail, restaurant and specialty service offerings to the area’s Village Center. This is the third overall building development and second multi-tenant retail complex in Wildlight by the Jacksonville-based real estate developers. The building is slated for completion in August 2020 and will continue to advance the community’s growth and progression.
“We’re thrilled to welcome several new high-quality and convenient shopping, dining and specialty services to the rapidly growing Wildlight community,” said Chet Skinner, vice president of Skinner Bros. Realty. “Our second multi-tenant retail complex will contribute to the four years of continued work in Nassau County, joining a well-rounded selection of businesses already established in the area such as Tasty’s Fresh Burgers and Fries, Cold Stone Creamery, AT&T and more.”
Skinners Bros. Realty submitted a preliminary site plan to Nassau County’s Development Review Committee in September 2019, with construction having begun in January 2020. The 11,640-square-foot mixed-use building is located on State Road 200, just east of the community’s main entrance, and will serve as an extension of the Wildlight Village Center’s current offerings. Inspired by the community’s Florida Lowcountry architecture and outdoor-living approach, the complex’s exterior will maintain the unique authenticity of the culture, lifestyle and heritage. The development will feature simple lines, native Florida landscaping and a color palette to complement the community’s natural surroundings.
This retail complex will bring additional lifestyle-focused businesses and services within walking distance to about 600 homes and apartments in Wildlight. Anejo Cocina Mexicana restaurant will anchor the complex and take up 3,700 square feet, leaving 1,800 square feet to Dep Nails & Spa and 6,140 square feet to lease up. The remaining tenant spaces are broken up between 1,200 and 2,500 square feet. In the coming months, developers hope to announce additional businesses to round out the already confirmed restaurant and specialty services spaces.
“We are pleased to continue working with Skinner Bros. Realty on the expansion of Wildlight,” said Chris Corr, president of Raydient Places + Properties. “We have secured a solid foundation of retail shops, restaurants and sought-after services that will support the community’s recent growth and demand, as well as help attract additional unique, local and regional tenants.”
Looking ahead, Skinner Bros. Realty is planning three additional developments composed of single-tenant and multi-tenant buildings at Wildlight’s Village Center. Other community developments in the area slated to open this year include Fairfield Inn & Suites, The Lofts at Wildlight, St. Clare Early Learning Center and Yulee KinderCare.
About Skinner Bros. Realty
Skinner Bros. Realty Company, established in January 1999, is a developer, investor, owner and manager of retail, office and mixed-use properties. The firm specializes in acquisition, planning, permitting, development and marketing of real estate as well as the representation of individual and corporate clients in the search for premier business locations.
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 shops and restaurants, a new elementary school and a system of trails and pathways intended to make it healthy and walkable and connect it all together. Wildlight offers comfortable and friendly Florida Lowcountry living 20 miles north of Jacksonville, just east of Interstate 95 on A1A, with 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.
Labor Day can be a little bittersweet, as holidays go. Of course, it marks the unofficial end of summer, but you also get to kick back for a long weekend. At Wildlight, the warm days don’t end with the arrival of September, but with school starting up and work schedules coming off vacation time, Labor Day is still a great excuse to celebrate with friends and family with summertime traditions.
Throw a Neighborhood Barbecue
Break out the charcoal and gather at a local park &ndash or someone’s backyard &ndash and share good times over burgers, hot dogs, salads and more. It doesn’t take much to make a memorable party this way, the outdoor environment and simple pleasures are a perfect recipe for happy memories. Of course, if you really want to celebrate Lowcountry style, check out the next recommendation…
Do a Lowcountry Boil
If barbecue is quintessential Americana, a Lowcountry boil is the local flavor. Friends and neighbors gathering around for fresh seafood, sharing the day and filling their plates is a tradition that can’t be matched. Be advised: the delicious smell may attract folks from the block who you haven’t met before, but that’s how new friends are made! For more tips on a Lowcountry boil, you can check out this blog post.
Make a Splash
With kids going back to school, they’ll love an opportunity to dive into the water for some aquatic action! The beach is a perfect place to gather and have fun before it’s time to get back into the workday or schoolday routine. From Wildlight, the beach and all its excitement are just half an hour away on Amelia Island. Take the long weekend as a chance to get wet, soak up the sun and make memories.
Spend Time with Family
It’s easy to get caught up in our schedules &ndash whether it’s a job, a project to work on or after-school activities. Labor Day is a time to put on the brakes and focus on those closest to you. Instead of big plans, you can just make time together as a family, to enjoy some outdoor activities, cook together, or just relax. When life gets busy again, you’ll be glad you took the time to be together.
Our community is built for gathering and celebrating together, and Labor Day is a wonderful time to do just that. Take the long weekend to stop worrying about work and just enjoy the company of those closest to you, to socialize with your favorite people, and maybe make some new friends, too!
A seafood boil isn’t unique to the Florida Lowcountry or even to the south. Folks from Maine to Louisiana have been celebrating family, friends and good food for decades, and even the west coast has its own spin on the tradition. But there is something about being outside on a sunny day in Florida, enjoying a dish of fresh shrimp, sausage, corn, potatoes and onions with family and neighbors around that truly feels like it belongs right here in the Lowcountry.
The tradition of getting together, sharing food and time and memories is as true to this region as sitting on your front porch at sunset, waving to and chatting with your neighbors. If you have the opportunity to attend a Lowcountry boil or want to try to capture the experience wherever you are, here are a few tips to make the most of this grand get-together.
• Fresh is best. A good boil is all about the ingredients, especially the seafood. Down here, a boil will use shrimp caught that day (or that hour!). If you have a local seafood market, we recommend stopping by and getting a heaping portion of shrimp or your shellfish of choice there.
• Be ready to get dirty. Digging into a plate of shrimp and sausage and veggies can get messy, but that’s what makes a boil so much fun. You’re around friends and family, so don’t stress and just embrace the experience. Everything tastes even better that way.
• All are welcome. A Lowcountry boil isn’t just a recipe, it’s an event best shared with others. Whether it’s family, friends, neighbors or whoever’s around (that delicious smell might just attract some new friends), it’s best to make plenty of food and enjoy the time you spend together.
If you’re throwing your own boil, we wish you luck, good food and good company. And if it seems intimidating to host, just come on down to the Florida Lowcountry for the real thing. It’s an experience you won’t regret, and you’ll make memories to savor for years to come.
Feeding FLOCO’s Future with Aquaponics
As populations grow and fewer young people enter into farming, the need for new and cost-effective solutions to maintain food supply becomes more urgent. Aquaponics is one such innovative solution that yields ample crops with more efficient use of land and water than conventional farming techniques.
A collaboration between North Florida’s largest aquaponics farm, Traders Hill Farm, and Nassau County School District is giving Wildlight students the opportunity to learn about aquaponics. This mutually beneficial partnership allows West Nassau High School students to apply what they learn by growing lettuce for the school cafeteria.
Working with aquaponics in science classes also helps prepare Nassau County students for careers in sustainable farming.
“With our biotechnology and aquaponics program at West Nassau, we have all phases of a model workforce development program,” Director of Career and Adult Education Brent Lemond told the Nassau County Economic Development Board. “There is an employer, Traders Hill Farm, assisting us to plan curriculum and ready to hire our graduates. We have a post-secondary partner in Florida State College at Jacksonville.”
We look forward to watching this program continue to grow (no pun intended)!
Television, personal computers, space flight… There’s no denying that the past century has been a huge one in terms of technological progress. But according to industry insiders, we’re just getting started.
In fact, some of our biggest innovators are forecasting that we’ll see more tech changes to our lifestyle over the next four to five years than we did over the past 100. What might that look like? Here are a few predictions:
1: Mind Control
Scientists have already created next-generation prosthetics where brain signals can move a robotic arm in the same way as a regular arm. The next step is wider uses for paralyzed patients, like mind-controlled wheelchairs and even day-to-day applications. The jury’s out on how soon we’ll be able to conjure up our favorite show with a thought, but experts agree it can’t be far off.
2: Bottleneck-Free Internet Access
The amount of time the average American home spends streaming, downloading and uploading, has challenged internet providers to up their game. While top providers offer average speeds of around 50 Mbps, that’s a snail’s pace compared to the gigabit communities now in development, which will have connections 20 times faster. Take a look at this video to see how one community is starting from scratch to bring unlimited bandwidth to its homes and businesses.
3: A Sharing Economy
You can share your home via Airbnb, borrow a dress on Rent the Runway and even lend out your private plane on OpenAirplane. These businesses are built on the idea that it’s more efficient to borrow something – say, a car – rather than own one that sits unused for 22 hours a day. Big players like Apple, Google and Uber are following this model and working on technology that will allow us to own less and share more.
4: Wall-to-Wall Screens
It’s hard to believe that your shiny new LCD TV may soon be considered an antique, but at the speed that display technology moves, it’s certainly a possibility. Imagine, walls, windows and mirrors covered with paper-thin OLED panels. Miniature chips in the screens will wirelessly connect to nearby devices, effectively eliminating TVs but bringing its viewing pleasure to every square inch of your house.
Setup for Economic Success
How do you kick off a thriving business community?
Economic development is both an art and a science. It’s not as simple as checking off a list of ingredients, but without some key elements, achieving success can be near-impossible. To build strong, vibrant communities, economic development boards are tasked with finding the right balance of work and play, business and pleasure. That way, communities can encourage businesses to build, expand or relocate, as well as homeowners to put down roots and support those businesses as customers and employees.
One factor communities must consider is transportation. Good transportation is not only dependent on a community’s infrastructure, but also on the location of the community itself. Access to Class I rail lines, major interstates and international airports all support business travel and consumer traffic. Seaports for importing and exporting can also impact how a business operates, manufactures its goods and distributes worldwide.
But transportation is just the beginning. For healthy economic development, you also need a quality workforce for local businesses to employ and a robust residential community to surround and support those businesses. That relies on residential perks such as smart urban design, first-rate schools and libraries and infrastructure for safety and security.
Economic development boards should make their community a place to play as well as work. Places for relaxation and recreation – lakes, oceans, greenspaces, parks, dining, entertainment and more – are essential to attracting and retaining residents. It’s not just about great offices, it’s about having a great time and loving where you live.
With these pieces in place, in a community that is well-planned for its residents and well-marketed to potential businesses, that community can grow and flourish.
