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Lakeland

Bonita Spring Florida

There is a place that the sun usually always shines and the ocean water remains blue. Where the beaches offer up beautiful shells with the ebb and flow of each wave and the sun rises and sets in spectacular colors. It is a place that remains tropical year long and the fishing and golfing possibilities never ends. It a wonderful spot that history has preserved and economic growth has blessed. It is the quaint town of Bonita Springs.

Bonita Springs is located northwest of Miami, Florida and is between Fort Myers and Naples on the Gulf of Mexico. History’s popular story of Juan Ponce de León places him close to Bonita in 1513 searching for the fountain of youth. Although the tale is a mystic metaphor, one visit to this resort-like town can truly restore the spirit and reenergize the soul.

The 33 square miles of Bonita Springs offers an amazing amount of recreational diversity. The average annual temperature is 74 degrees Fahrenheit allowing most outdoor activities to take place through the year. Often referred to as “The Gateway to the Gulf” the beaches of Bonita Springs are unsurpassed in beauty. Heading west until the water Lovers Key State Recreational Area awaits with white sand, mangroves and natural wildlife.

For the outdoors enthusiasts there are many different activities to enjoy. The natural mangroves settings of the Imperial River are not only perfect for snook and trout fishing but also the kayaking and canoeing is superb on the quite river. Local charter captains offer offshore fishing excursions as well as full and half days trips on the near by waterways as well. Bonita Springs and the surrounding area are home to public and private golf courses built by top designers such as Gordon G. Lewis and Robert Trent Jones, Sr. Many of these must play courses as located on the grounds of newly designed golf clubs and housing communities.

Bonita is not only rich in natural charm and the perfect spot for vacation; it also is an ideal place to relocate. Diverse in culture and population, Bonita has its share of museums and malls as well as outdoor activities. Residents enjoy homes ranging from extravagant to family affordable with a multitude of housing alternatives. Located off I-75 and close to the newly constructed Southwest Florida International Airport, Bonita fits into most business and travel lifestyles.

Attractions Cities of Florida Lakeland

Lakeland’s Nineteen61

There is a lot of variety of restaurants to eat in Lakeland. Seafood is one of the most poplar dish due to its freshness since Lakeland is close to the Gulf Coast. However, if you are looking for something different such as a delicious Spanish fusion then I recommend Nineteen61.

photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/pg/nineteen61/

Nineteen61 Latin Cuisine, opened Fall of 2015 in Downtown Lakeland. The conceptualized Restaurant is an integration of Modern Spanish style with Latin American and Southern propensities, in a setting unique to Central Florida.

While Nineteen 61 certainly is not cheap it is most definitely worth the price. And you’re not just paying for food; you’re paying for a fine dining experience. The service, even at lunch, was top notch. The chef, Marcos Fernandez, was happy to come out and chat with me, and he was incredibly kind. At nighttime, Nineteen 61 features live music and an intimate atmosphere.

The next time you want to “treat yourself” I’d definitely recommend trying Nineteen 61.

Here are some great reviews from their facebook page and Yelp:

Attractions Attractions Attractions Cities of Florida Florida Lakeland Miami Orlando Sarasota Tampa Travel West Palm Beach

Some Great Ways to Discover Florida.

Here are Some Great Ways to Discover Florida.

# 1. Fun and Adventure

With over 34 million visitors each year, Orlando is the undisputed theme park capital of the world. But if you are after more fun and adventure after visiting the theme parks at Disneyworld, Universal Orlando Resort and Seaworld, you should try the sensational Busch Gardens in Tampa, the world famous Daytona International Speedway and exploring the Everglades national park.

Don’t Miss Florida’s largest and fastest roller coaster…

Prepare for the thrill of your life on Sheikra, Florida’s tallest roller coaster and the world’s tallest dive coaster. 70mph of pure adrenaline-pumping excitement. Travel 200 feet up and then plunge to the depths of an underground tunnel, with water!

Don’t Miss Bush Gardens Zoo…

With over 2600 animals, the zoo at Busch Gardens is one of America’s top zoos

# 2. Culture

Look beyond the more obvious tourist attractions and you will be surprised at what you find.
There is an abundance of architecture, museums, forts, art galleries.

Don’t Miss Historic Wrecks…

Pensacola has fascinating wrecks to explore. This includes the 500-foot World War 1 battleship USS Massachusetts, the Russian freighter San Pablo and an A-7 Corsair aircraft that fell off the deck of the USS Lexington.

Don’t Miss Art Deco Buildings…

photo credit: http://miamiandbeaches.com

Take a stroll down Ocean Drive, Miami, and enjoy South Beach’s Art deco buildings. Painted pink, lavender and turquoise, they line the palm-fringed walkway.

Don’t Miss a Driving Tour…

If you have a car whilst visiting Miami, do yourself a favour, and take a driving tour of Coral gables. Coral Gables Driving Tour isn’t just one of the country’s richest neighbourhoods, it’s a separate city within Greater Miami. Known as ‘The City Beautiful’ for good reason, its elegant homes line winding avenues shaded by banyans and live oaks. This driving tour winds its way along the lush peaceful lanes and is both relaxing and cultural.

Along the tour are these beautiful sights:

1. The Granada Entrance – a replica of the gate to Granada in Spain.
2. The Country Club Prado Entrance – complete with ornamental pillars.
3. Alhambra water Tower – built in 1925.
4. Coral Way – lined by live oaks and Spanish-style houses.
5. Venetian Pool – a beautiful public swimming pool.
6. Coral Gables Congregational Church – built in Spanish Baroque style.
7. Biltmore Hotel – one of the most stunning hotels in the country, beautifully restored to its 1920s century grandeur.
8. The Lowe Art Museum – contains European and Native American Art.
9. French City Village – one of several international villages built to add variety to the city.
10. Dutch South African Village.
11. French Country Village.
12. Chinese Village.
13. French Normandy Village.
14. Coral Gables City Hall
15. Miracle Mile – the district’s most important shopping street.

Other Bits of Culture:

– Hemingway’s House in Key West, where the novelist lived from 1931-1940.

– Little Havana in Miami – 3.5 square miles of Cuban culture and life.

– The Ringling Museum of Art and Ringling Museum (Sarasota).

– Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island – a charming Victorian resort.

– Salvador Dali Museum, St Petersburg.

Cities of Florida Florida Lakeland Miami Orlando Sarasota Tampa Travel

Care Options In Florida

In the state of Florida, almost one quarter of the residents are over the age of 60. Quality long-term care is very important for many of these older Floridians. The Florida Agency of Health Care Administration (AHCA) regulates Health Care Facilities throughout the state and also administers Florida’s Medicaid program.

Below are a few of the long term care facilities regulated through AHCA:

Assisted Living Facilities: Provides housing, meals and some personal services for residents. Residents have to meet certain functional criteria and must be ambulatory and able to perform daily living activities like eating and able to care for basic bodily functions. Bed ridden residents are not accepted. Medicaid will pay for such a facility if both the resident and facility are eligible.

Adult Day Care: These are less than 24 hour care facilities. They offer therapeutic programs impaired adults. These centers offer many activities such as exercise, education, health screening and behavior modification. These centers also serve as a reprieve to the primary caregivers. These programs may be covered by Medicaid.

Adult Family – Care Homes: These family-type living arrangements provide a private home for up to 5 aged or disabled people (not related). The owner lives with the residents. The residents must not be bed ridden and are subject to other criteria as described in Florida law. Adult family care homes are for residents that do not require more care than can be provided by the owners. In some cases Medicaid will pay if both the resident and the AFCH are eligible.

Hospice: Hospice is a program that coordinates professional services including nutritional counseling, pastoral services, social work, and many other services for the terminally ill. These services can be provided at the hospital, hospice facility or the patient’s residence.

Medicare or Medicaid will pay for these services if the patient is eligible.

Cities of Florida Florida Lakeland Miami Orlando Sarasota Schools Tampa

Film School Within Florida

Florida, it seems, could never get over-saturated with life. With all those spring break vacationers, amusement parks over at Orlando, and film festivals; it isn’t out of place that the few finest film schools in the United States are found in Florida. After all, where should the best institution take root than in the star and wealth imbibed Florida.

Florida State Film School is undoubtedly the best film school in Florida. This film school in Florida is one of the very few institutions recognized and distinguished by the Directors Guild in America, for its contributions to the American culture through the science of motion pictures and television.

This film school in Florida, known formally as Florida State College of Motion Picture, Television, and Recording Arts (but also known simply as The Film School) is a department of The Florida State University, a public research university sitting in the capital of Florida. The Film School is known to be very competitively selective; only 30 undergraduates are accepted from applicants of 1,500 for the BFA. 30 graduates are to be accepted for the MFA, 24 for the production program and 6 for the writing program.

This film school in Florida had enjoyed thorough success throughout the past years, with notable alumni examples of Jonathan King of I, Robot, Finding Forrester, and Dreamgirls, Ron Freidman of Brother Bear and Chicken Little and Greg Marcks of 11:14. That is because the faculty of this film school in Florida is equally star studded: Chip Chalmers of 7th Heaven, Miami Vice and Beverly Hills 90210, Academy Award visual effects winner Stuart Robertson, Academy Award sound mixer Richard Portman and Victor Nunez, noted for directing a number of successful indie films.

One of the best features of The Film School is the school’s taking care of all student’s production costs, making students more likely to produce quality films without budget constraints.

The Ringling School of Art and Design is another fine choice for film school in Florida, especially if you want more technology in arts. Better known for teaching the visual arts in computer animation and several other graphic and interactive communication, as well as Game Art & Design, the Ringling School of Art and Design becomes a superb first step to those heading towards animation and technical in the film making industry.

University of Central Florida is the largest university in the state, and one of the best all over United States. This film school in Florida is included in the Best 361 Colleges compiled by the Princeton Review. Their film program teaches well on techniques and creativity, making use of UCF’s broad range of film and studio equipment, instilling preparedness to their students.

Cities of Florida Lakeland

4 REASONS FOR GETTING A HOME IN LAKELAND, FL.

If there is a chance for you to own a Lakeland, FL home, consider yourself lucky as your new hometown is considered by many to be one of the best places in Florida to live in. Boasting of a wide range of attractions that can easily rival larger cities while at the same time maintaining a pleasant town-like atmosphere; simply put, Lakeland offers the best of both worlds for its moderately sized population.

1. Location

Lakeland is just a short distance away from Tampa and Orlando. Families can then look forward to spending the weekend exploring nearby theme parks but without the hassles of looking for an affordable place to stay for the night. Living next door to Tampa also means that you have the best beaches, clubs, and bars to add excitement to your evenings.

2. Numerous attractions right in your backyard

If, however, you don’t feel like traveling out of town then there’s plenty of attractions in Lakeland, Florida to keep you and your family wonderfully entertained day and night. Aside from having thirty-eight natural lakes that promise a wide range of water activities and sports, the city also offers movie theaters, indoor and outdoor shopping outlets – an entire shopping village in fact – as well as a nice selection of parks. Last but not the least, there are biking and walking trails galore that will allow you to explore the hidden natural wonders of Lakeland, FL.

3. Cultural Diversity

If you have a taste for the finer things in life, be at peace that getting a house in Lakeland FL will provide you with more opportunities to appreciate the best that the world of culture and arts has to offer.

One of the most important things to know before moving to Florida is that it has a rich and colorful culture- combining influences and heritages from all over the country and the world. Native American, Hispanic, and African American customs, traditions, and beliefs have left their traces in the cuisine, architecture, and social practices in the state. Cultures from across the United States, as well as from Europe, Asia, and Latin America, are represented in the Sunshine State- Florida has everything from Wild West rodeos to high-end art galleries to colorful carnivals.

Few people are aware, for instance, that Lakeland – aside from having its own aviation and art museums also has its own symphony orchestra. Several public libraries are also available for those inclined to explore intellectual pursuits while a huge assortment of restaurants ensure that food connoisseurs are happily satisfied with life in Lakeland.

4. Save more

As Lakeland is a part of Florida, residents are not charged any state income tax. Sales tax is just 7% but exemptions are offered for groceries. Once you’ve moved in, you will also qualify for homestead exemption.

In conclusion

Lakeland, FL, offers so much more. Dare to raise your family in a serene environment that is a potpourri of so much awesome experiences.