“Eat Better. Feel Better.” Tropical Smoothie offers fresh food including breakfast, salads, wraps, sandwiches and flatbreads along with real fruit smoothies. My personal favorite is the Peaches N’ Silk with fresh peaches, strawberries and bananas, but you have your pick from low fat smoothies, supercharged smoothies or simply indulgent smoothies. Don’t forget to add in supplements for that extra boost! They offer everything from energizer supplements to stress defense supplements.

As far as food goes, you can’t really go wrong. I love to switch my order up, but some of my favorites are the Buffalo Chicken Wrap, the King Caesar Wrap, the Turkey Bacon Ranch Sandwich and the Chipotle Chicken Club Flatbread. Nothing beats low fat and filling!

Tropical Smoothie is located at 124 Tuscan Way, Suite 101 in The Shoppes at Murabella. Put in an order to-go at (904) 342-7133 or enjoy lunch or dinner on their outdoor patio. Don’t forge they provide catering with free set-up and delivery for fundraisers, office parties, birthdays or any other event you might have in mind.

I have a 22-foot Nautic Star Bay Boat with a Yamaha 154-stroke outboard that enables me to fish a variety of locations within the Intracoastal and bottom fish in the ocean. When the water gets a little rough, I also enjoy going to the beach with my friends and surf fishing. Nothing beats fresh fried Whiting for dinner! For those freshwater fishermen out there, there are plenty of opportunities to catch bass and catfish in the St. Johns River.

If you are looking for new gear, tackle or local knowledge there are several spots in our area that I recommend. Avid Angler and St. Augustine Marina offer great prices on gear and tackle and they are conveniently located for World Golf Village residents. If you live at the beaches, then I would highly recommend Strike Zone and C & H Lures. Strike Zone carries all of your inshore and freshwater gear and tackle, while C & H Lures caters more to the offshore fishermen. All these places carry top-selling gear and are happy to assist you in any way they can.

I am frequently checking the forums on www.floridasportsman.com for all things fishing. Members of the forum review gear, post fishing reports and are more than willing to answer any questions you may have.

I hope this information is helpful to all the fishermen out there! Tight Lines!

Since we had the Hall of Fame and IMAX through the World Golf Foundation, our next effort was directed at locating a hotelier with the reputation, financial wherewithal and the decision making ability to build a 350 room resort hotel. That man turned out to be Mr. John Q. Hammons of John Q. Hammons Industries. Mr. Hammons, known as John Q., was the first “outsider” to commit. Mr. Hammons owned the company and had built it up to be one of the largest hotel companies in the United States. He originally started with Holiday Inns and then added many hotels in management and ownership to his portfolio. My favorite memory of Mr. Hammons was our first meeting on-site. There was nothing there but an I-95 borrow pit and about 500 acres of freshly logged land. Vernon Kelly (PGA TOUR) and I explained the project concept to him and then waited for a response. After a minute of thought Mr. Hammons’ reply was “you boys expect me to build a resort hotel out here in the middle of nowhere; a two week mule ride from Jacksonville? Well I’m old enough, crazy enough and wealthy enough to do just that. I will agree to build it if you boys get the County to help build a convention center to go along with the hotel.” Well with that shot in the arm and a fresh challenge issued by John Q. we were off and running.

Now that we had a hotel (kind of; subject to a convention center) we focused on golf and the golf academy. The next individual we approached was Jim McGlothlin of The United Company. Like all of the partners, Jim was a self made man. His passion was golf and he shared that passion with his partner Bill Palmer. Jim and Bill formed Scratch Golf Company to own and operate golf clubs in the southeast. Jim was really sold on the project concept to the point that he helped us secure the timeshare developer (Vistana Development,Ltd) and the retail developer (Chidress Klein Properties).

As the project components began to fall in place, we continued to work with St. John’s County on the proposed convention center. Based on the completed market studies, the convention center needed to be approximately 80,000 sq.ft. After much deliberation, the County decided to support the financing concept for the convention center and all the components were now in place.

In June of 1996 the legal documents were completed representing the commitments of the WGV Partners both individually and collectively. The actual closing occurred some sixty days later in August, 1996.

Golf is a game that requires an individual to possess endurance, skill and commitment to win. Without a doubt this represents the qualities of each and every one of the WGV Partners.

How long did it take?

Started: October, 1987

Completed Regulatory and Environmental Permitting: December 1991

WGV Partners Closing: August 1996

Total: 9 years

It was now time to build a dream!!

For our third blog on Legacy Builders, we took advantage of the beautiful North Florida weather and joined President of Legacy Builders of North Florida John Unkefer at one of his homes under construction in World Golf Village’s King & Bear community. In this video, John tells us all about their new construction projects in and around Jacksonville and we explore the inside of the beautiful Legacy Builders home in the King & Bear to better understand the construction process. Join us!

This particular home is located in The Estates section of the King & Bear and in the video, John explains how he and his team took advantage of the custom process by maximizing the homesite and shaping the home to the site. Legacy Builders is in high demand with several custom homes under construction or starting construction. This home is one of three of Legacy Builders of North Florida’s homes in the works in the King & Bear. One of the other homes is in the permitting stage and there is another in the design stage. He also has two homes going up in Jacksonville’s San Marco area, one is currently under construction and the other is going into permitting soon. Legacy Builders also has a home starting in 30-60 days in Palencia.

Next, we take a look inside to see the progress of The Estates home. John explains that they are near the end of the framing stage and have already had several walk-throughs with the home owners. They’ve completed the electrical, low voltage, installation and HVAC. The pool is in as well as the framing and openings. They are now ready to start closing the walls up and getting the structure perfect for the homeowners.

The view from the upstairs of the home is gorgeous. It has a great view of the preserve in the back of the home and vistas of the King & Bear golf course from the front. As Davidson Realty President Sherry Davidson explains, the homeowners are relocating from Pennsylvania and 75% of Davidson Realty’s customers relocate from other areas of the country. Who doesn’t want sunshine all year round?

For more information on Legacy Builders of North Florida, please give a Davidson Realty agent a call at (904) 940-5000 or stop by their office at 100 East Town Place, St. Augustine, FL 32092.

The independent agency offers home, auto, life, and business insurance coverage through major carriers in Florida including Progressive, St. Johns, Tower Hill, The Hartford, Travelers of Florida, and many more. With a staff of four, the company offers comprehensive service with personalized, one-on-one attention and a focus on delivering accurate quotes with lightning-fast turnaround time.

As The Salameh Insurance Group’s Principal Chris Salameh says, “We believe that if we create an experience for our customers, we will be remembered as more than an insurance agency.  Our customers will remember us as the only way to conduct business and as a way of life.” We recently asked Chris about the company he founded, the current trends in insurance, and what he suggests Florida homeowners can do to prepare for a potentially active hurricane season.

How did The Salameh Insurance Group get its start?  I started the The Salameh Insurance Group (TSG) in 2009 after I decided to leave the financial services industry and move towards property and casualty. This summer we’ll be celebrating our 4-year anniversary and I’m pleased to say we’ve seen the business grow exponentially, mainly due to our repeat customers and referrals.

What made you choose this area to live and start your business?  I was born and raised in Mandarin and have always enjoyed watching the growth and success of Julington Creek, World Golf Village, and Nocatee.  I’ve always felt like this would be a great area to begin a business and raise a family.  I now reside in Nocatee, and over time my hope is that The Salameh Insurance Group will be home to the residents of St. Johns County.

Why do customers come to TSG for their coverage?  Customers come to us mostly because they have had friends and family boast about our services. They can find us online easily, by phone, and in our suite on Race Track Road. They come to us because they are searching for a new home to park their policies and want us to do the shopping for them. When they find us, they find a new relationship.

What are the most popular coverage trends right now?  The trend right now in the marketplace is Homeowners Insurance. People are finding that over the last 24 months, homeowners insurance rates have been on a constant rise. Being independent, we are able to shop the rates amongst our Florida carriers and report the results back to our customers at no cost to them. Also, real estate has been on the rise recently, and there have been many home purchases in the recent months. Customers find that by using TSG as their preferred carrier, they get a great rate in addition to great value. 

With hurricane season coming, how can homeowners prepare for the unknown?  They will want to make sure they are aware of their WIND deductible and make sure their roof is not worn as that will minimize damage. Also, customers tend to want flood insurance as a storm is mainly in the water. Keep in mind there is a 30-day waiting period for a flood policy to be effective. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure you get flood insurance BEFORE there is a storm.

Last year, you launched your new website and it looks like you’re continuing to grow. What’s next for TSG?  We are in the process of expanding our office space and bringing on more agents and servicing reps in order to give our clients the service we’d expect.  We also service many real estate offices for upcoming closings and we are constantly interviewing real estate agents on how we can improve our services. We experienced more than 112% growth in 2012, and are in progress to surpass that in 2013. We have recently added Zach Brown as an account executive.  He has a passion for helping people and enjoys the opportunity to be a part of an organization’s success.

The Salameh Insurance Group’s office is located at 1637 Race Track Rd., Suite 102, St. Johns, FL 32259. Visit www.thesalamehgroup.com or www.facebook.com/SalamehInsurance to learn more about their services or request a quote.

In order to identify various sources of capital, Deane held meetings with successful charitable fundraisers. After several meetings it became evident that the PGA TOUR, by itself, would struggle to raise funds to construct and support such a facility due to its rather narrow audience. As the fundraisers pointed out, the planned facility needed the acceptance and support of participants in all aspects of golf world-wide. It was agreed that if you included the PGA of America, L.P.G.A. and all of the organizations world-wide (Europe-Asia, etc) that the charitable base would be of sufficient size to support not only the current concept, but an expanded concept for the entire world of golf. Deane acknowledged this was the only way to secure lasting success for the project and felt sharing his idea of a central facility honoring the game of golf would be readily accepted and supported.

The first organization he contacted was the L.P.G.A.. They applauded the idea of a centralized Hall of Fame and with that initial commitment Deane was able to convince all of the golf related organizations world-wide to join the team in developing a special place to honor the game and those individuals who had made it their careers.

With this influx of participation and support involving over 21 organizations world-wide, we knew that the facilities concept plan needed to be enhanced. The 28,000 sq.ft. PGA TOUR Hall of Fame became the 75,000 sq.ft. World Golf Hall of Fame with IMAX Theater; the 350 room resort hotel evolved into a 400 room resort hotel and a major time-share project. Finally, the golf facilities were expanded to two 18-hole championship courses with a PGA TOUR Golf Academy. This evolution of the project from the PGA TOUR Hall of Fame to the World Golf Hall of Fame took almost two years to come to fruition.

At the end it was Rick Pariani, V.P. of Design and Development for Davidson Development, Inc. who renamed the project “The World Golf Village”, a more fitting description of the project evolution.

Not only will guests enjoy wine, golf, and plenty of fun, a portion of all proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society through its Annual Relay for Life event (World Golf Village Chapter).

Here is a carte du jour of the weekend’s events:

Friday, May 17

Evening 5-Course Wine Dinner, 6:30 pm – 9 pm

Villagio Italian Grille $75 per person (+ tax)

Enjoy the dinner’s five delectable courses, each of which will be paired with a Rocca delle Macie wine. Guests will also be treated to an appearance by Vito Candela of Rocca delle Macie, who will discuss the evening’s wine selections at the dinner. Don’t wait for your ticket! Space is limited to the first 50 people.

Saturday, May 18

Morning Golf at Slammer & Squire (for tee times call 904-940-6088)

$99 per person (+ tax)

Take in a morning round on the popular Slammer & Squire course, just steps from The Renaissance Resort. Be sure to take advantage of this special rate, which will only be offered during the Golf & Wine Fest weekend.

Afternoon Wine Tasting, 1 pm – 4 pm

Renaissance World Golf Village Resort

$40 per person in advance/$45 per person day of (+ tax) Don’t miss a variety of more than 100 wines as well as cuisine samplings from several local restaurants and the area’s most breathtaking views. Wine will be served outside of The Renaissance Resort between the Slammer & Squire and the Walk of Champions. Attendees must be 21 and older.

Sunday, May 19

Morning Champagne Brunch, 8 am – 10 am

Villagio Italian Grille $39.95 per person (+ tax)

Gather for a relaxing and delicious Sunday morning brunch featuring a lavish Villagio Italian Grille menu and a glass of the bubbly.

Guests may choose to check out one or all of the various happenings. You may enjoy the “Sip & Play Package”, which includes Morning Golf and Afternoon Wine Tasting for just $119 per person (Saturday only).

Weekend Room Packages are also available at the Renaissance World Golf Village Resort. Visit www.renwgv.com and click on “Room Packages” for more information.

For reservations, tee times, and menu information, contact Jessica.Wyneken@jqh.com or 904-342-6251. You may also go to www.wgvwgf.eventbrite.com  to make Golf & Wine Fest reservations online.

Davidson Realty President Sherry Davidson and I were excited to get a personal tour of Palencia Elementary School (PES) from Principal Don Campbell. Don has been in education for more than 40 years and specializes in opening new schools, such as Wards Creek Elementary in World Golf Village, and now Palencia Elementary, which opened in August of 2012. Palencia Elementary is one of our most leading edge St. Johns County Schools and caters to 738 students. Come along with us for a tour!

Palencia Elementary offers state-of-the-art technology resources for all of their students. As Don explains in the video, PES is an all-digital school, which means all the student’s textbooks are online. They can access their textbooks by computer or iPads in the classroom or at home. But, just because they are at the forefront of digital technology doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate a good ol’ hardback book. We stopped by their Media Center where Don tells us that 60% of their books are available in hardback form.

PES was built to Green Building Standards and is applying to receive the LEED Award (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) in 2013. Part of their green standards is recycling and reusing. They compost food to use in their gardens to grow corn, beans, vegetables and fruits for the cafeteria.  Don also points out the ice storage machines that make ice at night to cool the entire school building down during the day, saving on energy costs.

PES is very dedicated to their arts and music programs. They have full-time art and music as well as physical education and a Lego Lab. Most PES students start their day with exercise by walking or riding their bikes to school!

To learn more about living in St. Johns County or to visit Palencia Elementary School give one of our Davidson Realty agents a call at (904) 940-5000 or stop by Davidson Realty at 100 East Town Place, St. Augustine, 32092.

Davidson Realty launched their non-profit foundation, Davidson Cares, in November of 2013 to offer support for local schools in the World Golf Village area, including Mill Creek Elementary, Wards Creek Elementary, Palencia Elementary and Pacetti Bay Middle School. Davidson Cares has given a total of $11,300 to the four schools mentioned above in less than six months!

Davidson Realty President Sherry Davidson presented the remainder of the Davidson Cares money at Pacetti Bay’s Arts Around the World Event last week, where all four schools were represented. Davidson Cares donated $4,800 in grants to each of the schools based on video submissions in February and the remainder of the money was divvied up based on total school votes for the grant videos. Palencia Elementary received $2,275, Wards Creek received $1,625 and Mill Creek and Pacetti Bay each received $1,300 for a total of $6,500!

Davidson Cares is looking forward to raising even more money in their second year of fundraising! To stay up-to-date on fundraisers or to learn more about Davidson Cares, please visit www.davidsoncares.com or call Peyton Davidson at (904) 940-5000.

First of all, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat.  How long have you lived here in World Golf Village?  “I was born and raised here.  I live in GroveWood in the King & Bear with my mom, an uncle, and a cat-brother Hubert.  They are very good servants except for Hubert, who is decidedly unaccommodating.  Mom keeps saying I have a new brother or sister coming soon, but I don’t know how to feel about that.”

What do you enjoy most about living in World Golf Village?  “I would have to say my family and great neighbors. My uncles, grandparents, and great grandparents also live in World Golf Village.  So, I get lots of attention… and treats.  Also, there are always neighbor kids and friendly dogs playing outside that I get to greet and smell. I get to explore World Golf Village on my walks and chase fox squirrels, birds, and lizards. The streets are very safe and private, so my mom doesn’t have to worry about me too much.”

Take us through a typical day in the life of Ernie.  “My mom and I go to work at Davidson Realty every morning where I get lots of treats from my grandpa and spoiled by all my co-workers. I spend most of the work day snorting and napping. Davidson’s ‘Wine Fridays’ are my favorite because that’s when I get to play in the office courtyard and enjoy cheese and pickles (my favorite treats).  In my free time, I enjoy charming passersby at outdoor restaurants, frolicking on the beach, and playing rope tug-of-war.”

What is your professional background?  “I am technically unemployed, but I’d like to think I’m a mascot of sorts for the Davidson office and an important contributor to their great morale. I put in eight hours a day at the office with my mom.  For any potential employers, my skill set includes running in circles, taking long naps, begging for food, and being adorably distracting during marketing meetings. What can I say…I’m the life of the party and the office!”

What’s something your World Golf Village friends would be surprised to know about you?  “Though I am often confused with a pug, a pig, or even a gremlin, I am actually a French Bulldog.”