Total taxable property values are down 12 percent from this time last year resulting in an estimated loss of about $77 million to Orange County’s budget. With property tax as the largest revenue source for the county government, leaders are now forced to find new ways to make up the lost revenue again this year.

Two years ago, the county collected $726 million in property taxes. Last year, that number was reduced to $641 million. This year, the number is expected to land at about $564 million.

“When your major revenues are going down by $77 million and your other revenue sources, such as sales tax, are stagnant, you have to act accordingly,” says Randy Singh, manager of the Orange County Office of Management and Budget. “If there are no additional revenue sources or tax increases, the only way to achieve the goal of a balanced budget is to cut.”

Although the next fiscal year will not begin until October 1, Singh says that the county has been anticipating and planning for the lost revenue for some time. “We’ve been in the mode of cost-cutting for the past few years so, fortunately, the fact we have to cut doesn’t come as a surprise and we were able to take certain measures earlier in the year,” he says.

Some of the “measures” the county plans on taking include cutting budgets of all their departments and outside agencies as well as releasing employees, declining salary increases and limiting the amount of capital improvement projects.

“We’re very fortunate we can maintain the tax rates without an increase and, for the most part, retain the same level of services for the citizens,” says Singh. “As a government, one of our main concerns is public safety; so the fact that the sheriff can reduce his budget by 3 percent and make a commitment that there will not be a reduction in deputies or the level of service is a tremendous accomplishment.”

The county also plans to eliminate around 160 staff positions this year, bringing the total eliminated close to 500 positions in the past two years. They’ve also asked employees to begin contributing more dollars toward their healthcare costs to lighten the burden felt in the county budget. “There’s a combination of things being put into place to get us to where we need to be as far as a balanced budget goes,” says Singh.

The 2010 tax roll values that have created the 12 percent shortfall are reflective of property sales occurring during 2009. Homesteaded property values decreased 32.8 percent, excluding new construction.

“Over 60 percent of the residential sales reviewed were bank owned properties,” says Orange County Property Appraiser Bill Donegan, whose office was responsible for compiling the information. “Every area of the county has been affected and neighborhood values have taken a beating from the fallout of foreclosures.”

Orange County’s total taxable value for 2010 is $84.1 billion, according to Donegan’s office, down 12 percent from the previous year. New construction, both residential and commercial completed in 2009 added $1.43 billion in taxable value - a notable 43 percent decrease from the prior year.

“Of course, the continued decline of values shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone,” says Donegan. “As long as the housing and commercial markets continue to fall, so will tax roll value and…recouping tax revenue will be a much, much slower process for the cities and county.”

The first draft of the county budget will be released in early July, followed by a three day work session beginning July 20 that the general public is welcome to attend. The work sessions, however, are not public hearings - those are set for September with the final budget for next year going into effect on October 1.

As Orange County develops and adapts new strategies to manage the budget and lower levels of government revenue, Singh assures one thing: “We’re stretching things as much as we can stretch them.”

Article by Corey Gehrold

Finding ways to be energy efficient can be tough. Owning a home and trying to make it energy efficient with a limited budget can be even tougher. When funds are tight and costs are high, sometimes it seems like the savings for going green don’t outweigh the costs it takes to get there.

That’s where OCHEEP comes in, offering a new way to help Orange County homeowners save money on electric bills and have fun while doing it.

OCHEEP stands for the Orange County Homeowner Energy Efficiency Program. It’s an educational program that offers a rebate incentive to participants. The program teaches homeowners how to save money on their energy bills; how to experience the most energy savings for the money spent; how using less energy in the home saves tax dollars and combats climate change; and which energy efficiency upgrades might work best for their home.

“The program teaches homeowners about technologies that are available to them by removing some of the mystery about how to be energy efficient in your home in a cost effective manner,” says OCHEEP Coordinator Jane Gregory.

In order to qualify for the workshop and the rebate, participants have to live and own a home in Orange County. For the workshop, each meeting must have at least 10 attendees and a rebate can only be pursued for one home after a homeowner attends the workshop.

There are a few things that happen during the workshops. OCHEEP will explain why the program exists, where the funding comes from and how much money they have. The bulk of the workshop, however, focuses on the information.

“It explains how your house works and where you get the biggest bang for your buck,” Gregory says.

At the end of the workshop, the rebate applications are handed out. Participants will learn how to fill them out properly and how they will use them to get the most money.

The goal of the workshops are to encourage homeowners to hire a rater to come and give their house a “scientific evaluation” and assign a HERS Index score to their home, says Gregory.

Homeowners will take the information they gather from having their house rated and decide - based on their budget and how long they plan to be in their house - what upgrade is best for their particular situation. From there, they will hire a contractor to do make the improvements and then seek the rebate from OCHEEP to help pay for some of the costs for the energy upgrades. Up to $300 of the rebate goes toward the cost of the energy rating and then up to $700 is for energy upgrades.

Orange County has roughly $600,000 to spend on energy efficiency rebates under the OCHEEP program because of the $7.5 million that was awarded to Orange County by the Department of Energy, according to Gregory. She explains that Orange County was awarded $7.5 million in a grant back in September 2009, and then took on 11 different programs. OCHEEP is one of them.

“We want to change people’s knowledge and understand of energy efficiency and actually entice them to change their behaviors in a fun way,” Gregory says.

OCHEEP is focused on getting people to think about what kind of social groups they are a part of so they can host their own workshops. One of the latest workshops was held at Rinaldi’s Air Conditioning on East Colonial Drive.

“It’s another opportunity for our customers to become more energy efficient,” says Scott Hudson, general manager of Rinaldi’s Air Conditioning.

Roughly 30 participants were present at the last OCHEEP meeting inside Rinaldi’s.

“It was very interesting,” says Pat Yanni, an East Orlando homeowner. “We live in an older house, so we’ve been looking for ways to save on energy because energy costs are very high.”

While some homeowners have been searching for a solution to their costly energy bills, others were preparing now to save money down the road.

“We just bought a house seven weeks ago, so this is perfect. We’ll make changes now, so we can see the savings in the future because we plan to live in our house at least 10 to 15 years,” says Rebeca James, an East Orlando resident. “I would definitely recommend this. I will basically be telling everyone I know.”

Learn more about OCHEEP with Coffee Club, Orlando’s Number 1 Rated Networking/Mentoring Group, on July 8 at the Airport Marriott - 7499 Augusta National Drive, 8:30 a.m.

Article by Shayla Silva

This past April, property mortgage lenders served defaults on more than 103,000 American households. To date, one in 387 homes have received a foreclosure notice so far in 2010, according to ForeclosureDataBank.com.

Florida is being billed as one of the most troubled states - along with California, Michigan Illinois and Nevada. Together, these five states accounted for 52 percent of foreclosure actions nationwide in April of 2010. Locally, there have been more than 12,500 foreclosures filed in Orange County this year alone.

If foreclosure has become a legitimate threat for you, what should you do? What’s the first step? According to foreclosure case expert Jennifer Englert, partner at The Law Offices of Beechner & Englert in Avalon Park, the first thing you should do is include an accountant or attorney specializing in foreclosures into their inner circle.

“Depending on how many homes are at issue and what other debt they may have, there might be considerations about loan modifications, short sales or bankruptcy,” she says. “There is a lot of incorrect advice floating around so it’s better for the homeowner to include a professional who handles these matters everyday from the beginning rather than down the road to plan the best course of action before the homeowner is out of options.”

When a homeowner wants to save their house, the first option to try is a loan modification in most cases. “Many people have been frustrated with this process but banks are getting better with it and a lot of the games they were playing in the past year have stopped,” says Englert. “If modification cannot work, there are options for a short sale or deed in lieu of foreclosure.”

She cautions, however, that the rules are continually changing for both modifications and short sales and, the end result is often an easier process for the homeowner.

As for just walking away from a home - an option rising in popularity due to the notion of essentially living mortgage free for a finite amount of time - Englert cautions against the move. “There really is no walking away,” she says. “The mortgage company will get what’s called a ‘deficiency judgment’ which they have years to collect on.”

In fact, lenders have up to five years to seek the initial judgment and 20 years to collect on it.

Granted, some going through the foreclosure process can live free and clear for more than a year before being evicted, and many of these borrowers are even willing to accept that their credit history will be damaged because of the decision. Yet, they rule in favor of it because of the money they will save living mortgage free.

Englert says that although the mortgage company may not go after them for the remainder of the unpaid loan - the deficiency judgment - they have the option and that will hang over the homeowner, in addition to the credit damage, unless they negotiate with the bank to forgive the debt. “There are so many other options available, walking away is the last thing someone should do,” she says.

In Orange County, mediation is now required in all foreclosures, so the bank must sit down and meet with the homeowner in question. “Now it’s a bit easier to speak with someone from the lending institution because they are required to meet with you,” says Englert. “This is the opportunity to gather all your financial records and show the bank you will not be able to pay the debt anytime soon - this is the time to negotiate that they will not come after you for the money.”

Still, the bank may look at other financial assets the homeowner has, including other homes or vehicles to collect the unpaid debt.

Other options include government programs that help with medications, putting the property up for a short sale and bankruptcy. “As far as short sales go, there are new rules in place to speed up the process as well and to help the debt be forgiven so it’s a good alternative,” she says. “A short sale also has the least impact on your credit report, whereas a foreclosure will usually stay on there for seven years with Chapter 7 bankruptcy coming in at about 10 years.”

For legal help homeowners can contact:

Orange County Legal Aid Society of the O.C.B.A., Inc.

100 East Robinson Street Orlando, FL

32801 407-841-8310.

Article by Corey Gehrold

A new partnership building in the Central Florida Research Park will help Metro Orlando keep and add thousands of high-tech, high-wage modeling and simulation jobs and remain a national leader in that expanding industry.

The University of Central Florida and the military will share the Partnership III building, which will be home to UCF Institute for Simulation & Training laboratories and related modeling and simulation research. The UCF facility, scheduled to open in fall 2010, will be built to meet at least the silver level of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.

UCF President John Hitt will join military and elected officials at a groundbreaking ceremony Friday, July 10, at the building site, next to the Partnership II building in the Central Florida Research Park. Guests will arrive at 8:15 a.m., and the program will begin at 8:45 a.m.

Speakers will include state Rep. Dean Cannon, retired state Sen. Dan Webster, Orange County Commissioner Bill Segal and Rear Admiral Donald Gaddis, commander of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division and assistant commander for Research and Engineering, Naval Air Systems Command.

Meg Crofton, vice chairman of the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission and president of the Walt Disney World Resort, also is scheduled to speak.

Led by Cannon and Webster, state legislators worked hard to fund Partnership III and related enhancements to buildings that house military agencies in the Research Park. The funding enabled the Department of Defense to meet new security requirements for its personnel working in the area.

The Metro Orlando area is a national leader in modeling, simulation and training, with more than 100 companies that directly or indirectly generate nearly 17,000 jobs in the region. New and expanding companies are attracted to Central Florida in part because of the presence of the military and Institute for Simulation & Training.

U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps simulation offices based in the Research Park expect to award more than $5 billion in contracts this year, and much of that money remains in the Metro Orlando area.

The 118,860-square-foot Partnership III building will be constructed next to Partnership II and will be a mirror image of that building, saving the state about $500,000 in design costs.

Chosen for their expansive range of skills, diverse bakgrounds and supreme customer satisfaction ratings, Insight Magazine presents Who’s Who in East Orlando Real Estate. The listings below are in alphabetical order by last name and are not intended to indicate any type of numerical ranking.

Find out who they are and how they can help you make your dream a reality today.

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Have you ever gotten that feeling when you just knew something was right? Maybe when you slid into your first new car purchase or perhaps it was your first love? For Domenique Lombardo Blanchette, it was her career in the real estate industry. “I always knew I wanted to be a Realtor, ever since I was a young girl,” she remembers. Now, with more than 20 years experience, she is living her dream as the Broker/Owner of Royalty Real Estate Boutique, Inc. Blanchette has also gone on to receive several prestigious certifications in addition to being a graduate of the Realtor Institute, a Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist, an EcoBroker and more.

Today she enjoys a strong client base, even selling first homes to the children of couples she helped move into their first homes years ago. “It’s a privilege to have the relationship with these families to serve them literally for generations and watch their lives blossom in good times and bad,” she says.

Domenique G. Lombardo Blanchette
Royalty Real Estate Boutique, Inc.

Phone: 407-474-7000
Email: DBlanch@bellsouth.net
Web site: www.RoyaltyRealEstateBoutique.com

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When you’re looking to move into a new home in a new area, you want someone who knows what they’re talking about. You want someone who is passionate about the area. You want someone like Tracy Canning. “I have lived in East Orlando since 2000 and I love it,” she says. “It’s easy to sell in a community in which you live and that you love yourself.”

Canning moved to Central Florida after graduating from Ohio State University with a marketing degree. Today, she calls East Orlando home with her husband, their 12-year-old Bassett Hound, J.D. and their hamster, Pixie Pineapple.

She says the most rewarding part about being involved with real estate is helping buyers through one of the most memorable moments of their lives. “I find a lot of satisfaction helping them understand the purchase process so it is not so intimidating and so they can make informed decisions about one of the largest purchases they will ever make,” Canning says.

Tracy Canning

Keller Williams Advantage II Realty

Phone: 407.484.7978

E-mail: Canning8@comcast.net

Web site: www.TracyCanning.com

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Growing up, Debbie Irons was always detail-oriented. She couldn’t get enough statistics, numbers and support data. Her attention to detail was one of the main reasons she was a successful scientist in her former career. It’s also one of the reasons why she has grown into a successful Realtor specializing in the Lake Nona area. “My educational background and experience as a scientist drive me to work diligently to obtain as much information as possible to provide for my clients so they can make the best choices,” she says of her work ethic.

Getting the right information to the clients and sifting through the clutter has become more important than ever according to Irons. “There is so much talk in the media about national real estate which has caused confusion and people in the market are frustrated,” she says. “It’s very important for buyers and sellers to take the time to find a local expert they trust to guide them through the entire process.”

Debbie Irons

Orlando Classic Homes

Phone: (407) 908-2890

E-mail: Debbie@NonaLiving.com

Web site: www.NonaLiving.com and www.OrlandoNeighbors.com

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When choosing a Realtor many buyers, of course, want someone who knows the area. For those interested in Avalon Park and East Orlando there may not be anyone who knows the area better than Brenda Kolbrich. “There isn’t a street or model of home I don’t know, especially in Avalon Park, which gives me a huge advantage as I totally understand the market here,” she says. Kolbrich got her start selling homes working for a professional home builder several years ago and has since moved into the Keller Williams Advantage II Realty office becoming a valued team member.

Originally from Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, Kolbrich and her family have lived in Orlando for more than 17 years. She is avidly involved in the community, which helps her to meet and see real estate trends from both a personal and professional perspective. “I especially like to see first time home buyers able to purchase a home they can afford and share in their excitement,” she says.

Brenda Kolbrich

Keller Williams Advantage II Realty

Phone: 407-963-687

E-mail:  brenda@brendaksells.com

Web site: www.brendaksells.com

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“I’m a Mom. I nurture, I fix things, I work so people can live their dreams,” says proud mother of two and Owner/Broker of Matson Realty, Inc., Lisa Matson. A self-proclaimed “experimental chef,” you can usually find Matson in a kitchen if she’s not working with a client, completing a closing or reading a book about real estate trends. “After all, knowledge is empowering,” she says with a smile.

But no matter which phase of the purchase the buyer or seller are going through with her, she is there by their side – ready and willing to share her years of experience, both as a mom and a Realtor. “Sometimes, they just need someone to ask for a little advice,” she says of her clients. “I’m here when they need me because I know what they are going through has a huge impact on their life. If it’s important to them, it’s important to me.”

Lisa Matson

Matson Realty, Inc.

Phone: 321-231-3040

E-mail: Info@LisaMatson.com

Web site: www.LisaMatson.com

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Sometimes two heads are better than one, just ask real estate partners and husband and wife team Pam and Allyn Maycumber, Lake Nona area specialists. The team, with a combined experience of more than 50 years in the real estate industry, have seen it all. With Allyn as a Certified International Realtor and Pam as a Certified Residential Broker, representing the top two percent of Realtors nationwide, the two are certainly a dynamic duo.

Their commitment to forming strong relationships, with their family, their community and their clients, helps to set the Maycumbers apart from many others in the area. It’s why they now own and publish The Lakes News, sit on the board of directors at the YMCA of Lake Nona, are Partners in Education for Orange County Public Schools, sponsor various teams and support several local charities. Maycumber asks: “With our real experience, why would you work with anyone else?”

Name: Allyn and Pam Maycumber

Keller Williams Realty Advantage

Phone: 407-251-1314

E-mail: allyn@maycumber.com and pam@maycumber.com

Web site: www.WeKnowNona.com

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Working with people can produce a lot of stress, but it can also be a lot of fun. In fact, it’s one of the reasons that Tom Nestor finds going to work so rewarding. “What is really great about my career is all the different types of people that I get to meet and the relationships that I establish,” he says. Nestor makes sure to know each client personally and they value him for it. “I develop a close relationship with my clients and they are important to me – not just another sale.”

For those looking to sell now, Nestor suggests waiting. “In this market, the homes that are selling are ‘distressed properties.’ If you’re not willing, or able, to compete with short sales and foreclosures, you will find it very difficult to sell your home,” he says. But if you’re looking to buy, it’s a different story. “People will look back on 2009 as one of the best times to have bought a home.”

Tom Nestor

Keller Williams Advantage 2 Realty

Phone: 407-925-4686

E-mail: Tom@TomNestor.com

Web site: www.TomNestor.com

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Terry Sible has more than 25 years of experience as a Realtor and broker in East Orlando. Over the years, helping hundreds of buyers and sellers reach their goals, Sible says that he has always done one simple thing to ensure a successful sale: listen. ““I believe it’s very important to spend time with a seller or buyer and listen to what they have to say,” he says. “Listening to people tell their story is how I take them to their destination. My years of experience help me guide my customers through the entire process and make the sale or purchase as stress free as possible.”

“The most interesting thing I’ve seen in our industry is the madness of the home prices soaring followed by the free fall in the real estate market,” he says. Today, the real estate market is experiencing somewhat of a turnaround, slowly but surely, and the Krowne Realty team, led by Sible, is just as ready to help, as they always have been.

Terry L. Sible

Krowne Realty, Inc.

Phone: 407 823-8855

E-mail: Terry@MyAvalonPark.com

Web site: www.MyAvalonPark.com

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Tom Weclew enjoys nothing more tan a round of golf when he has the time. Playing hard but working harder, Weclew is the broker and owner for The Realty Medics. “The information we see on television and the internet is only a piece of the puzzle – this is a very unique real estate market and we’re here to ensure our clients are educated on every aspect of it.”

Weclew has developed a successful portfolio over the years since moving from Hollywood, Fla. “There is something very special about this area,” says Weclew. “I enjoy the big city convenience with the small town attitude.” Sometimes, Weclew admits, some of the clients looking for a home are just as special as the area. “Once a buyer was viewing a hom and asked if he could use the restroom,” he says. “After an hour and 15 minutes he came out and said ‘Nope, this house is not for me!’ To this day I have not figured out what happened in there.”

Tom Weclew

The Realty Medics

Phone: 321-947-7653

E-mail: TommyTheRealtor@yahoo.com

Web site: www.TheRealtyMedics.com