University of Central Florida administrators scrapped a multi-million dollar plan to build a dental school near its college of medicine in Lake Nona.

The university’s plan to build the dental school was announced in May. A key committee was set to review its plans Wednesday and the Florida Board of Governors would have voted on the matter Thursday.

But UCF withdrew its plan.

In a written statement, a UCF spokesman said the project would not require state money, but the university decided not to go continue with it anyway.

Read more: http://www.wesh.com/news/29720900/detail.html#ixzz1gK8GsBua

The Lake Nona Lions hosted the Cypress Creek Bears Friday night.

The Lions held a seven-zero lead at halftime. The third quarter started off terribly for the home team because of penalties. Bears QB Carl Bronislawski threw a pass into quadruple coverage intended for Isaac Cenescar and defensive pass interference was the call at the five-yard line. It set up a Viliami Netane touchdown plunge as the Bears marched their way into the endzone to tie things up at 7-7. But, before the third quarter was complete, Lake Nona found a groove as Tucker Israel (Fr.) hit a diving Riquerdy Miranez (Jr.) for a first down pass play to get the team past midfield. With one second remaining in the third quarter, Wadzaire Blanc (So.) took a handoff and got by the defense with some nifty moves and put the Lions back on top 14-7. Lake Nona then scored 20 fourth quarter points en route to their first game of the season. 34-14 was the final score. Israel finished the game with 260 yards passing and 5 TD’s, Ryan Sousa (So.) had over 100 receiving yards and 2 TD’s, and Tyler Arrington (Sr.) added a TD Rec of his own. The Lake Nona defense held Cypress Creek to less than 100 yards of total offense.

Next week the team travels to Eustis HS, game time is 7:00 pm.

Orlando’s biggest park was supposed to open two weeks ago, but now it might not be finished for three more years.

Under a deal with the city, the developers of Lake Nona donated the land and planned to build the park on the south end of the sprawling development in southeast Orlando.

But the park, like much of the country, has fallen victim to the housing slump.

The agreement approved four years ago required the park to open by Aug. 6, 2011, or within a year after the developer built the 1,000th home in Lake Nona South, whichever came first. It was lauded as a win-win deal: Lake Nona would have an amenity to promote to would-be home buyers, and City Hall would get a park long before taxpayers could afford to build one.

And it would be quite a park: At 334 acres, it would be the biggest of Orlando’s recreation areas, more than twice the size of Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake and more than seven times Lake Eola Park.

Continue Reading: Orlando gives backers 3 more years to build city’s biggest park

Written by: Lloyd N. Werk, MD, MPH
Parents often struggle when guiding their child to eat healthy nutritious meals and establishing healthy eating habits for children at an early age with balanced meals is important. Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) replaced their “food pyramid” model with MyPlate to make it easier to figure out how to feed kids nutritious, balanced meals at home and on-the-go. MyPlate helps to simplify meal planning by illustrating ideal servings of the fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy food groups on a colorful divided plate.

MyPlate helps parents train their children to devote half their plate to fruits and vegetables. Grains and lean protein each take up a quarter of the plate. A side helping of dairy shows kids will also need a serving of low-fat milk or another dairy product to complete their meal.

MyPlate offers simple messages that are easy to incorporate in your family’s daily diet:

• Fill half your child’s plate with vegetables and fruits
• Make at least half the grains you serve whole grains, like oatmeal and brown rice
• Serve fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk and water rather than sugary drinks
• When buying pre-packaged foods, choose ones low in sodium
• Avoid serving oversized portions. Consider smaller plates for younger aged children.

One of the most important features of MyPlate is its emphasis on fruits and vegetables. Vegetables are one of the largest portions on the plate because they provide many of the vitamins and minerals kids need for good health, plus vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories and contain fiber. For parents with picky eaters, adding more vegetables to their child’s plate may seem difficult at first; however, a few simple preparation tips can help your family enjoy fruits and vegetables this summer.

Ten Tips to Liven Up Meals with Fruits and Vegetables

1. Be Ahead of the Game – Cut up peppers, carrots, or broccoli in advance and refrigerate. Also, keep some packaged vegetables in the freezer as they are just as nutritious as fresh vegetables.
2. Seeing is Enjoying – Keep a bowl of whole fruit out as a visible reminder.
3. Brighten Up Your Salad – Add black beans, sliced peppers, chopped red cabbage and other colorful vegetables for color and taste.
4. Fruit at Breakfast – Top cereal or oatmeal with sliced bananas, peaches, grapes, or strawberries. Also, try mixing fruit in fat-free or low-fat yogurt.
5. Fire Up the Grill –Grilling brings out great flavor in vegetables. Try grilling mushrooms, carrots, peppers or potatoes on a kabob skewer – kids will enjoy a fun, new way to eat their vegetables. Grilling fruit can be a tasty new experience too!
6. Expand the Flavor of Casseroles – Peas, pinto beans, squash, tomatoes and sautéed onions add color to this convenient, weekday meal.
7. Pair with Pasta – Planning something Italian? Slip some peppers, spinach, red beans, onions or cherry tomatoes into your traditional tomato sauce. Vegetables provide texture and satisfying low-calorie bulk.
8. Get Creative with Sandwiches – Vegetables make a great addition to your favorite sandwiches and wraps. Substitute mayonnaise with creamy avocado or try sliced tomatoes and romaine lettuce for extra flavor.
9. Savor Stir-Fry – Try a new cooking method! Stir-frying vegetables like broccoli, carrots, sugar snap peas, mushrooms, or green beans are a quick and tasty addition to any meal.
10. When Eating Out – ask for an extra side of vegetables, side salad, or whole fruit.

It may take several attempts to acquire a taste for some vegetables. Encourage your child to try just two or three bites of a vegetable and then offer it again at another meal. Try including fruits and vegetables in each meal and for a snack.

While MyPlate is a guide for healthy eating, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Portion size will vary by age, and depending on a child’s needs, some food groups will be increased and others decreased. Talk to your health care provider to find out what’s best for your kids.

For more information about developing healthy eating habits for your children, please visit www.KidsHealth.org.

Lloyd N. Werk, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.P. is the Division Chief of Consultative Pediatrics at Nemours Children’s Clinic and provides services to diagnose and treat children of all ages with obesity issues in the Nemours Healthy Choices Clinic.

If you live in Narcoossee or Lake Nona, there’s a good chance you’re excited about the future development of our area. Not sure how this info came to me, but I woke to an email telling me about a new shopping center coming to the area that should be opening in the beginning of 2012.

According to the flyer, it is a standard shopping center with a large grocery store as its anchor. The flyer is info for leasing space, so it doesn’t seem anyone has locked into the building yet, but with Publix 2 miles away, I’m curious to see who ends up here.

Here’s a map of the location:

View Larger Map

And here’s the flyer I received:

Lake Nona Plaza – Flyer

Any idea what’s coming here? Tell us about it in the comments.

For years this editorial board has encouraged and applauded the development of Orlando’s Medical City at Lake Nona. We believe its success is critical to building a broader, stronger economy in Central Florida — an economy that goes beyond tourism and construction.

So we can’t help but be drawn to a proposal to locate a new University of Central Florida College of Dental Medicine at the Medical City. The proposal, to be considered this week by UCF’s Board of Trustees, calls for a dental school that would open in 2014 and graduate about 100 dentists a year.

A dental school would be a natural fit with the medical facilities already operating or under construction at Lake Nona. They include the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, UCF’s College of Medicine, the Orlando Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Nemours Children’s Hospital. A dental school would be another Medical City magnet for highly trained professionals and research grants. You know…jobs.

UCF projects the dental school would pump $73 million into the region’s economy during its construction, and at least $69 million a year during its operation.

Continue Reading: UCF dental school at the Medical City would boost the region’s health care and economy

The Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute scored $300 million in 2006 when it agreed to set up shop in Central Florida, making it one of the largest beneficiaries of public incentive money in state history.

Just five years later, the institute that is central to Orlando’s “medical city” development – along with UCF’s medical school and two hospitals – appealed to lawmakers for even more money.

It succeeded last week in the final days of the Legislative session, winning $2 million in economic development funds.

It’s official: Sanford-Burnham is too big to fail. We have to keep pumping money into it or risk putting a strain on one of the key anchors of Florida’s hopes for a thriving biomedical industry.

Continue Reading: Sanford-Burnham gets $2 million more

University of Central Florida plans to open a dental school near its College of Medicine in the heart of Lake Nona’s Medical City.

UCF officials announced Thursday that they’re looking to open a College of Dental Medicine in 2014 that would graduate about 100 dentists a year.

But some state officials and administrators at other universities already have begun questioning the need for more dental schools in Florida.

There are only three accredited dental schools statewide: in Gainesville, Bradenton and Fort Lauderdale. UCF is one of at least three public universities discussing plans either to build a new dental school or expand an existing program.

The University of Florida in Gainesville, educating dentists since the 1970s and home to one of the nation’s top programs, has been trying to expand for years. It has met resistance from the State University System, though — mostly because of a lack of funding, said Teresa Dolan, the college’s dean.

Dolan said Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University in Tallahassee is researching the possibility of opening a dental school and could be bringing a proposal forward soon. FAMU refers to its plans on its website.

UCF officials said they don’t plan to seek state money and that the project would be self-sustaining through tuition and other resources. The university plans to borrow about $40 million to pay startup costs. A private donor also has committed $10 million to the project.

Not only is a dental school needed in Central Florida, but there also is a demand for one, according to the university.

Continue Reading: UCF plans to open dental school in 2014

Even though Lake Nona is only a second-year school, softball coach Julie Bouton not only thought the Lions would reach the state playoffs, she expected it.

“I knew they could do it,” said Bouton, who was an assistant coach in the Lions’ initial season. “Initially, that was my goal. The girls, honestly at the beginning of the season, didn’t believe it. They were like, ‘Coach, didn’t you see our record last year?’ ”

Lake Nona’s record last season was 5-18. The team only had three or four players who had any softball playing experience. But. Bouton also saw how the team progressed a year ago and knew that this year’s team had some potential.

It has lived up to that potential.

Lake Nona (13-13), which won the Class 3A, District 7 championship with a 10-9 victory over Lake Highland Prep, will host Melbourne Holy Trinity at 4 p.m. Tuesday in one of five region quarterfinal playoff games involving Central Florida teams.

Continue Reading: Lake Nona to make first state playoff experience Tuesday against Holy Trinity

Turning the car into this manicured corner of Orlando’s gated Lake Nona enclave, the rear-view mirror fills suddenly with the vision of a hulking white Mercedes S-Class. Out into the midday sun, resplendent in a signature get-up of two-tone shirt and designer shades, steps Ian Poulter.

He is talking animatedly on his iPhone. An audience with the Hertfordshire harlequin must wait a couple of minutes longer. He opens the garage, wedging the Poultsmobile neatly between wife Katie’s SUV — not so much a Chelsea tractor as a combine harvester — and a Ferrari California. Both the other motors are white, too.

Poulter, if you had not already noticed from his taste in golfing slacks, is partial to a bit of colour-coding.

The California is a beguiling beast: a muscular, streamlined convertible that perfectly captures its owner’s embrace of the sunshine lifestyle. By its sheer elegance, it stops short of outright ostentation. But should it not, to take the view of the Ferrari purist, be red? Not if you exhibit Poulter’s OCD-degree of fetish for white.

His furnishings, his clubs, his status symbols: all of them, it appears, must be white. Even the gleaming new driver from Cobra, which he takes to swishing about absent-mindedly like a wand, has a white grip.

Continue Reading: The Masters 2011: Ian Poulter’s search for perfection in countdown to Augusta is a major white-knuckle ride