Monica Stahl (of Cargill) and the Cargill Cares Council present a $1000 check to Harmony Institute board member Mike Stewart and Harmony Institute founder and president Martha Lentz. Back row – Don Miller – Truck Loader, Charles “Hoss” Hunt- Bulk Receiver/Cargill Cares Council Poinciana Member, Philip Brownlow – Production Supervisor, Steven Dendis – maintenance Supervisor, Roger Atkins – Plant Manger –Poinciana Location, Russell Linton – Process Technician/Cargill Cares Council Poinciana Member, Miguel Ortiz –Process Technician, Phil Koon – Sales Consultant/Cargill Cares Council Poinciana Member, Dennis Cockrum – Plant Manager-Auburndale Location

On Saturday, March 19, 2011, Cargill Animal Nutrition’s employee-led Cargill Cares Council presented a $1,000 check to Harmony Institute board member Michael Stewart and Harmony Institute founder and president, Martha Lentz. The donation is to support the Institute’s mission of promoting human health and well-being through the interaction of people, animals and nature.

After presenting the check, the Cargill Cares team, with spouses and children, began their volunteer project of forging nature trails on the Harmony Institute’s 100-acre property located behind Harmony High School. The Institute plans to use the hiking trails for educational nature walks and environmental education experiences for students, children attending summer day camp and others – adults and children alike – who participate in Harmony Institute programs and events.

“Our new partnership with Cargill is very exciting,” said Martha Lentz, adding, “The enthusiasm and commitment of this group today has been truly amazing. Even the small children were out there clearing branches!”

After the Cargill employees and their families forged their first trails on the property, they held a picnic at Spirit Farm, which leads to the hiking area. Spirit Farm is a venue for corporate events, birthday parties and acts as an outdoor learning center for various Institute programs. The farm is home to the Harmony High School mascot, Touchdown and the Harmony Community School mascot Victory and has miniature donkeys and horses, standard size horses, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens as well as gardens. For information about Harmony Institute programming, contact the Institute at 407-957-0207.

Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 131,000 people in 66 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business.

When it comes to unemployment, Central Florida is setting records.

In the metro Orlando area, unemployment reached 12.4 percent in February, which is the highest rate since 1975.

Experts said they believe there are jobs available, and those who are unemployed should keep looking.

“There are construction projects going on, big ones,” Workforce Central Florida representative Gary Earl said.
Earl readily admitted construction took the biggest hit when the economy tanked, but he also said the new Amway Center and medical development at Lake Nona have all created opportunity.

“Hopefully, in the next three to six months, we’ll see (unemployment) peak and start to crawl back down a little bit, but in saying that, I would emphasize crawl. I think it’s going to be a very slow process,” Earl said. “Even if we had money to invest, I would probably wait to see what the economy will do before you stick your neck out.”

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The company declined to say how many and what positions were cut, but at least one was Jane Smalley, director of marketing and communications, whose voice-mail message said she was no longer with the company. Smalley was unavailable for comment.

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As Heart of Florida United Way (HFUW) continues its transition to a new strategic model focused on prevention, a volunteer council comprised of local business leaders, issue experts, academics and others is helping guide the process.

Known as the Investing in Results Council, the group formed earlier this year under the leadership of Ed Timberlake, Chairman of the Board for Seaside National Bank & Trust and former Chair of the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce.

With United Way’s first round of competitive funding grants due to be awarded this fall, the Council is playing a key role in determining which agency programs will be selected to help support HFUW’s new investment areas: Building Safe Communities, Improving Financial Stability, Developing Healthy Children and Families, and Alleviating Hunger and Homelessness.

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When Orlando officials built a new fire station in the Lake Nona area last year, they thought the fire engine would get used more than once or twice a week.

After all, when they started planning Fire Station 16, the economy was booming, new houses were going up quickly and the vision of a high-tech “medical city” had begun to emerge on this far southeast edge of town.

But, according to Fire Department records, the four-man crew at Station 16 hasn’t had a whole lot of work since the station opened in June. In February, they responded to only two emergency calls in their territory — and only 22 in the first four months of 2009.

Things aren’t much busier a few miles away at Lake Nona’s other firehouse, Station 15, which had 78 calls during the same period.

Compare that with Station 2 in Parramore — Orlando’s busiest — which handled 1,948 calls during that time.

The two Lake Nona stations provide a cautionary lesson for a city that has annexed land all the way to the Osceola County line. It’s tough — and expensive — to provide government services to an area so distant from the urban core.

“They were trying to get ahead of what was supposed to be explosive growth out there,” said Steve Clelland, president of the firefighters labor union. “It just died off.”

The stations’ light workload has taken on new significance in light of Orlando’s budget woes. Two weeks ago, Mayor Buddy Dyer proposed cutting about 10 percent of the city’s work force to avoid a budget deficit projected at $40 million next year. The cuts, which hit every city department, include laying off 46 firefighters, eliminating 25 vacant Fire Department positions and taking eight ambulances and a ladder truck out of service.

The cuts would save about $7.5 million — less than what it cost to build and operate the two Lake Nona stations. The two firehouses cost a combined $6.4 million, and with 33 firefighters needed to man them over three shifts, an estimated $2.9 million a year to run.

But the budget cuts wouldn’t touch Stations 15 and 16, which watch over some of Orlando’s swankiest neighborhoods in the 7,000-acre golf and country club development. Staffing at the stations is at the lowest level that administrators consider safe, so any cuts would mean closing one altogether.

Home construction has stagnated since the stations were in the planning stage. As a result, records show that Station 16 has responded to just 61 calls in its territory since it opened 11 months ago, about the same number that firefighters in Parramore handle in three days. There was one small car fire and three brush fires; the rest were medical calls.

Even so, officials defend the decision to build them.

“From the Fire Department’s perspective in conjunction with the planning department, it was the right thing to do at the right time,” Deputy Chief Robert Sorenson said. “We’re building for the future. Down the road, that will be a very vibrant part of the city, and we’ll have the infrastructure in place to support it.”

Station 16, the slower of the two, is close to the “medical city,” where the Burnham Institute opened its facility this month. In fact, the promise of a fire station was part of the incentive package used to lure Burnham here.

Eventually, the University of Central Florida medical school, a new veterans hospital and the Nemours children’s hospital will open there as well.”It’s a low number of calls, but there are other factors at play,” said City Commissioner Phil Diamond, who represents the area. “There was an effort by the city, the county and the School Board to provide high-quality services for those entities that are moving out there. And the residents out there deserve the same protection as residents elsewhere in the city.”

For years, Orange County Fire Rescue responded to calls in the Lake Nona area, even though it’s within city limits. County Fire Station 76 sits roughly between the city firehouses just outside city limits, about 1.4 miles from Station 15 and 3.5 miles from Station 16.

Under a 1994 planning agreement that allowed Orlando to eventually annex nearly 20,000 acres, city officials agreed to pay the county to provide fire protection until the city built its own station in the area.

As more land was developed in the once-rural area, the city’s payments — tied to property values in the area — grew. In 2007, just before Station 15 opened, the city paid the county $1.4 million to serve the area — or roughly half what it’s now paying to operate the two stations.

Fire Department administrators have ruled out returning Lake Nona’s fire protection to the county. The number of calls for service is not the only measure of their importance, Sorenson said.

He cited much faster response times since Orlando took over. Records show that on average, Orlando’s fire crews have arrived at emergencies three to five minutes faster than county firefighters did. Those minutes, firefighters say, count when dealing with a fire or medical emergency such as a heart attack or stroke.

“The quicker you get to the patient’s side, the more likely it is that they’re going to have a positive outcome,” Sorenson said. “In my personal opinion, it’s money well spent when you’re talking lives.”

From their website:

For an exceptionally clean pool at the absolute lowest price, the choice is simple. Lake Nona Pools will keep your pool in perfect condition so that all you have to worry about is where you put your sunscreen.

Lake Nona Pools services all of Southeast Orlando, and Narcoossee, Kissimmee, and Saint Cloud.

Contact Info:
web: http://www.lakenonapools.com
phone: 407-243-8383
twitter: twitter.com/askthepoolboy

See their video:

We offer traditional Japanese, Chinese, and Korean-style dishes as well as a full Sushi menu. In addition to Asian dishes we also offer Prime Steaks, Soups, Salads, and Noodle dishes with a full Beer, Sake, and Wine List (domestic and imported).

For diners we have many options and can serve dishes such as:
- Steamed/Fried Whole Fish
- Maine Lobster
- Clams and Mussels
and other special dishes upon request that are not normally found on the menu.

Dine-In, Carry Out, and Party Platters.
Catering and Private Parties are also available.
Who I’d like to meet:
I welcome people who are not afraid to try new dishes, patrons who push the envelope of culinary experiences, and friends who enjoy what we have to offer.

Construction is almost complete and our school looks amazing! We anticipate the building will be ready on June 15th. That will give us plenty of time to move in the furniture and equipment during the summer months so we will be ready for students on August 24th. Once the building is turned over to us, we will be planning several events so that parents, students and community members can get an opportunity to meet us and view the facilities. These events will be advertised via our website. I encourage all community members to check our website often to stay informed on what is happening at both Lake Nona High School and Odyssey Relief Middle School.

We are very excited to be a part of the Lake Nona community and look forward to providing a world class education for all of our students. Go LIONS!!!

Yelp Review:
After moving into the Lake Nona area, it was nice to find a Chinese restaurant there. However, once we tried it we immediately crossed it off our list of places to go. In fact, it was such a bad experience we usually pick up our Chinese food at a restaurant 8 miles away.

The food there could be described mediocre at best, and close to flavorless at worst. If you *HAVE* to have Chinese food and you don’t want to go out of the area, then go to Publix and buy some frozen egg rolls. If you don’t mind driving a little farther, there are some good Chinese restaurants on Lee Vista.

The good news is that a new Chinese/Japanese restaurant is opening nearby and I hope will be able to finally provide some good Chinese food for the Lake Nona area.

1 out of 5 Stars
R. Alexander S.