The question often comes up, what is a CDD?

CDD is short for Community Development District.

The primary function of a CDD is to construct and maintain infrastructure for a planned community development (PUD). This infrastructure may include roads, sidewalks, street lights, parks, recreational facilities, jogging trails, stormwater management, water mains, sewer lines, roadside landscaping and other similar items.

A little history on the CDD. It was...

I hear this question a lot. Should I bother with a home inspection? I'm buying a new/almost new home, so isn't a home inspection a waste of money?

Let's start with the definition of a home inspection. A home inspection is an objective inspection of the current condition of the home and it's mechanical systems. A home inspection should cover the structure itself (walls, trusses, foundation, windows, doors, etc), the roof, electrical (panel, outlets, wiring), plumbing, AC/heating,...

Although August and September are typically the busy months of the hurricane season, it is not too soon to put together your family's disaster plan, hurricane supplies and evacuation kit.


Disaster Planning

Every household should sit down and discuss what you will do in case of a hurricane (or other disaster for that matter, as tornadoes and flooding often accompany hurricanes).

You should pick out a "safe room" within your home in...

There are 2 important things going on in our area right now regarding flood insurance:
1) obviously, is the impact of the Biggert Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012
2) flood maps are being revised and updated in both Manatee and Sarasota counties
Regarding the flood maps.

Both Manatee and Sarasota county have been doing watershed studies and updating their floodplain uplift maps, doing redeliniation of what is floodplain and what is not. Manatee county is...

Manatee Technical Institutes's new campus at SR70 & Caruso Road will open January 7, 2013. The state-of-the art $44 million facility has 210,000 square feet of classrooms and labs for a number of programs, including architecture, automotive repair, welding, drafting, machining, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, culinary arts, hospitality, tourism, information technology, cosmetology, masonry and appliance repair.

MTI also has an East Campus located in Lakewood Ranch for medical &...