HIALEAH CONSIDERS MAJOR NEW DEVELOPMENT ZONE

Hialeah is considering approval of a major mixed-use development zone with 5.6 million sq. ft.  3,800 units around Tri-Rail station.

On January 12^th, commissioners will make a final decision on the Hialeah Market Station 80-acre mixed used development plan.

 

A traffic study indicates that the maximum density for the area could then increase to accommodate 3.9 M Sq. ft. of commercial and retail space, 1.7 M Sq. Ft. of flex space for office or industrial, 3,800 residential units and 1,000 hotel rooms.

 

Since the area would be mixed use, it’s up to developers how much of those elements makes sense for their properties, and whether the city approves specific site plans, said Melissa Tapanes Llahues, an attorney with Bercow Radell & Fernandez who represents local landowner Gerard Keating and worked with the city to draft the comprehensive plan amendment.

The area is near the industrial intensive zone at the intersection of State Rd. 112 and U.S. 27.

 

The mixed-use district will be accessible by train from major employment centers a Miami Airport and downtown Miami.

Landowners will be required to create or cooperate with the city in creating rights of way for pedestrians, and parks alongside the railway track, in order to obtain the increase in density. 

Around the Tri-Rail station 15 stories building and 125 units per acre would be allowed.  At farther distances, six to eight stories building would be allowed.

 

For your real estate needs, pre-construction, resales, condos, single family homes in South Florida, please contact:

 

Henry B. Nathan

United Realty Group Inc.

(800) 416-2747   -  (954) 296-6741 

hbnathan@gmail.com

 

SLS LUX - NEW CONSTRUCTION CONDOS IN MIAMI

SLS LUX - Brickell Pre-Construction

 

Watch our new SLS-LUX video

450 condo units

80 Designer Suites

57 Floors

12 Penthouse Residences

 

Almost SOLD OUT -  Last Units Left

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SLS LUX - GENERAL FEATURES

 

• Located in the heart of Brickell, in between upcoming Brickell City Center high end retail and restaurants and Mary Brickell Village shopping center.
• 57-story tower designed by internationally renowned architectural firm Arquitectonica, featuring the first LED façade by prominent lighting artist Ana Martinez
• Interiors by YabuPushelberg.
• Museum quality art in all common areas including works of renowned artist like Fernando Botero, Matias Duville, among others and exterior art mural installation by Fabian Burgos.
• Ground floor restaurant by celebrated chef Katsuya Uechi and Bar Lounge by S Bar
• 450 luxury condominiums featuring private elevator access and up to 10ft ceiling heights.
• 84 Designer Suites fully decorated and finished, by YabuPushelberg.
• A limited collection of 12 Penthouse Residences on the top three floors with custom gourmet kitchens, and panoramic skyline, ocean, and bay views.
• 2 assigned self-parking spaces for most units in secured parking garage, or optional complimentary 24-hour valet parking services.
• Rental program managed by SBE for Designer Suites

 

 SLS LUX - INTERIOR FEATURES

• Elegant private elevator with biometrics technology.Private elevator vestibules in all residences.
• Most residences with 2 assigned self-parking spaces.
• Residences delivered fully finished with several choices in imported porcelain tile flooring pre-selected by Yabu Pushelberg.
• Spacious walk-in closets come fully finished in Master Bedrooms.
• Stunning Views of Biscayne Bay and Miami skyline
• 9 and 10 foot high smooth-finish ceilings in living spaces.
• Rain Showers and Spa tubs in all Master Bedrooms.
• Spacious terraces, with glass and aluminum railings directly accessible from living areas and bedrooms of every residence through floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors and wrap-around terraces in all corner units.
• Select units include terrace BBQ grill.
• Exclusive collection of 12 PH units with 12ft ceilings and some with private rooftop pools and outdoor spas.
• Pre-wired for high-speed communications multiple telephone lines and cable.
• The latest in “Smart Building” technology, featuring wireless control pad, linking residents to SLS Brickell professional concierge services and building amenities.
• Home Automation system.

SLS LUX - CLASSY KITCHENS

• Contemporary Italian kitchen cabinets by Italcraft
• Several choices of cabinet finishes and stone counter tops pre-selected by Yabu Pushelberg. (optional full backsplashes)
• Top of the line stainless steel appliance package. Includes integrated paneled 36” Subzero refrigerator/freezer, Wolf drawer microwave, Wolf silent dishwasher, Wolf built-in convection oven and ceramic glass stovetop.
• Stainless steel, under-mount oversized zero radius square edge sink with single lever European-style pullout faucet sprayer.

SLS LUX - FINE BATHS

• Premium European cabinetry with designer details, imported stone vanity tops and full size mirrors designed by Yabu Pushelberg.
• Double designer vessel bowl lavatories in master baths in select residences
• Elongated water closet
• Spacious spa tubs and frameless glass enclosed showers in master baths in select residences
• Imported porcelain flooring, base and walls in wet areas
• Designer faucets
• Powder Room in select residences

SLS LUX - TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED LIFESTYLE

• On Demand SLS LUX hotel concierge services through custom SLS LUX App, compatible with Apple and Android msart phones and tablets.
• Reserve a table for dinner at the restaurant, or order Room Service.
• Sign up for Spin Cycle class at Equinox
• Reserve a time for the Tennis Court.
• Call up valet service
• Make an appointment at Ciel Spa for a massage treatment
• Book a limo ride to SLS Beach Club
• Buy tickets to the opera, or a movie
• …All this and more as your fingertips through the SLS LUX App.
• Full array of customizable features in your residence,, such as:
• Automated lighting control
• Automated window treatments
• Automated Audio visual capability.
• Smart Nest thermostat system with automated temperature control. High-efficiency central air conditioning and heating systems.

SLS LUX - BUILDING AMENITIES

 

9TH FLOOR OUTDOOR FEATURES

• Incredible pool deck terrace at overlooking the Brickell Skyline featuring75ft lap pool and separate 112 ft.beach entry pool.
• Pool side cabanas and shaded lounge areas.
• Juice Bar
• Pool side bar with TV, live entertainment andal fresco dining.
• Towel service.
• Family BBQ area with summer kitchen.
• Multi-use Sports Center with combined court for tennis, paddle, volleyball, and soccer.academy court, soccer court.
• Bocce Court
• Rock Climbing Wall
• Circuit training with fitness stations scattered throughout amenity deck.
• Outdoor Theatre
• Outdoor area for Yoga classes.
• Outdoor Kid’s Play area.

9TH FLOOR INDOOR AMENITIES

 

 

• SLS LUX state-of-the-art health and wellness fitness centerprofessionally staffed. includes Technogym® Cardio & Weight Training equipment, as well as cardio machines with personal plasma television/music options. Exclusive “Kinesis® Personal” fitness stations create personalized workouts. Free weights, stretching mats, Pilates balls, yoga mats, and headphones are all available for complimentary use.
• Residents can opt for an exclusive membership option with Equinox Brickell located across the street in upcoming Brickell Heights residences.
• Ciel Spa at SLS LUXprofessionally staffed, featuring treatment and massage beds with iPod docks, experience showers and herbal steam room are some of the luxurious conveniences. Specialized massage therapist on demand.
• Kids play room with kids monitoring services and supervised activity center led by professional staff. Indoor and outdoor play area.
• Club Room Loungef featuringmedia center with home theater screen with major Sports programming, IPod dock station with built in speaker system, fully equipped gourmet kitchen
• On Demand full access to SLS BrickellExecutive Business Center equipped with high speed wireless connectivity, conference room for private meeting with A/V capabilities,
• Access to wireless printer and fax machine, meeting Rooms, event S\space and catering services.
• VIP Access to South Beach’s hottest Beach Club, Hyde Beach at the SLS Hotel South Beach with lounges, beach and pool towel services, cabanas, and seaside snack and beverage services.

And this  44th FLOOR SKY LOUNGE!

• Outdoor lounge space with 2 beautifully designed fire pitsoverlookingbreathtaking views of the Bay and the City skyline for exclusive use of th econdominium residents.
• Two story indoor lounge and recreation area with private wine cellars, Billiards room, and poker table and library.

 

LOOK AT THESE 57th FLOOR ROOF TOP PRIVATE SUN DECKS AND SPA

• Rooftop Pool and sundeck for building residents, overlooking city skyline with breathtaking views of Biscayne Bay.

SLS LUX OUTSTANDING CONCIERGE SERVICES

 

• Butler Services and “While Your Away” Services.
• Hotel Residences feature In-room iPads
• Wi-Fi throughout the hotel and an iPadin each room.
• Around-the-clock multilingual staff
• 24-hour valet parking
• 24-hour security service
• In-room dining services in all residences and hotel units.
• World-class concierge services
• Full service business center with wireless high-speed internet
• access, and visual equipment
• Private catering for meetings, luncheons and dinner parties
• Shipping and packaging services
• Currency conversion and exchange services
• Full-time maintenance staff
• Housekeeping on demand
• Pre-arrival provisioning-grocery shopping and delivery
• Dry cleaning and laundry services
• Nanny/babysitting services
• Plant maintenance
• Overnight shoeshine
• Pet services
• Preferred theatre and event tickets
• Courier services
• Personal IT support assistance
• Translation services
• Newspaper delivery

Ask me for LAST MINUTE FAST DEAL

I will get you a wonderful deal!

For more information or reservation, please call directly Henry B. Nathan

(800) 416-2747 (954) 296-6741

Email me: hbnathan@gmail.com

mentioning

SLX LUX - NEW CONSTRUCTION CONDOS IN MIAMI

 

Email me: hbnathan@gmail.com

mentioning  SLS LUX MIAMI NEW CONSTRUCTION – DOWNTOWN MIAMI LUXURY CONDOS

Visit my website: www.condo-southflorida.com

Brickell area condos moving fast now.

ST Residential sells 100 condos at downtown Miami’s Mint

A $160-a-square-foot price cut was the trigger behind the sale of 100 units at the Mint at Riverfront condominium, according to data from Bal Harbour-based Condo Vultures. The pricing was a 33 percent discount from the Miami project’s original marketing.

Buyers, many of them original pre-construction contract holders, paid an average of $326 a square foot, or a total of $327.6 million, for 100 units from October through December, data showed.

Eleven units were sold at an average of $325 a square foot during the prior quarter.

The discount comes as ST Residential, which bought Mint’s debt as part of the portfolio of the failed Corus Bank, works with developer Key International to set a pricing bottom.

“ST Residential kicked off the winter tourism season by selling 21 percent of the total inventory in the Mint at Riverfront condo tower,” Condo Vultures principal Peter Zalewski said.

Mint at Riverfront’s original preconstruction pricing ranged from $489 a square foot for one-bedroom units to $563 a square foot for two-bedroom units, according to sales material from Key International.

Mint at Riverfront is a 51-story, 530-unit tower at 93 S.W. Third St. It stands within a gated condo enclave with neighboring towers Ivy and Wind at Neo on the north bank of the Miami River. Three more towers were planned for the enclave, but were never built due to South Florida's condo crash.

Wind at Neo sold 488 units at an average price of $286 a square foot, while the Ivy sold 469 units at an average price of $262 a square foot.

From:  South Florida Business Journal -  January 18, 2011,

Henry B. Nathan is a Realtor at United Realty Group Inc.

Visit my websites:

Condo-southflorida.com

GoldenIsles-homes.com

Golden-Beach-Homes.com

The Beach Club Condo 

floride-immobilier.fr

Great Reading - Michael Lewis - THE BIG SHORT

Just read it:

THE BIG SHORT - Inside The Doomsday Machine

By Michael Lewis.

Whoever wants to start understanding the state of the Real Estate in the US and also in the wide world, is at a loss if he thinks he can interpret the catastrophic debacle in traditional terms and historical data.

It is evident that this is not one of the regular cycles of capitalism.

Manipulation, indifference,  greed and plain ignorance from many of the players in the infamous game that brought to their knees many of this country's small investors; drove out of their homes a large percentage of American middle and lower class citizens, is the theme of this book.

Standard & Poor, Moody's rating agencies' pitiful (or reckless?)  job at guiding the public in general, mutual funds and hedge funds in particular, is a main factor. Goldman Sachs, Bear Stearns, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, UBS, Wachovia, Bank of America are some of the names that pop up  even though they still are for some of us the symbol of finances at their highest.

The open ignoring of the principles of banking and mortgage lending by most banks, Fannie, and Feddie, the Feds,  the SEC, are still unanswered questions.

Welcome to the world of CDO's and CDS.

Read how TRILLIONS of dollars of worthless packages of sub-prime mortgages were assembled in AAA bonds, and put on the market during these "boom" years of 2005, 2006 and 2007.

CDO is a Collatelarized Debt Obligation, supposedly an" investment-grade"  security backed by a pool of mortgages. If you didn't read too much about it, it means in reality a bunch of crappy loans with very low expectations of being ever collected, that are put together, graded by Moody's as AAA and sold as first class investment securities.

Read about how the CDS (Credit Defaut Swaps), which are a kind of insurance on the CDO's , were often bought by the same "institutions" which had issued these rotten CDO bonds in the first place.
Example:  You issue a CDS in favor of an investor who is betting that  your trashy AAA CDO's will eventually have a high grade of delinquency which will drive their value to Zero or close to it.
This investor can be a hedge fund, a group of investor, another bank, or the same bank who issued the CDO's in the first place. Incredible? A Lottery? Las Vegas? I would like to believe it if most of these "elite" guys hadn't ended with hundreds of billions of dollars in salaries and bonuses.

A fascinating and exhausting reading.

And an example on how quickly we forget and how corruption, "bubbles"  and evil can perpetuate, revive, and multiply.

Michael Lewis, famous for the Liar's Poker, about the 80's (an era where at least some of the crooks went to jail), gives the reader a fascinating rough draft of this whole new era that (sorry guys)  we are still living.
The era when, instead of sending the bad guys to jail, we give them new liberties to freely  lobby our Congress, and increase at will their campaigns contributions.   

Why real estate is what it is today?

Perhaps you'll get a less clouded idea with Michael Lewis penetrating view on this "roaring decade".

Henry B. Nathan is a Realtor at United Realty Group Inc.

Visit my websites:

Condo-southflorida.com

GoldenIsles-homes.com

Golden-Beach-Homes.com

The Beach Club Condos

More about property taxes in Miami

I don’t usually trust billionaires when discussing politics.  

In this case, however, my sympathy goes to Normal Braman, one of the richest men in Florida whose interests or beliefs surprisingly coincide with those of the common citizen of Miami.

The City of Miami and Miami-Dade County have never been an example of incorruptible public officers.

I recall the Marlins' Stadium outrageous situation when the City and County of Miami agreed to finance it at taxpayer's expense. A team worth hundreds of millions of dollars was blackmailing a city in need of every penny to improve public services and education.   

With a  totally convoluted reasoning, Miami commissioners never talked and acted businesslike when confronted to shrewd corporate interests. 

They could have asked for partial ownership of the team, or repayment of the city's loan with part of the team's revenue. But we would listen for hours to their speeches and discourse, never to get any reasonable explanation.   

And in spite of the strong opposition and action of Norman Braman, and most of Miami's people, it just passed. The Marlins Stadium will be built by Miami.

And at the present time,while the Marlins are making a handsome profit,  Miami is increasing its tax rate by a shameful percentage. 

Too late, it seems, to reclaim taxpayer's money. But never too late to add to the suffering of their beleaguered citizens.

Here is what I read today, that sounds like a payback, but is more like a little bit of justice. 

Norman Braman launches drive to recall Mayor Carlos Alvarez 

Billionaire businessman Norman Braman announced Monday he is launching a petition drive to recall Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez. He said, however, he will not seek the recall of sitting county commissioners -- at least not yet.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez boosted the authority of his office and became a ``strong mayor'' through a petition drive. But now, a new ballot initiative could trigger his political undoing.

For the second time this year, an effort to recall the county mayor has been launched. Unlike the unsuccessful effort waged on a shoe-string budget by a Coral Gables retiree, the new campaign is backed by Norman Braman -- an auto dealer not shy to use his private fortune to battle public officials.

The move comes after the mayor and eight county commissioners approved a 13 percent property tax rate increase last week to plug a budget hole for the coming fiscal year, and after mounting criticism over other county spending. 

Braman had pledged to launch recall efforts of the mayor and any commissioners who backed the tax hike. On Monday he followed through with the promise to target the county mayor, but said he's not currently pursuing sitting commissioners.

``This outrageous tax increase has been enacted while citizens are suffering economically, property values have crumbled, foreclosures are rampant, and unemployment has reached almost 13 percent in our county,'' Braman said.

The businessman said he's launching the campaign so ``the citizens of this community finally may have their voices heard.''

In a mid-day news conference, Alvarez responded that the property tax rate had to be increased to protect vital services, like fire and police.

" It is Mr. Braman's right to do this,'' said Alvarez, with County Manager George Burgess at his side. ``Quite frankly, I don't worry about things I can't control.''

The mayor later added: ``I will worry about running county government until the citizens of Miami-Dade County tell me otherwise.''

The recall reflects the shifting political fortunes of a county mayor ushered into office in 2004 as a former police director bent on bringing common sense reform to a county government frequently embroiled in scandal.

Indeed, in 2007 voters backed a petition-drive by Alvarez to further empower him by shifting the county manager's office and the entire county bureaucracy under the mayor's direct control. The move was supported, in part, because vesting power in a single, term-limited leader -- namely, Alvarez -- was viewed as the best alternative to improve county government.

But as the economy has worsened, Alvarez has come under fire.

In 2009 he declared that government ``must do more with less'' but then handed out double-digit pay raises to his top aides.

Separately, Alvarez initially defended his chief of staff -- whom he'd given a hefty raise on the grounds of increased responsibility -- after Miami Herald reports the top staffer was working as a private consultant in Panama on county time. He later demoted the aide amid escalating criticism.

Other criticism centers on the county's decision to use public funding for a new Florida Marlins baseball stadium in Little Havana. The mayor said the stadium is bringing jobs to an economy in desperate need of them.

Braman, joined at the press conference by state Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, majority whip in the Legislature and a Miami Republican, said it is time for change. 

The Miami Herald – Sept. 27, 2010

Henry B. Nathan is a Realtor at United Realty Group Inc.

Visit my websites:

Condo-southflorida.com

GoldenIsles-homes.com

Golden-Beach-Homes.com

The Beach Club Condo 

floride-immobilier.fr

Technicalities, Lawyers, Right and Wrong

I tend to be more sympathetic to real estate buyers than to developers.

However, this ruling bothers me. A buyer of a property in the pre-construction phase tries to get off the deal once the market has not met his profit expectations. Much alike a speculator in the stock market could try to invalidate a transaction a month after he has given an order to buy and the market didn't go his way.

Despite many developers' abuses and non-compliance of promises made when enticing a buyer to put his money in a real estate project, I cannot side with the buyer/investor in this case. Respectfully dissenting, I believe that the non-compliance of a detail that did not negatively affect a party, should not be a reason to favor the other party. But I am not a lawyer and this is just my opinion.

Read on: (from Daily Business Review - April 15, 2010 )

Ruling could open door for buyers to recoup deposits

Miami attorney Alexander Lian may have come up with an innovative strategy to help people recover pre-construction deposits they gave condo developers during the housing boom.

Lawsuits have blossomed since the real estate market collapsed in 2007 as would-be condo buyers go after developers to recover their deposits — often as much as 20 percent of the purchase price. The results of those suits have been mixed, with some rulings favoring developers and others favoring buyers. Lian argued that developer Swire Pacific Holdings and title company Lawyers Title Insurance failed to create two separate escrow accounts when his client deposited $232,000, or 20 percent of the $1.16 million purchase price, in 2004 to reserve a unit at the then-proposed Asia on Brickell Key.

Lian, with Lian & Associates in Miami, cited Florida Statute 718.202, which says a developer must set up a pair of escrow accounts if the deposit exceeds 10 percent of the purchase price. If that doesn’t happen, the buyer has the right to rescind the contract and recover the deposit. U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga agreed with Lian in a 45-page opinion issued March 30.

‘TECHNICAL’ VIOLATION

When developers receive a 20 percent deposit, they are to put half of the money into a protected account and the other half into an account the developer can access to pay for construction, she said in her ruling. Swire failed to split Double AA International Investment Group’s deposit between two accounts, Lian said. In early 2009, Double AA demanded that the contract be canceled. Swire and the title company ignored the request, Lian said. Altonaga rejected the Swire and Lawyers Title defense that the “violation was a technical one that should excuse them from liability,” according to the judge’s ruling.

The Ruling - Summary judgment

Swire and the title company argued that it is common practice for escrow agents to create one account and “then use bookkeeping entries to say what money belongs where,” Lian said. Gary Saul, a Greenberg Traurig lawyer in Miami who represented Swire, said his client declined to comment. Lawyers Title declined to comment, said Fort Lauderdale lawyer Philip Kantor, who represented the company. Kantor is with Quintairos PrietoWood & Boyer.

‘POWERFUL’ STRATEGY

This strategy “is very powerful,” Lian said. “It allows the buyer to rescind the entire contract and get all the money back plus interest.“ No money was missing from the escrow account, according to the lawsuit. Swire and Lawyers Title have until the end of the month to turn over $232,000 to Double AA or to appeal the ruling to the 11th U.S. Circuit. Since the ruling, lawyers specializing in deposit recovery have rushed to amend their pending lawsuits to add this claim, said Fort Lauderdale attorney Joseph Altschul. He has already amended more than 10 cases. Altonaga’s ruling applies only to cases where the buyers sued to cancel the purchase contract before backing out of the deal and being declared in default by the developer, Altschul said.

POSSIBLE APPEAL

If Altonaga’s ruling is appealed and upheld, numerous developers will have to return millions of dollars in deposits, even after they had already spent some of the money for construction of their buildings. Two sources who declined to be identified said Swire plans to appeal the ruling. Some experts predict the company will be successful. “I feel very strongly that it was a misinterpretation of the statute by the court and it will be overturned on appeal,” said Tony DiTocco, a former developer and now a real estate consultant for builders marketing new condos. DiTocco, president of DiTocco Consulting in Fort Lauderdale, interprets the law the same way Swire and Lawyers Title did: One account is sufficient if separate records are maintained. DiTocco is not involved with the case. “There is no purpose to be served” by keeping two accounts, he added. Hollywood attorney Gary Phillips, who represents condo developers including Miami’s Tibor Hollo, said Altonaga was correct in her ruling, but the law doesn’t make sense. “The judge is technically right, and most developers I know do have two escrow accounts,” Phillips said. “But I think it is a shame.”

LIMITED IMPACT?

If Swire and the title company lose the appeal, Altonaga’s ruling will gain the force of law and be a significant boost for buyers seeking to get out of condo deals. For now, however, her 45-page opinion isn’t binding on other judges who may see similar cases, Altschul said. “Right now, it is certainly what we would call persuasive authority but it is not binding authority,” he said. “It is not very often that you find a written opinion that goes through such detailed analysis,” Altschul said of the lengthy ruling. “It will be very difficult for a federal appeals court to overturn her conclusion on the merits.” Altschul, who represents several people seeking to recover condo deposits, is reviewing their developers’ escrow agreements to see if Lian’s strategy can be used. He said many of the agreements he has looked at don’t require two escrow accounts. “But that doesn’t mean that maybe they didn’t do it right,” Altschul said. If Altonaga’s ruling is appealed and upheld, numerous developers will have to return millions of dollars in deposits, even when they had already spent the portion that was allowed to go toward construction of their buildings.

Phillips expects to see a flood of deposit recovery cases tackling this issue. “I am sure will be see a flurry of discovery now requesting documentation on where the escrow monies were held and in what accounts,” he said. “Luckily my clients … all use separate escrow accounts.”

Henry B. Nathan is a Florida Realtor at United Realty Group Inc.
Visit my website: http://www.condo-southflorida.com
where you can search for Aventura Condos, Florida Condos, Sunny Isles Condos,

Asbestos Removal Leads to Healthy Home

There a number of things worth considering in the real estate industry.

If you are a potential homeowner or are remodeling or foreclosing an older home, it is important to hire professionals to examine the property for toxic building materials. Homes built before 1980 have a strong chance of containing asbestos. Citizens of Florida should be aware that exposure to asbestos can produce significant health concerns. If you are interesting in saving money, remodeling or improving your carbon footprint, here is some valuable information to get you on that track.

Predominantly used throughout the 20^th century in many industrial products such as insulation, roofing, piping, brake linings and flooring products, inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause a severe lung-ailment known as mesothelioma, a form of cancer that takes the lives of thousands every year. Medical research has suggested that symptoms of the disease may not appear for 20 to 50 years.

Florida has a large number of big cities, where asbestos problems have become a problem. In 1999, there were 125 reported deaths from mesothelioma. Further asbestos related lung-illnesses and respiratory problems have contributed to fatalities in Florida. Public service groups such as the Florida Department of State Health Services have initiated an asbestos program that provides services to prevent occupational and environmental illness through detection and control of asbestos materials.

The removal of asbestos in public facilities and homes must be completed by a professional asbestos abatement contractor. Once the removal is complete, green alternatives should be considered, such as: cotton fiber, Lcynene and Cellulose. Permits are required for the abatement of asbestos projects when levels exceed the normal trigger levels. The type of professional will depend on the type of product and what needs to be done to correct the problem.

With increasing technology and public initiatives, green alternatives exist which allow for an asbestos free environment. The United States Environmental Program states that the use of recycled building materials such as cotton fiber insulation can reduce energy use by 25 to 35 percent. These asbestos alternatives will not only reduce energy costs, but allow for a clean, healthy home, free of health damaging materials.

Henry B. Nathan is a Florida Real Estate Professional. Please visit my website: http://www.condo-southflorida.com to search for

Florida Condos, Hallandale Condos, Aventura Condos, Hollywood Condos, Sunny Isles Condos