PERIDOT

I've lived in both Jacksonville (7 years collectively) and Orlando (7 years), as well as other areas of Florida too. I prefer Jacksonville over Orlando. Why? Because it's closer to the beach and there's more to do in Jax than to just hang out at an over-priced amusement park. There are also things of interest for someone that's not in their 20's & 30's to enjoy. The city as a whole offers a diverse collection of different areas to choose from...San Marco, Riverside, Avondale, Downtown, the Westside, the Northside, Southside/Baymeadows/Deerwood and of course the beaches...Neptune, Atlantic, Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra. Jacksonville hosts an NFL team (Go Jags!), the Jacksonville Suns baseball team, a wide selection of colleges (UNF, JU, FCCJ, Jones, etc.) and an impressive line up of shopping/retailers around town...especially at the evolving St. Johns Towncenter. You have easy access to Atlanta (5 to 6 hours), Savannah and the Carolinas (5 to 6 hours); while being within 3 hours of the capital, Tallahassee. You have Amelia Island to the north and St. Augustine to the south...with Daytona and Orlando a short drive away...in case you'd like to go for a visit. Lastly, it's the 'true south' so people tend to be friendlier, which is a big plus in my book.

Tampa highrise condo makes it official: 'we're out of the ground' SkyPoint, a planned downtown Tampa's highrise condominium, is scheduled to break ground in a ceremony June 14 presided on by Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio. Novare-Intown Tampa Development, LLC is developing SkyPoint. Construction by general contractor R.J. Griffin is underway, a release said. Occupancy is slated for late 2006. The 32-story, 380-unit building at 777 Ashley Drive will feature one-and two-bedroom units with prices starting in the $170s to the $400s. The building will contain one- and two-bedroom units with amenities that include floor-to-ceiling glass, balconies, 10-foot ceilings, kitchens with granite and stainless steel, and high-tech features such as high speed Internet and pre-wiring for electronics and satellite television. More than 10,000 square feet of street-level retail is proposed. Novare Group is a private real estate development and investment company based in Atlanta and founded in 1992. The company has a history of development in both the office and residential sectors. Novare concentrates on the development of high-rise, mixed-use condominiums and is an active real estate developer in the Southeast, with more than 3,500 condominium units in development, a release said. Intowngroup is a Tampa-based real estate development team focused on creating sustainable, walkable, urban infill projects in the southeastern United States. Intowngroup is currently involved in several other downtown Tampa urban infill projects.

I'm not sure if this has yet to be shared on this forum, but I came across this on line and thought it might be worth posting. http://homepage.mac.com/sirreal/PhotoAlbum44.html Posted for Vertical Properties - A selection of downtown buildings and scenes.