Now the Golf Channel is getting into the act. They aired an episode of Golf in America last night and focused mainly on Bella Collina. They make some strong accusations, including Champion’s Tour player and Golf Channel panelist Mark Lye accusing the Ginn Company of being “extremely good at conning people”. Of course, Mark built a home in Bella Collina which he can’t sell because the values are down 90% according to the show.

They also point out that most of the promised amenities have not been built including the walking trails, lakeside boat docks, soccer fields, and equestrian center. I still have the original leather bound brochure which promises these things. I seriously have little hope of these amenities ever being built.

The brochure never stated a condition of the real estate market having to be good for these amenities to be completed, so I would expect them to built as promised. I guess the Ginn Company can get out of it somehow.

The New York Times also published an article about Bella Collina and other Ginn communities entitled “It’s Tee Time. Where is Everybody?”

On one hand, I feel sorry for the property owners at Bella Collina. They have a property that’s declined significantly which can’t be sold now for pure economic reasons, but there is a possibility of making a profit some years down the down. I have no idea how long it will take, but the market will rebound at some point.

On the other hand, people lose out on investments all the time and no one ever gives any sympathy to them. I’m just glad, neither myself or any of my customers bought lots in Bella Collina and believe me, we were all tempted.

I’ve been fond of this place since it was the corner country store called the Fisher Market way back when. Besides being a cool little store, it was also a place where a teenager, maybe this teenager, could get some beer before heading out on Lake Down. Well, there’s my history with the place.

I think Fish, the owner/chef of Yellow Dog Eats, probably took advantage of the situation himself if you know what I mean. Anyway, he’s now a productive and some times responsible member of society like I am. Who am I kidding, he’s still a wild man and makes a visit to Yellow Dog Eats that much more interesting. His favorite quote “make food, now war” gives you glimpse into the personality that is Chef Fish.

I love me some barbecue and can’t wait to start having some of Fish’s creations with some of the fine wines he keeps around. For a great night out you can reserve the chef’s table upstairs where Fish does his magic for a party up to 10. The upstairs used to be an antique store but I think the chef’s table is a better idea.

Anyway, the Yellow Dog is back in action and better than ever.

There’s something beautiful about a brand new baseball or soccer field. The red clay is still a perfectly smooth surface and the grass is void of divots. You almost get a feel that you’re playing somewhere special.

I’m sure it won’t stay that way for very long so you better get a game out here soon. I hope they get a soccer game going here like they do at the Dr. Phillips Park. There’s 2 baseball and 2 soccer fields with lights so you don’t have to play in the heat.

Anyway, the only strange thing is that the sign for the park doubles as a sign for a cemetery which is kinda creepy. Ahh, at least the neighbors are quiet.

The latest installment of the diners and dives series is another little secret place in SW Orlando that’s perfect for beautiful sunsets. It’s a thatch roof bar along the shores of Lake Minneola in Clermont called the Tiki Bar.

You can get there by boat or car and anyone who’s been there will tell you that the hamburgers are the best around. I mean it blows the pants off of 5 Guys or any other joint and the atmosphere is way better.

You sit outside with a view of the lake like you’re at the some tropical getaway. Everyone’s really laid back and the sunsets are spectacular each and every night.

There’s a place to walk along the lake and of course horse shoes. It’s not the fanciest place out there but it makes up for it in scenery and atmosphere. They’re fine if you don’t have shoes or a shirt… my kind of place.

It’s all about the food here and not so much about the way the place looks. The shabbier the setting, the more satisfied you are with finding the place.

The first in the series is Willies BBQ on 9th St. in Winter Garden. It reminds me of a place I used to frequent in college called Betty Joe’s BBQ. I love me some southern cookin and this place is the real deal from the collared greens and corn bread to the pulled pork and ribs.

Everything’s reasonably priced and Willie sure looks proud of his work. He’s so proud, there’s no BBQ sauce out on the counters like in most places. The seasoning is just the way it should be Willie’s way.

I get a little suspicious when a BBQ place looks too fancy anyway. The antiques and rocking chairs suit me just right and puts me in the mood for some soul food.

I just wish they had fries although it’s not technically soul food. It’s french food ain’t it.

If you ever get a craving for some soul food, I’d check out Willie’s.

Apparently, you ride this sucker horizontally and not in a seat like traditional coasters so you really feel like you’re flying like Superman or in this case a manta ray. It’s definitely one of the perks of living in SW Orlando. All you gotta do is drive five minutes and you’re there.

To be honest, I haven’t been to SeaWorld in years and I’m not even a Shamu hater, but I’ll probably have to check this ride out.

Here’s a few videos I found on Pulse of Central Florida which has a great post on the roller coaster wars currently going on between local theme parks. Apparently, Universal Studios has a new coaster called Rip, Ride, Rockit.

I guess I’ll have to check this thrilling ride out too since it’s right here in Dr. Phillips. It’s hard to imagine they can top the Hulk coaster at Islands of Adventure, but after seeing the video I’m not quite sure anymore.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economice Competitiveness recently released their quarterly forecast which surprisingly reveals some promising facts about the housing market. They predict a bottom to the housing market in the second quarter of 2009. Amazingly, housing starts are 87% below the peak levels we experienced just a few years ago. They explain that home prices are now below replacement cost which is a natural floor for prices. There’s sense in building a home to sell if you can’t get more than what you put into it and we’re in that situation today. People have been asking me for quite some time where’s the bottom in the market and I think we’re finally here.

Since we’ve hit bottom, does it mean prices will stop falling? Oh contraire mofraire… they’ll continue to decline until we absorb the excess inventory. The good news is that we’ve finally hit below 12 months of inventory which is about half of what we’ve been hovering around for the past couple of years and normal levels are around 6 to 7 months so we’re not that far off. The number of sales have benefited and currently on a positive trend for 2009 reducing the time needed to absorb the excess inventory.

If the banks loosen their lending standards a little bit, we’ll reach equilibrium in no time but that’s what got us into this mess in the first place.

There’s good news about the economy in Orlando as well. Personal income, annual wage, and employment in Orlando are predicted to be the highest in the state. Employment is forecasted to increase 1.5% annually, personal income will increase 4.1% a year, and annual wage is predicted to increase 2.2%. While this sounds great, there are some downside to all this growth. Orlando is no longer an affordable alternative it used to be meaning the population growth we’ve seen in the past is history.

All in all, I’m liking what I’m hearing from this group of supposed experts. Maybe they’ll be better at predicting the bust than the boom.

UCF Institute for Economic Competitiveness: FL Forecast Q1 2009

Here in SW Orlando, you don’t see too many of them on the Butler Chain and you see a few more on the Clermont Chain and Johns Lake, but I’ve been swimming in all these waters and being attacked has never crossed my mind.

I got to thinkin about it when I drove over the bridge on Lake Jessup today and glanced at the water. It seemed like there were a bunch of logs floating around at first, but I noticed they were gators with a little closer look. I mean I almost ran off the road. They were everywhere with pacts of about a dozen of them spread across the lake like the picture on this post.

The lake has been rumored to have over 10,000 of those toothy critters and 77 every square mile of the lake. This is one lake I ain’t going swimming in. The only other lake that could be considered comparable is Lake Apopka where the famed Bella Collina adorns its shoreline.

Now, there are places infested with alligators but at least not in SW Orlando. I’m not saying you won’t see any, but there’s just not that many of them.

So you guys worried about them shouldn’t be unless you’re on Lake Jessup or Lake Apopka.

I had every intention of taking photos of the restaurant, but the drinks took over and resolved myself to just having good night out.

The wedding soup, chop salad, and lasagna I ordered were delicious and served in huge portions. My server let me know that the lasagna was three pounds and it’s probably the reason I’m still working on finishing it today.

The Dellagio is far from being complete, but I’m sure the rest of the complex will take shape rather quickly with more and more new businesses opening up in the coming weeks.

download pdf: Bravo Dinner Menu, Bravo Lunch Menu

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