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How to Enjoy St. Augustine’s Beaches

St. Augustine is one of the United States’ most historic cities — the nation’s oldest, in fact — and offers enough historical sites, tourist attractions, unique adventures and experiences to keep you coming back for more.

But those aren’t the only reasons folks come to St. Augustine. The beaching is spectacular too, with municipal beaches, an immense state park and a nature preserve among the biggest options.

Read on to discover how to enjoy St. Augustine’s beaches.
Anastasia State Park
It’s one of Florida’s most popular state parks and a favorite among locals and day-trippers who live inland.

The barrier island across Matanzas Bay […]

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Guide to Jacksonville Bridges

Drive toward downtown Jacksonville on any major highway and you’ll find many choices on which to cross the mighty St. Johns River.

The river naturally delineates “JAX” into Northbank and Southbank, as each side of downtown Jacksonville is known, and motor vehicles, pedestrians and trains zip back and forth along its bridges all day and night.

Eight bridges span the St. Johns here, and if you’re a new resident, what better way to acclimate to one of Florida’s most vibrant cities than to learn how to cross its signature waterway?

We’re not discussing the smaller community bridges across bays, coves or even […]

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Our Guide to Exploring Tampa Bay Trails

Let’s go for a walk!

Or a bike ride. How about a birding adventure?

We at ICI Homes know exactly where to send you if you’re a new Tampa Bay-area resident. Florida’s central Gulf Coast is rich with recreational activities, most of which are convenient to three Tampa Bay-area communities where we build.

You’ll find ICI Homes in Asturia and Bexley, near the intersection of Pasco and Hillsborough counties north of downtown Tampa, and in FishHawk Ranch further south in Hillsborough. All three are master-planned communities where fitness trails and outdoor recreation abound.

But sometimes you need a change. And if you’re new […]

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Make a Splash in Daytona Beach

You may have moved to the Daytona Beach area for any number of reasons. A job change. Long-awaited retirement. To build your dream home.

But you can’t move to the “World’s Most Famous Beach” without enjoying its vast watery playgrounds!

At least we hope you won’t. Daytona Beach is ICI Homes’ hometown, so allow us to give you a quick rundown on how to make a splash here.
Go to the beach
There are 23 miles of beach in greater Daytona Beach. Add those in surrounding towns — Ormond Beach, Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach — and you have more than 47 […]

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How to Do Sunsets in Tampa

One of the awesome things about living on Florida’s Gulf Coast is the free show staged nightly by Mother Nature.

The sun dipping behind saltwater and white-sand beaches, or over impressive city architecture, is enough to spur you want to move here, and we at ICI Homes can help if you check out our work at three master-planned communities in the Tampa Bay area — Asturia, Bexley and FishHawk Ranch.

But, if you’d occasionally like to enjoy a Gulf Coast sunset somewhere besides your back porch or lanai, we have suggestions of how to do sunsets in Tampa.
Sunset cruises
Being on the […]

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Let’s Explore the Outdoors in Daytona Beach

If you’re a new Daytona Beach-area resident, you might not realize how easy it is to explore conservation lands here.

Sounds contradictory, doesn’t it? Especially when the “World’s Most Famous Beach” is home to some of the state’s highest-powered tourist attractions? Daytona Beach’s home county of Volusia also contains some of the most remarkable natural resources on Florida’s Atlantic Coast. The county’s Explore Volusia program helps visitors access and enjoy these conservation lands.

Spanning approximately 38,000 acres, eight nature preserves are located all over Volusia County. They’re open from sunrise to sunset and offer different types of terrain. Discover new adventures on hikes, bicycles, […]

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Get Active on These Two Tampa Bay-Area Trails

One popular must-have for many home buyers these days is access to fitness trails, whether in a new community or nearby.

Being able to step out one’s door, onto a protected path separate from the road, is a critical amenity for people who love to walk, jog, hike, ride bicycles or push the kids’ strollers on a daily basis.

You won’t find many places in Florida better equipped for this than the Tampa Bay area. It’s known for its greenways and trail systems, and nearly every city and county that comprise it, all contribute municipally-maintained trail mileage. An additional perk is […]

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Kids Will Love These Five Fun Places in Daytona Beach

Once you move to a pre-eminent vacation destination like Daytona Beach, realizations you might’ve shoved back-of-mind in the hubris of home-selling and buying, suddenly crystallize.

Like, you now can do the fun things you’d normally reserve for vacation, all the time!

That’s definitely true for kids’ activities. The same distractions that entertained youngsters on rainy beach days now make great year-round options for birthday parties, achievement rewards, sleepovers and more.

So if you’re happily ensconced in your new ICI Homes community and pondering how to occupy the kids, we’ll get you started.

Here’s a look at five fun places for kids in Daytona […]

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Can You Shop Around for Cheaper Private Mortgage Insurance?

According to a report by The Lenders Network, the average down payment in 2016 was 6%. If this is similar to the percentage that you plan on putting down, then your loan will require mortgage insurance. Mortgage insurance is a type of insurance that is required by the lender when putting down less than 20%. Mortgage insurance protects the lender against a loss in circumstances where a borrower defaults on the loan payments and the home is foreclosed upon and resold. If mortgage insurance is going to be factored into your loan, you may be wondering how much control […]

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Test Your Learning Curve at Tampa’s Four Signature Museums

Like most major metropolitan areas, Tampa boasts no shortage of museums. They come in all sizes here, with wonderfully diverse looks at the area’s past, present and future.

Lets start with the four big Tampa museums. It’s worth the time, effort and yes, parking fun, to experience them. So map out a morning, afternoon or even a day to test your learning curve at Tampa’s four signature museums.
Glazer Children’s Museum
It’s a very imaginative place to play! There are 21 exhibits that take kids through active scenarios. Examples include learning how a drop of water travels through Tampa Bay’s own watershed, or learning about electronic […]

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