Weekly Update, May 9, 2008 from Director Public Affairs

Eight Reasons for Optimism all Realtors ® should be mindful of:

1) Falling prices enable more first–time buyers to find affordable homes.
2) Fewer salespeople mean less competition.
3) Builders and developers realize they need us again.
4) Sellers are willing to pay more, so there’s less downward pressure on commissions.
5) Great opportunities exist for investors and for investing yourself.
6) New niche opportunities present themselves in the areas of foreclosures and short sales.
7) FSBO’s and expired listings present even more opportunities.
8) Consumers realize they need professionals who are committed and knowledgeable.
They’re less likely to list with someone just because he or she is a friend or relative.

Reprinted from the January, 2008 issue of REALTOR® magazine.

Legislative Round-Up – 2008 – Success Stories for Realtor® Associations Statewide!

Issues that were being promoted by FAR and your association that were passed by this
year’s legislature include the following, briefly summarized below:

1. Continue Florida Forever conservation land-buying program. Additional environmental measures approved include the promotion of renewable sources of energy, require polluters
to pay for carbon emissions they produce, strengthen green building codes and energy efficiency standards for appliances, and require gasoline to contain more ethanol.

2. Make available low-cost health insurance to as many as 4 million uninsured Floridians. Also passed were requirements that large health insurance plans cover diagnostic screening and treatment of autism in children.

3. Freeze rates on homeowner policies issued by the state-backed Citizens Property
Insurance Corporation to give the state more authority over insurance companies.
However, the legislature reduced the liability of the state's Hurricane Catastrophe Fund
 to $9 billion from a present maximum of $12 billion.

4. Make it harder to tax properties based on the potential value of their land (highest and
 best use) so that property appraisers will use the existing use of a parcel in their valuations rather than some future projected use, particularly helping waterfront homeowners and
 small working marinas.

These are just a few of the issues FAR and your Association have been working for, and
 these are but a small sampling of the reasons your contribution to RPAC is so valuable!
These measures could not have been possible without your generous RPAC contributions.

Lee County Commission Candidates Cereceda and Judah take part in first campaign forum in Estero

Lee County Commissioner Ray Judah and former Fort Myers Beach Mayor Anita Cereceda
took part in the first forum of the campaign season, hosted by the Republican Club of Bonita Springs and Estero. Ms. Cereceda and Mr. Judah are running for the District 3 seat, which
will be decided in an August 26 Republican primary, if no other candidates qualify from
another political party.

Ms. Cereceda, who lost to Mr. Judah in 2000, said she decided to run for county
commissioner because the county needs change.

The Republican Club of Bonita Springs and Estero will host a candidate forum and picnic next month with Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott and former sheriff and challenger Rod Shoap. For more details on next month’s forum call Bill Hopmann at 248-2455.

The Public Policy Committee’s Candidate Screening sub-committee will begin holding candidate screenings following the June 20th filing deadline, and we will keep members informed on the results of all screening events and endorsements.

New Alligator Alley interchange at SR 29 to be studied

Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart visited Collier County on Friday to present a check to help
fund a study for a new interstate exit for Alligator Alley between Collier Boulevard and
 State Road 29. Local transportation officials say that a way on and off Interstate 75 is
sorely needed at this location.

An interchange justification report must be completed for this project, and before design
and construction can be initiated, state and federal transportation officials still have to sign
off on the interchange. However, Collier DOT officials have reported that a recent federal appropriation toward the study demonstrates an understanding of the project’s importance.

U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, attended the I-75 project area at 2 p.m. Friday to present a check for $245,000 to the Board of Collier County Commissioners. It is intended
to fund the next step in the process, the project development and environmental study
phase.

The funding, part of $3 million in federal appropriations to County projects this fiscal year,
will offset some of the $1 million in costs already incurred in the initial planning. Debbie Tower, public information director for the Florida Department of Transportation in Southwest Florida, said the $245,000 freed up by the appropriation do not have a destination yet.

The study includes taking traffic counts at nearby intersections and determining the feasibility of making improvements to the connecting roadway. The ten year process is within the first stages, but being this early in the process, the look and location of a possible interchange is quite flexible. With the study area including three linear miles of I-75, a new interchange
could be placed at Everglades Boulevard South, Desoto Boulevard or even farther east,
near lands slated for development as a town to be named Big Cypress by Collier Enterprises. They have plans for a 2,800-acre, 9,000-home town to be situated east of Golden Gate Estates.

The area under study for the interchange lies to the east of the eastbound Alligator Alley
toll booth, but FDOT staff indicated that there are no plans yet to add a new toll booth if
the interchange is approved. Nor should the toll collections affect the approval of the interchange.

At this juncture, the preliminary goal is to have an Interchange in place between 2012 and 2015, but the project hinges on more than state and federal approval. New interchanges,
from inception to ribbon-cutting, can cost from $35 million to $75 million, DOT staffers conjectured, so much more funding would be needed in the future if this is to become
reality.

Upcoming Workshop of Interest

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) Southwest Florida District Council will host a breakfast
meeting on “Infrastructure 2008: A Competitive Advantage” on Thursday, May 22, 2008.
The meeting will be held at the Three Oaks Banquet & Event Center located at 20991 Three Oaks Parkway in Estero, Florida. Registration and networking begins at 8 a.m. with the presentation starting at 8:30 a.m.

This is the second of ULI’s annual reports on international infrastructure. While last year’s report examined broad issues facing countries and regions globally, this year’s update
focuses on the importance of infrastructure to a city or county’s economic competitiveness. Globally, it looks at Western Europe, Asia and North America with special attention to fast growing urban regions in China and the United Arab Emirates.

Domestically, ULI commissioned research on 23 metropolitan areas to determine whether
their long-range plans are capable of accommodating the large population increases
expected over the next 30 years. The results are varied, but several patterns have
emerged. This year’s report also continues to examine infrastructure funding, which will
become increasingly important as the United States heads toward the next iteration of the Highway Trust Fund. Each attendee will receive a copy of “Infrastructure 2008: A
 Competitive Advantage,” which is scheduled to be printed just days before the program.

The cost of the meeting is $45 for ULI members, $55 for non-members, $35 for young
 leaders, $25 for government members, and $25 for students. For additional information
 or to register, please call the ULI Southwest Florida District Council at 1-800-321-5011.