Orchids, orchids, and more orchids!  Over 10,000 orchid floras from local and international vendors will be on exhibition at the 14th Annual International Orchid Festival.  Learn all about the exotic air plants March 18th -20th at the Port St. Lucie Orchid Society Show.

 South Florida was an orchid utopia in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.  As the Florida East Coast Railroad made its way through Florida, their beauty amazed people.  The orchids were collected and sold across the United States as houseplants.  The orchid environment was practically eradicated with the development of South Florida. 

 Orchids are blossoming florae that are often vibrant and aromatic.  There are over 26,000 varieties of orchids that are more than twice the number…

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According to National Bridge Inventory statistics, the Town of Jupiter has 46 bridges!  Collectively the bridges average daily traffic of 1,137,448 vehicles and of that 94,108 of those vehicles are trucks.  That is an awful lot of traffic in our quaint little beach town.

One of the busiest bridges in the world is the George Washington Bridge, which links Manhattan to New Jersey by crossing over the Hudson River. The bridge has 14 lanes for motor vehicles and almost 102 million automobiles annually. The George Washington Bridge is 1,283 feet long of suspension and considered an engineering phenomenon. It is the world’s longest enclosed bridge with its lattice-steel towers rising 604 feet high above the water. The bridge now extends 4,760 feet…

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In a recent study by the National Association of Homebuilders, the following features in homes are the most wanted by various age groups.  Outcomes indicate that new buyers are insisting on the latest energy efficient and environmentally “smart home” features.

ENERGY STAR rated appliances are appliances certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.). In 1992, the E.P.A. announced ENERGY STAR ratings as a “voluntary labeling program designed to identify and encourage energy-efficient products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”  Across the generations, all new homeowners preferred and requested ENERGY STAR rated appliances.  Note other important features desired by homebuilder’s buyers.

Millennials (born 1980 or later)

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Jonathan Dickinson State Park was named for a Quaker merchant from Port Royal, Jamaica. Jonathan Dickinson was born in 1663.  Dickinson was shipwrecked on the southeast coast of Florida in 1696.  He was traveling with his family, his slaves, other passengers, and crewmembers of the ship. Hostile Native American Indians captured them on the Jupiter coastline.

In his journal, Dickinson recounted his family’s encounter with the Native Americans and their 230-mile journey to St. Augustine. The party was held captive by Jobe ("Hoe-bay") Indians. Dickinson and his family, which included his wife, Mary, their six-month-old son, Jonathan, and his ten slaves, took route on the ship Reformation. The Reformation unintentionally separated from the other ships…

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The Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival is the predominant environmental film festival of its kind in North America.  The 2016 film festival will take place in here in our own backyard at the historic Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum, Jupiter.   This influential series of short movies will inspire you to get involved with conservation and environmental organizations and encourage you to take action to protect our planet.

The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area was federally designated by Congress in May 2008 to “protect, conserve, and enhance the unique and nationally important historic, natural, cultural, scientific, educational, scenic, and recreational values of the Federal land surrounding the Lighthouse for the benefit…

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Wheels for Kids was established in 2003 to “provide custom wheelchairs to children with special needs who can neither purchase them nor qualify for public or charitable funding.”  Customized wheelchairs are costly and children outgrow them quickly.  Many middle class families that have children with disabilities find it difficult to keep up with the advanced evolution and cost of wheelchairs.  Many families with special needs children fall between the cracks of private insurance and government support.  Wheels for Kids addresses these needs by directly helping the families.

The Lake Worth parade will feature ROTC members, antique cars and floats, is scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. Wheels for Kids will be giving away a $3,000 custom-built mobility…

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The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (J.D.R.F.) is the leading worldwide organization funding promising, life-changing Type 1 Diabetes research. It is the goal of J.D.R.F. “to progressively remove the impact of the disease from people’s lives until we achieve a world without T1D.”  Approximately, 40,000 people are diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes each year in the United States.

The J.D.R.F. One Walk is the organizations leading fundraising event.  It is the largest Type 1 Diabetes event in the world.  Every year, J.D.R.F. One Walk brings together more than 900,000 people annually to change the future for people living with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) by raising money for research.  This research has led to breakthroughs such as artificial pancreas…

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The Miami Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals come to the Jupiter community of Abacoa for spring training and each year flocks of people migrate to Abacoa’s Main Street.  Main Street is just adjacent to Roger Dean Stadium, and a pleasant area to walk and enjoy dinner al fresco.

There is a lot more to Abacoa than just spring training baseball.  This quaint, brick lined street hosts a variety of shops, restaurants and taverns.  Top places to eat in Abaco are plentiful ranging from brewery/pub to casual French bistro. 

Civil Society Brewing Company located at 1200 Town Center Drive, is a brewery and bar, which pours craft beer to spring training fans.  One of the owners of the brewery is a retired major league pitcher for the Miami Marlins, Chris…

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With its 1,400 golf courses, Florida is truly the golf capital of the world.   Palm Beach County is home to some of the most unbelievable golf courses across the globe. It is the premiere destination for the ultimate golf trip.

The Honda Classic just wrapped up at on the Championship Course at PGA National Resort and Spa, P.G.A. National, Palm Beach Gardens.  The tournament draws the preeminent professional golfers to the area to compete for the multimillion-dollar purse.  The “Bear Trap” is a very well known demanding stretch of golf spanning three challenging holes.

The Palm Beaches features over 160 golf courses.  The State of Florida offers a specialty plate and personalized tags for an annual fee of $25.  Revenue from the proceeds of the…

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Sebastian Inlet is part of the east coast’s surfing epicenter and one of the biggest beach breaks on the Atlantic Coastline.  The inlet is located at the southern end of Sebastian Inlet State Park in Brevard County and Indian River County.  It is home to the largest concentration of surf shops and board builders.

Just north of Vero Beach, Palm Beach County,12 miles straight up U.S. Highway One, and 15 miles south of Melbourne, the Sebastian Inlet was originally cut in 1872.  It was known as Gibson’s Cut.  The settler, David Peter Gibson, attempted to open up a cut into the Atlantic Ocean.  He did not acquire title to the property where the digging took place until 1885.  At the time, the cut was only 260 feet wide and the distance was only 120…

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