The building that once made the words "conservation" and "green" into local buzzwords now sits quiet, but not for long. "Florida House – the next generation" is under complete redesign. While no opening date is set, it is likely to come in the fall.
The Florida House was closed and moved in 2007 to make way for the new Suncoast Polytechnical High School on Beneva and Proctor roads. Although the demonstration house didn’t go far, it also did not reopen.
Since then a variety of volunteers have been working not only to re-establish the Florida House, but to bring back its state-of-the-art demonstration of ecologically sound practices. This time it will feature not only residential applications, but demonstrations of home-office and commercial facilities as well.
The Florida House began as a partnership among the Sarasota County School Board, the county extension service and a private not-for-profit organization. It was conceived during the severe drought of the late 1980s as a demonstration of water conservation techniques. Its role expanded to include other conservation measures, as more than 200 businesses – from small firms to giant corporations – gave grants to the effort. More than 100 companies donated their state-of-the-art equipment to demonstrate best practices for homeowners.
When the building opened in 1994, it became a local, state and even international attraction. Hundreds of volunteers – gardeners, carpenters, architects – created a unique center. But in 2007, that phase of the Florida House came to an end.
The new Florida House will have the same mission, but with an expanded outreach. Interim Director Nan Summers said, "Florida House 2.0 will be both a physical and a virtual location."
Becky Johnson is doing the interior design. "Before, it was all residential," she said. "We’re adding retail, commercial and conference aspects."
One room will be devoted to "eco-preneurs" showcasing designs of students and teachers of the school system. "We want to connect business, art and science," said Summers.
While Florida-friendly landscaping was part of the original Florida House, the new site is much larger; it will feature a variety of landscaping and gardening concepts.
"There will be two Florida-friendly yards, a kitchen garden and an ‘enabled-garden’ for the handicapped," said Johnson. "There will be a memorial garden and a commercial market garden to grow organic produce." In time there will be a fruit-tree orchard. There will even be a "porch garden" to demonstrate techniques for condominium and apartment house dwellers.
The Florida Master Gardener program is fully engaged in planning for the new Florida House. In fact, the facility may be re-opened in stages, with the garden and landscape component ready for the public before the house itself.
Perhaps the largest hurdle is money. On Sept. 30, 15 years of county financial support comes to an end. "We’re looking for investors and sponsors," said Summers. "The [Greater Sarasota] Chamber of commerce is partnering for commercial content. We have lots and lots of partners."
One aspect will be strengthened – research. "We want to incorporate the opportunity for people to submit data," said Jon Radermacher. He’s a University of Florida student on a management fellowship to help in design. "And people will be able to learn the impact of even one act of efficiency and sustainability. Change one light bulb to a compact fluorescent and you can find out how much you’ll save, not only on your power bill but in carbon reduction as well."
The Florida House will also "walk the walk" by retrofitting 10 homes the county acquires under the Federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program. These foreclosed houses will get simple upgrades to enhance their energy and water efficiency before re-sale to lower-income families.
"Green careers are built into this," said Summers. Also built in are video-conferencing facilities and live broadcast and podcast capabilities. "The site is a stage," said Summers. "It is a set we can fill with presentations."
July 9th 2009 - 9:04AM