On February 13, Osceola County Public Schools and Gilbane Building Company broke ground on the first community K-8 school, scheduled to open in Sunbridge’s Weslyn Park neighborhood for the 2024-2025 school year. The school will have capacity for more than 1,400 students and 150 staff members when it opens in the summer of 2024.
The new school will have a stand-alone gymnasium, parent and bus loops and covered canopies for parking. Student athletics will benefit from a 400-meter running track, soccer field, two exterior basketball courts and other athletic amenities.
“The groundbreaking for this new school signifies our communities joining together by investing in the lives of our children and their future,” said Osceola School District Superintendent Dr. Debra Pace.
That unity will be evident in the school’s curriculum, as students will learn the essentials of sustainable and eco-friendly living in tandem with their academics. In her comments, Dr. Pace said that the Weslyn Park K-8 School will “complement the vision that Tavistock has for protecting and honoring the tradition of the land in the Sunbridge community” through the curriculum programming and the design and construction of the school.
Sunbridge is excited to welcome students and their families to the new Weslyn Park K-8 School for the 2024-2025 school year!
So much of our time is spent within four walls — at home, at work, at school — it’s time to get outside and get some fresh air!
Being outside has loads of health benefits, both mental and physical. Enjoying nature relaxes us, helps us stay present in the moment, helps us connect to family and friends, and keeps us grounded and aware of the natural beauty around us.
Here in Sunbridge, being outside and enjoying the fresh Florida air and glorious sunshine is in our DNA, and we encourage our residents to make it part of theirs too. There’s nature all around us, and here in the sunshine state we’re lucky to enjoy it all year round. Here are our favorite five ways to do it.
1. Hike or bike a trail.
There are more than 1,300 existing recreational trails in the state of Florida, including two miles that start at the trailhead at Basecamp, our information center. Walking a nature trail is one of the easiest ways to take in the native flora and spot some local four-, six- and eight-legged locals.
Pro tip: Florida’s tall live oaks provide much-needed shade, but it’s still important to protect your skin against the sun. Wear breathable fabrics and apply sunscreen and bug spray before leaving your parking spot. Once on the trail, you won’t need to bring much, but a full water bottle is essential, and a walking stick can help you get through sandy sections of trail a bit easier!
2. Plant Something.
Helping a plant or tree to grow is one of life’s great joys, and a productive way to spend time outside while providing food and habitat for local creatures like bees and birds. Gardening is a rewarding hobby, too, where you’ll see the literal “fruits” of your labor with lots of love and care!
Pro tip: Native plants do best under Florida’s hot sun, rainy summer and dry winters, so refer to Sunbridge’s Native Landscape Guide, or visit Basecamp, for information on which species will do best.
3. Host an outdoor activity.
When weather permits — may we suggest Central Florida’s cool, dry December through February timeframe? — hosting a picnic, pick-up sports game or community bike ride is a great way to connect with family, friends and neighbors. In Sunbridge, our community parks are the perfect gathering spots for these outings, or join us for a community event like a yoga on the green or seasonal festival.
4. Try a new water sport.
Kayaking, paddle-boarding, canoeing — water sports are a great way to work out and stay cool. Florida is jam-packed with plenty of opportunities to try a new water sport, as the area’s waterways are often lined with rental spots where you can try them out without an upfront investment in gear. In addition to having these opportunities soon in Sunbridge, we’re also less than an hour from some of Central Florida’s most beautiful springs where the water is clear, cool, and you might just see a manatee or two.
Pro tip: Never kayak, paddleboard or canoe alone. Use the buddy system to stay safe!
5. Get grounded.
Move your yoga or meditation practice to the fresh air. Whether you’re setting up your mat in our weekly yoga sessions at Basecamp or in your backyard, mindfulness and movement is better outside where you can focus on the sounds and smells in nature while paying attention to your breath. Bring your journal outside for some extra space to allow your mind to wander to new ideas, goals and settling thoughts.
Because Sunbridge is designed to help you live your best life in the company of Central Florida’s natural beauty and environment, it’s the best place to enjoy the outdoors. There are plenty of other ways to take in the sights, so hop aboard a bike, hit the trails and keep your eyes open for more opportunities for outdoor adventure along the way.
Welcome to the Sunbridge Builder Spotlight Series: A look at the best-in-class builders turning our vision of Living Florida into reality. These homes blend classic Florida architecture with innovative and energy-efficient upgrades; in this piece, we take a deep dive into the owner-centric styles of Pulte Homes.
Pulte Homes knows what it means to build homes with the homeowner in mind. Intelligent, personalized home designs perfected by their 70-year legacy has allowed this builder to create features that let you make the most of every moment. Simply put, you can do more in a Pulte home, because they’ve built in all the ways to get more out of life.
These homes give you the power to do more and that’s More Life Built In®.
Every square foot is thoughtfully designed—think of a lifestyle that is happier (and easier), with resident-centric elements like maximized storage, flexible floorplans, dedicated entertainment space, and the ability to truly personalize your home. From their interactive floorplan tool that lets you customize the home’s layout, to their professional design studio with experts to guide you along the way, your new home will end up being uniquely yours. Plus, Pulte Homes are fitted with a deep list of features for the future, including USB outlets in the walls, hard-wired internet outlets, and enhanced wifi design to support your biggest needs.
It’s the kind of seamless integration Pulte Homes is building at Sunbridge, where Florida’s natural environment lives in harmony with innovative, tech-forward features (like solar power that comes standard in Weslyn Park). And their quality is backed by more than just 70 years of experience.
Pulte Homes offers a slate of four core home designs on 45-foot lots that begin in the $500,000s.
Home Plans 4
Bedrooms 2-5
Bathrooms 2-3.5
Floors 1-2 Stories
Price Range Starting in the mid $500,000’s
Pulte Homes is here to build a brighter future, making an impact in our Naturehood—where home designs feel ingrained with the environment.
For more information about Pulte Homes available in the community, please click here for an interactive listing map! For more information regarding our builders, please click here.
Welcome to the Sunbridge Builder Spotlight Series: A look at the best-in-class builders turning our vision of Living Florida into reality. These homes blend classic Florida architecture with innovative and energy-efficient upgrades; in this piece, we take a deep dive into the heritage and culture of David Weekley Homes.
David Weekley Homes (DWH) has cemented a reputation for personalized homes built around a few core values: choice, service, experience, and design. In a David Weekley home, LifeDesign℠ comes first. The concept focuses on maximizing space to live larger, focusing on form and function through sight lines, traffic patterns, room placement, and lighting.
DWH constructed the first model home in Sunbridge, and offers two key product lines—an alley-loaded home on a 34-foot homesite and a front-loaded home on a 50-foot homesite; with prices starting in the $500,000s.
These are homes built for Florida’s demanding environment, using EnergySaver construction methods that are 39% more efficient than homes built as recently as 2006. Because the homes use a wood frame construction, the builder has more flexibility in resizing and relocating windows during design—just one of the ways DWH works to incorporate the LifeDesign concept into each home.
Home Plans 7
Bedrooms 3-5
Bathrooms 2-4.5
Floors 1-2 Stories
Price Range Starting from the mid $400’s
David Weekley Homes bring unmistakable innovation and imagination to Sunbridge—a true Naturehood, where Florida’s natural environment thrives in lockstep with Metro Orlando.
For more information about David Weekley Homes available in the community, please click here for an interactive listing map! For more information regarding our builders, please click here.
Welcome to the Sunbridge Builder Spotlight Series: A look at the best-in-class builders turning our vision of Living Florida into reality. These homes blend classic Florida architecture with innovative and energy-efficient upgrades; in this piece, we take a deep dive into the Toll Brothers’ top-of-the-line homes.
Toll Brothers—a publicly-traded FORTUNE 500 Company with more than 50 years of experience crafting luxury homes—makes excellence a daily habit.
Toll Brothers was named the World’s Most Admired Homebuilder in FORTUNE magazine’s 2022 survey of the World’s Most Admired Companies® seven times, has been honored as national Builder of the Year by BUILDER magazine, and was twice named national Builder of the Year by Professional Builder magazine. The Company sets impeccable standards from coast to coast with homes in over 60 markets and 24 states. And still, Toll Brothers knows Florida, with properties in more than nine Sunshine State cities.
Touting expertise that bleeds into a wide array of distinct architectural styles, each and every Toll Brothers home is outfitted to fit your lifestyle; the luxury of choice is universal, beginning with a hands-on Design Studio experience, guided by a personal design consultant.
With a dedication to building homes in the most desired locations, they’ll fit right in at Sunbridge, where the community thrives in harmony with the lush natural landscape.
Here in Weslyn Park, they offer homes exclusively built on 60-foot lots, with five floorplans available: the Ivey, Larue, Bunnell, Davey, and Glen. Starting in the $600,000s and ranging up to six bedrooms, these homes are built to grow with you—featuring solar power as standard, three-car garage space, spa-like bathrooms, and expansive flex space to fit your needs.
Home Plans 5
Bedrooms 3-6
Bathrooms 2.5-5.5
Floors 1-2 Stories
Price Range Begin $600,000s
We’re proud to work with some of the region’s best and most respected builders—Toll Brothers brings a proven track record of award-winning standards to our community, where Florida’s natural environment thrives in lockstep with Metro Orlando.
For more information about Toll Brothers homes available in the community, please click here for an interactive listing map! For more information regarding our builders, please click here.
Welcome to the Sunbridge Builder Spotlight Series: A look at the best-in-class builders turning our vision of Living Florida into reality. These homes blend classic Florida architecture with innovative and energy-efficient upgrades; in this piece, we take a deep dive into the future-forward designs of Craft Homes.
Building a Vibrant Tomorrow with Craft Homes
Craft Homes builds for the future, and for the past 30 years, they’ve shaped the look and feel of Central Florida’s most innovative communities—with homes in Lake Nona’s Laureate Park, Summerdale Park, and now in Sunbridge.
Featuring modern homes that harness the charm of Florida’s vibrant ecosystem, Craft Homes brings an impressive mix of designs to Sunbridge. Between the luxury, low-maintenance townhome designs and newly-designed single-family homes, the varied models fall into four distinct classes: the Townhome Series, the Frontier Series, the Botanic Series, and the Traverse Series.
Home Plans 15
Bedrooms 3-5
Bathrooms 2-5.5
Floors 1-2 Stories
Price Range Begin from $500,000s
Home Plans 3
Bedrooms 3-4
Bathrooms 2.5-3
Floors 2 Stories
Price Range Begin from $400,000s
We’re creating something special here—Craft Homes fits into that vibrant picture of tomorrow with modern homes that feel rooted in the Florida lifestyle—and this Naturehood is where Florida’s natural environment is destined to thrive in lockstep with Metro Orlando.
For more information about Craft Homes available in the community, please click here for an interactive listing map! For more information regarding our builders, please click here.
- Local and state partners are conducting applied research to develop sustainable landscape and development strategies to sustain healthy, native landscapes throughout the Sunbridge region’s 27,000 acres
- In addition to the region’s 13,370 acres of dedicated open space and conservation land, Sunbridge is pioneering innovative sustainability solutions allowing people to live and thrive with the land
- Partners include the University of Florida, University of Central Florida, OUTSIDE Sustainable Landscape Collaborative, Cherrylake, Life Soils and Toho Water Authority
Sunbridge, Fla. (Oct. 12, 2022) – Sunbridge, a new region taking shape from the developers of Lake Nona, has engaged a team of sustainability leaders as partners in developing custom, data-driven programs designed to prioritize the natural world and native ecosystems. Driven by a commitment to celebrate Florida’s natural ecosystem, Sunbridge is conducting real-world, outcome-based research. This approach will demonstrate the efficacy and market value of adopting sustainability innovations and integrating them with a new Florida land development model to ensure the region’s natural environment is protected for future generations.
“Sunbridge is a community that embraces the call to do more for our land, water and wildlife,” said Clint Beaty, senior vice president of operations for Sunbridge developer Tavistock. “We’re excited to collaborate with like-minded partners to find solutions that give people an opportunity to live in a way that honors and respects our natural resources. We’re hopeful the new programs we implement in Sunbridge can be replicated in other communities across the globe.”
Working in partnership with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and the Sustainable Floridians Benchmarking and Monitoring Program, University of Central Florida, OUTSIDE Sustainable Landscape Collaborative, Cherrylake, Life Soils and Toho Water Authority, the Sunbridge Stewardship Plan focuses on five key areas: water quality preservation, water resource conservation, renewable energy and efficiency, ecological preservation and community engagement.
The Stewardship Plan focus areas are directly interconnected, with each playing a crucial role in protecting and enhancing the Sunbridge ecosystem. The sustainability team is currently conducting applied research on advancing strategies for:
- Water Quality Preservation To protect the quality of the region’s 1,620 acres of natural lakes and waterways, an applied research and monitoring plan will be used to identify and track critical biological and ecological water quality indicators, low-impact development opportunities and green stormwater infrastructure practices over time. The Sunbridge team is also working on a Lake Use Plan designed to protect, restore and reduce human impact on water quality of freshwater lakes.
- Water Resource Conservation A conservation program is being designed and implemented to substantially reduce average household water use by at least 50% (by 2030) and outdoor water use by 75% (by 2040). Landscape standards in the Sunbridge Weslyn Park neighborhood are focused on minimizing or eliminating landscape irrigation and fertilization needs by improving soil health with organic compost amendments and using predominantly native and drought-tolerant plant species. These standards are currently being studied to evaluate environmental benefits and economic savings to home builders and homeowners.
- Renewable Energy and Efficiency The homes and buildings in Sunbridge are being held to a high standard of energy efficiency and investing in renewable energy supply from the sun. The Sunbridge team is working closely with homebuilders and other industry leaders to develop renewable and efficiency standards for homes in Weslyn Park. These currently include a standard 4.25kw rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system and the use of advanced in-home technology for managing energy consumption.
- Ecological Preservation Nearly half of the Sunbridge region, 13,370 acres, of open space and natural ecological habitat are being preserved. In addition, Sunbridge partners are evaluating innovative strategies for regenerative soils, prudent irrigation protocols, advanced composting treatments and the use of native and drought-tolerant plant palettes to encourage a symbiotic relationship between the built and natural environment. Unlike typical land development projects, Sunbridge is dedicating significant resources to tagging, protecting and transplanting heritage live oak trees throughout the community. Since 2020, 31 trees have been given new homes with plans to relocate more than 200 in the next few years.
- Community Engagement By engaging residents, visitors and other partners with educational programs, fun events, volunteer and citizen science opportunities, Sunbridge is working to ensure community-wide support of its Stewardship Plan. Currently, we are exploring opportunities with Osceola County Schools to create ways to add sustainability, conservation and ecological research to the curriculum for the new K-8 school scheduled to open in 2024.
“It’s very exciting to work with the team at Sunbridge because we have the opportunity to introduce homebuyers to sustainable Florida landscapes. This new way to approach the American yard creates inviting and livable communities that help protect and preserve the natural resources all Floridians enjoy,” said Timothee Sallin, Co-CEO of Cherrylake.
This week, Sunbridge is the presenting sponsor of the OUTSIDE Sustainable Landscape Collaborative conference, Oct. 13 – 14, in Lake Nona. The two-day event will feature workshops and panel discussions designed to increase the adoption of sustainable landscape practices that create a more vibrant, healthy, and sustainable future for all Floridians. The conference also includes an exclusive tour of Sunbridge focused on research plantings at Weslyn Park neighbrohood and Basecamp info center. For more details on the conference, visit https://outsidecollab.com.
To learn more about the Sunbridge Stewardship Plan, visit https://sunbridgefl.com/stewardship.
To learn more about the native plant testing at Sunbridge, click here.
For Sunbridge images, click here.
About Sunbridge
Sunbridge is the latest community from the creators of Lake Nona, Tavistock Development Company. At the forefront of the region’s next wave of connective smart growth, the community encompasses more than 27,000 acres across both Orange and Osceola Counties in Central Florida between metro Orlando and the Space Coast. Built on the success of Lake Nona, Sunbridge carefully mixes residential, recreational, businesses and civic uses designed to create connections to nature. Sunbridge is preserving large stretches of Florida nature and giving people unprecedented access to oak forests, lakes, wetlands, and waterways. The community opened in 2020. For more information, visit SunbridgeFl.com.
We put together some tips to help keep your family safe and entertained while staying inside during a hurricane or storm.
BEFORE THE STORM
- Be sure to fully charge electronic devices (charge your portable battery chargers too!)
- Download movies, audiobooks and games onto those devices so they are accessible if your internet is disabled
- Give your children their own flashlight (this can provide them comfort and empowerment during the storm)
- Give your children headphones (noise-cancelling headphones can help calm frightened children)
- Consider a trip to the bookstore before the storm to let your children pick out new books, coloring books and crafts
DURING THE STORM
- Build a fort together in a safe closet or room away from windows and set it up as a theater with snacks, a cooler, soft blanket and pillow
- Have a scavenger hunt (with or without a flashlight)
- Draw and color portraits of each other
- Make themed collages out of pictures and words cuts from old magazines
- Write a letter to your future selves
- Hurricane The Musical: Write and perform a silly play about the hurricane
- Choreograph a dance and perform
From cereal and shelf-stable milk to pre-made chili, here is a grocery list and some meals and snack ideas to help you get prepared. While some options may require a camp stove or grill, there are several no-cook options.
It’s a good idea to freeze things that you would normally refrigerate (milk, meat, etc.). The thawing process will buy you some time. Freezing big containers of water to keep in your freezer or a cooler will leave you with giant ice cubes that will slow down the unsavory side effects of those perishables warming. There are also a few foods you can cook ahead of time.
Logistics aside, knowing what to eat during a power outage and what you should stock up on beforehand can be tricky so here are a few ideas.
GROCERY LIST
- Eggs
- Bacon
- Bread/tortillas
- Ready-to-eat canned meats, veggies, and juices (some cans may require a can opener)
- Fruits and veggies that can be kept at room temp: oranges, apples, bananas, lemons, limes, avocados, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers
- Pickles
- Fruit cups, dried fruit, fruit bars, applesauce
- Meat: Burgers, hotdogs, and chicken
- Frozen berries
- Dry cereal or granola
- Peanut butter and jelly
- Soy/almond shelf-stable milk
- Trail mix
- Instant soup mixes
- Crackers and chips
PRE-COOK
- Hard-boil eggs
- Bacon
- Pasta
- Chili
- Meat: Burgers, hotdogs, and chicken
MEAL AND SNACK OPTIONS
- Hard boiled eggs and fruit
- Cereal and soy/almond milk
- Bread with avocado spread and sliced tomato
- Granola bar and fruit
- Trail mix and fruit
- Peanut butter and crackers
- Cold-cut sandwiches and wraps with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers served with fruit
- Canned tuna and crackers with sliced tomato
- Frozen berries: a refreshing snack, especially when the power goes out!
- Peanut butter wrap: Spread peanut butter on a tortilla and layer with sliced bananas, chocolate chips and granola
- Zucchini noodle salad: use a spiralizer or veggie peeler and serve with dressing of your choice (easy dressing: 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, pinch of salt and pepper, 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
- Re-heat chili, pasta, or meat over a camp stove or grill
Every neighborhood truly starts from the ground up. Healthy soils are the foundation for healthy plants, wildlife, and people. This is why we are starting from the ground up in Sunbridge.
In collaboration with University of Florida, University of Central Florida, The Nature Conservancy and the OUTSIDE Sustainably Landscapes Collaborative, we have planted an experimental garden at Basecamp to test and monitor innovative strategies for regenerating soils, reducing water consumption, rooting landscapes with native plants, and creating habitat that invites pollinators, birds and other wildlife to do their work.
The goal is to take our learnings and continue to influence healthy, native landscapes throughout Sunbridge.
Gardens like this spur our children’s curiosity, getting them away from screens and outside enjoying nature. In the end, we are committed to implementing more sustainable practices that have an expansive, measurable, and persistent benefit to our human and natural communities.
Stop by Basecamp today to take a meandering stroll through the garden.