FDOT and Town of Harmony Accelerate Widening of Highway 192/441

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FDOT and Town of Harmony Accelerate Widening of Highway 192/441

FLORIDA, HARMONY, Jul. 22 -/E-Wire/-- The developers of Harmony, the vast new conservation community in Osceola County, and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) have reached an agreement to speed the four-lane widening of Highway 192/441. The highway currently separates Harmony from the new high school being built directly across from the community. As the school will eventually serve students from Harmony, a section of the 1.1-mile-long road widening will be elevated, creating a traffic-free pedestrian underpass between the community and the school. Concerned with the high schoolers' safety, the developers and FDOT want to complete the work prior to the school's scheduled opening in August 2004.

According to John Davis, Osceola School District facilities director, "This sort of advanced planning is of great benefit to future residents of Osceola County, but most importantly, it means that students won't have to cross a major thoroughfare, a big plus where child safety is concerned."

The agreement is the first of its kind in the State in which a private developer (the Harmony CDD) and FDOT have worked in concert on such a municipal project. The $750,000 estimated cost of elevating the road is being shared by the developer and the Osceola School Board from proceeds on land donated to them by the developer.

"We donated the land for the new high school and have contributed other items in addition to advancing funds for the road work and the pedestrian walkway," said Jim Lentz, president of Harmony Development Company. "Our contributions to the School District represent a total value in excess of $5.5 million."

The final cost of the highway widening will be an estimated $3.5 million, of which approximately $2.6 million will be paid back to the developer in fiscal year 2004/2005.

"We, along with our governmental partner, think we've created a win-win scenario," Lentz continued, "not only for future residents of Harmony, but also for State and County taxpayers. All the partners clearly agreed that children would come first as we hammered out this complicated agreement. My hat's off to FDOT leadership and their staff for making this innovative approach a reality."

Harmony is an environmentally sensitive community designed to provide an old-fashioned hometown lifestyle. It includes 11,000 acres of pristine wilderness highlighted by a wide array of wildlife, two natural five-hundred-acre lakes, and miles of trails. More than 6,000 acres will be preserved in their original state. Within this setting, the 18-hole, Johnny Miller signature golf course is already open to the public, as is a K-5 charter school that will eventually be K-8. When complete, Harmony will include a village center, shops, theaters, restaurants, riding stable, swim center, and the aforementioned all-new Osceola County high school, as well as a wide array of neo-traditional homes.

Decorator single-family models are now open, and come from five highly regarded builders: Distinctive Homes, D.R. Horton Homes, MWA Builders, Robertson Homes, Inc. and Wetherington Builders. Prices range from the $140's to the $600's.

The Welcome Center is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 to 6, and Sundays from 11 to 6. From St. Cloud, take U.S. 192/441 east to the entrance on the left. For more information, phone (407) 891-8358, or visit www.harmonyfl.com.

Harmony Development Co., LLC

St. Cloud, Florida 34769

http://www.harmonyfl.com

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