For almost a decade, Blinds & Designs has helped countless homeowners with their window covering needs, and it’s not just about aesthetics and privacy anymore. It’s also about convenience. Now, thanks to smart-home technology, you can open and close your shades or blinds with a touch on a smartphone or tablet, or a shout out to Alexa or Siri — anytime, anywhere.

Unlike most states to our north, we don’t have to worry about shoveling snow from our driveways, or putting on layers of clothes, boots, scarves and mittens just to walk Fido. Outdoor sports and activities, as well as preparing for and getting together over the holidays in our cooled-down climate is a joy and makes Florida the place to be in winter!

After working for 10 years with a company that left Todd Paldin feeling unfulfilled, he took a leap of faith from a friend’s recommendation and started a new career with Premier Pools of Central Florida, Inc. (PPCF). Now, 19 years later, his faith has never wavered. Owner, Dan Theune, took Todd under his wing and taught him the way he believed a pool company should function: with knowledge, creativity, and most of all, with integrity.

            You can have a winter wonderland in Florida, too, albeit the tropical kind, where you don’t have to shovel snow from your driveway, or worry about slipping on the ice, or put on layers and layers of clothing just to take your pup on a walk.

Both Odail “JR” Rodriguez and Edson Bessa arrived in Sarasota over 20 years ago, with similar visions of opening a custom paver company. They met through the area’s Brazilian community and played soccer in a local league, and when they discussed their individual business plans, they decided it made sense to work together to start a new paver company that would be unlike anything else on Florida’s West Coast.