Mortgage Broker in Grant-Valkaria, FL

Suzy Fleming Leonard

Looking for quiet intimate place for a romantic date night? The Italian Fisherman, a new hot spot in Grant-Valkaria, probably isn't your vibe.

If, however, you're up for lots of food, music, laughter and a few card tricks, drive south and hope for a seat at the table.

Dinner at the Italian Fisherman, which opened in early January, always comes with a show, said Dave Murano, who owns the restaurant with partner Josh Weiss. It's more than a meal. It's an experience.

First, a little housekeeping.

The restaurant is open Thursday through Sunday with two seatings a night: 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 3 and 5 p.m. Sunday. Don't arrive late. Food starts coming out immediately, so sit down and get settled. Cold appetizers are on their way.

The restaurant is small, so it fills up. Reservations are taken by phone or text at 321-895-6283 for parties of six or more. Otherwise, it's first come, first seated. Lines form as early as 3:30 p.m.

There's no menu. Dinner with seafood is $28 per person, without seafood is $24. Before the first dishes come out, Murano asks about food allergies. Once that's out of the way, servers start circulating.

"Our goal is to give some items big, some items small," Murano said. "Everyone gets a minimum of 11 items."

Everyone doesn't always get the same thing, but no guest leaves hungry.

"Nobody knows what's coming out of the kitchen," he said. "Only the chef knows."

Some of the favorites created by chef Ricky Oscar include a softball-sized Sicilian rice ball, grilled eggplant, bruschetta, stuffed artichokes, lobster ravioli, shrimp parmesan, fried Oreos, ice box cake and cannelloni.

"Our goal here is to give you your money's worth, and you eat things you would not make yourself or would not usually order," Murano said. "It's a dining experience."

"It's like eating at Grandma's house," Weiss said.

The Italian Fisherman: In the beginning

"When I met Dave, he was a fish out of water," Weiss said.

Weiss was born in South Florida, but has strong ties to Brooklyn, New York.

"When I moved to Grant, I saw tiny little Italian flags flickering on a fence," he said. The fence surrounded a bait-and-tackle shop; Murano ran a one-man restaurant inside.

Murano is from New York, and the two bonded over their shared background.

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They talked about opening a restaurant together. Weiss is new to the business, but Murano has owned or worked in food service most of his life.

Finding the right place was a waiting game. Eventually, they were able to lease the former Slack Tide restaurant on U.S. 1 across from the Indian River. The blue building has a covered porch running the length of its north side, and has lots of nautical touches, including a boat-shaped bar and fish carved into the railings of the porch.

Those seafood touches are what inspired the name.

Murano said he's opened other restaurants with a similar concept. He was excited to introduce it to the South Brevard community.

"We wanted something that would put us on the map," he said.

The first weekend, they didn't accept reservations. Murano felt bad about turning people away.

The second weekend, they took reservations and had so many no-shows, they still turned guests away, but were left with a half-empty restaurant. They decided on a compromise, accepting reservations of parties of six or more. Because most of the tables in the dining room seat four, larger groups require pushing tables together. Most couples and singles are seated at the bar.

The Back Yard

While some guests still have to be turned away, they now have an option.

In addition to the restaurant, the business partners leased the property behind it. In late January, they celebrated the grand opening of the Back Yard in a space previously occupied by the Thirsty Clam.

The Back Yard features another ship-shape bar, a spacious outdoor area with games such as Giant Connect Four, foosball and Giant Jenga, as well as a stage for bands and karaoke.

The Back Yard has a menu of salads, boneless wings, fish tacos and coconut shrimp, along with beer, wine and wine-based cocktails.

Hours are 4-9 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with the kitchen opening at 5 p.m.; noon-9 p.m. Saturday and noon-8 p.m. Sunday.

If the Italian Fisherman is like Grandma's kitchen, the Back Yard is like your favorite uncle's, well, backyard.

What's next

The Italian Fisherman and the Back Yard are seasonal, Murano said. The plan is to have both open Dec. 1 through Memorial Day with an annual VIP party in November, but the dates may be extended, depending on demand.

Weiss and Murano do have a plan for year-round, though. An ice cream shop is set to open soon at the back of the restaurant, with picnic tables set up in the paved area between the two businesses.

"The front is a house, small and cozy," Weiss said. "Then there's the backyard."

And ice cream to tie it all together.

Details: The Italian Fisherman is at 5890 A U.S. 1, Grant-Valkaria, 321-895-6283, facebook.com/theitalianfishermangrantfl. The Back Yard is at 5900 B U.S. 1, Grant-Valkaria, 321-667-0795, facebook.com/thebackyardgrantfl

Suzy Fleming Leonard is a features journalist with more than three decades of experience. Reach her at sleonard@floridatoday.com. Find her on Facebook: @SuzyFlemingLeonard or on Instagram: @SuzyLeonard.

The Florida Communities Trust (FCT) is a state-funded land acquisition program created by Chapter 380, Florida Statutes. The grant programs administered by FCT were initially funded through bonds issued under Preservation 2000 and currently through the Florida Forever Act. FCT assists communities with protecting natural resources, providing recreational opportunities and preserving Florida’s traditional working waterfronts through the competitive criteria outlined in the Parks and Open Space and the Stan Mayfield Working Waterfronts Florida Forever Grant Programs. FCT is governed by a five-member board with the Secretary of DEP or their designee serving as the chair.

FCT helps Florida communities create local recreational opportunities, ensure public access to our beautiful beaches, protect our historical and cultural resources, preserve Florida’s commercial fishing heritage and traditional working waterfronts, and provide clean air and drinking water essential to creating livable communities. FCT helps local governments implement their comprehensive plans through the acquisition of land and utilize funds from the Florida Forever Program. As a non-regulatory program, FCT promotes innovative solutions to the challenges inherent in the comprehensive planning process.

Since its inception in 1989, FCT has facilitated the acquisition of over 96,987 acres of lands for conservation and local recreational opportunities. Through Preservation 2000 and Florida Forever, FCT grants total almost $875 million with local matching funds of $754 million for a combined total of $1.6 billion dollars.

FCT Staff is hosting a virtual workshop on January 29, 2024, at 11 a.m. to review the procedures for the 2023-2024 Parks and Open Space Ranking and Selection meeting. The goal of this workshop is to prepare the board and applicants to have an efficient and effective selection meeting by ensuring that all participants understand their roles and the process. The Ranking and Selection Meeting is February 13, 2024, at 1 p.m. following the 10 a.m. quarterly meeting.

Florida Communities Trust (FCT) staff hosted a free webinar to provide technical assistance for grantees and project sponsors in understanding post-completion responsibilities under the FCT program once a project site has been acquired.

Florida Forever Grant Program 2023-24 Submission Cycles and Webinars

Florida Communities Trust Governing Board Information

Contact us for more information: FloridaCommunitiesTrust@floridadep.gov

Department of Environmental Protection

Division of State Lands

Land and Recreation Grants Section

3900 Commonwealth Blvd., MS 585

Tallahassee, FL 32399-3000

Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez recently announced efforts to amplify current digital security tools to help preserve resident data and the digital identities of its citizens, even amid natural disasters.

The city of Sanibel and Lee County in Florida are set to participate in the Local Government Cybersecurity Grant Program, a $30 million initiative aimed at empowering 194 local governments with applicable, comprehensive solutions to bolster their cybersecurity capabilities and integrate their technology with state-level cybersecurity protection programs.

“When natural disasters strike, it is critical that local governments focus their efforts on response and recovery,” Nuñez said in a recent press release. “I’m proud to champion this unprecedented investment in cybersecurity at the local level and ensure that partners like the city of Sanibel and Lee County Property Appraiser’s Office can assist residents in knowing their networks and data are protected.”

Last week, Sanibel Mayor Richard Johnson commended the state's strategies for safeguarding resident and employee data amidst environmental crises in the city.

“Southwest Florida is extremely grateful for Gov. [Ron] DeSantis’ and Lieutenant Governor Nuñez’s continued commitment to our recovery from Hurricane Ian,” Johnson said. “Awarding this grant and visiting our city furthers our resilience and reminds us that they are still working hard for our area.”

Lee County, the second Florida award recipient, is no stranger to cyber attacks that are not always tied to natural disasters. In 2019, the county's digital infrastructure, including its website leegov.com, suffered a disruption when hackers infiltrated its servers in an attempt to extort funds from the county. At the time, some officials believed it could have been a ransomware attack.

Regardless, Florida officials hope to prevent future data breaches by enhancing its current digital infrastructure tools and using the Cybersecurity Grant Program funding to create more.

“The Local Government Cybersecurity Grant Program operationalizes key elements of sound cybersecurity policy: proactive coordination, information sharing, and breaking down silos to detect and respond to threats early,” Florida Department of Management Services Secretary Pedro Allende shared in a press release. “From small towns to the largest state agencies, Florida’s security posture is stronger than ever, and I look forward to building on that success in this year’s grant program.”

The grant is funded through the federal State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) — signed roughly two years ago by the White House. As part of the dispersal, recipients have had to establish cybersecurity planning committees and submit spending plans ahead of a specified deadline.

To date, federal officials say they have received 30 plans, with 28 earning approval with more under review.

When the Legislature meets in special session, it can do a smart, simple thing to make Floridians safer.

Published Nov. 2, 2023|Updated Nov. 2, 2023

When the Legislature meets in special session Monday, it should fully fund the My Safe Florida Home program for those who have qualified for grants to harden their homes against hurricanes. But it should go much farther and expand funding up to a cap of $1 billion spread over two years to accommodate as many homeowners as possible. In an annual state budget of $116.5 billion, that’s less than 1%, a small price to pay to help Florida homeowners help themselves. What other issue is currently more important?

To their credit, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and House Speaker Paul Renner plan to include bolstering the program among the narrow aims of the session, which Gov. Ron DeSantis asked for to pass new sanctions on Iran. “We would like to address the backlog of applications for the current program, and begin the discussion of steps we can take to support this initiative moving forward,” Passidomo said.

It’s a good start to clear the current backlog by increasing the funding. But it will be even better to help as many people as reasonably possible to harden their homes before a storm hits. Stronger homes mean fewer victims, and it’s cheaper and safer to fortify before a hurricane than to rebuild afterward.

My Safe Florida Home is a good program. It provides a free home inspection and a report on how to retrofit a home — impact windows or coverings, roof tie-downs, secondary water membranes on the roof deck and the like. It offers $2 for every $1 an eligible homeowner pays for the approved fixes up to $10,000. But there are far more takers than money available. While more than 24,000 grant applications have been approved, the program has suspended any more for now because current funding won’t cover another 17,617 already in the system. (People can still get home inspections, and about 200 a day are doing so.) In the year the program has been in effect, more than 70,000 homes have been inspected, and more than $200 million has been allocated for upgrades. Homes fortified against storms can get insurance discounts, with the average savings being more than $1,000 a year, said Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who is pushing for more funding. And, of course, the upgrades make the houses safer.

This is cheap insurance, both financially and for personal safety. Funding the program for all comers up to reasonable limits should be a smart and easy call in a state with the highest home insurance premiums in the nation and on a peninsula increasingly vulnerable to hurricanes.

With 90% of Floridians now believing in climate change, they are also serious about protecting their homes from the potentially stronger storms that come with it. Think of Hurricane Otis, which grew from a tropical storm to a massive Category 5 hurricane in less than a day before hitting Acapulco, Mexico, last month. That’s a wake-up call to those of us accustomed to tracking storms for days across the Atlantic while we check our emergency plans and supplies. If more storms rapidly intensify, we will all need to reassess our personal plans — when to stay, when to evacuate, what to do. Now is a good time to think it all through and wrestle with the will-I-stay-or-go soul-searching.

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Think also of Hurricane Idalia, which hit the Big Bend area two months ago and brought surge that flooded 1,400 homes in Tampa Bay — 150 miles away. The record warm water in the Gulf of Mexico and sea-level rise bring a one-two punch of storms that can quickly intensify and bring serious storm surge far from the eye of a hurricane. While the My Safe Florida Home program won’t help against that level of storm surge, living in a hardened home could protect against heavy winds, helping tip the balance of safety in the homeowner’s favor and bring some peace of mind and cheaper insurance. It could save lives and property.

For us in the vulnerable Tampa Bay area, these new realities mean we might have less warning to evacuate — or worse, be planning to shelter in place against a Category 2 storm that catches us flat-footed by blowing up into a Category 5. With so many worsening variables, let’s take charge of the ones we can: make our homes stronger.

We can’t control the weather, and there are many long-term macro questions to sort through about where and how to build and what risks to accept. But there is one solid solution in the here and now: When the Legislature convenes in special session on Monday, it should help homeowners help protect themselves by fully funding My Safe Florida Home.

Editorials are the institutional voice of the Tampa Bay Times. The members of the Editorial Board are Editor of Editorials Graham Brink, Sherri Day, Sebastian Dortch, John Hill, Jim Verhulst and Chairman and CEO Conan Gallaty. Follow @TBTimes_Opinion on Twitter for more opinion news.

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FLORIDA — Floridians struggling with rising property insurance premiums and the need to fortify their homes against future hurricanes received some heartening news following a three-day special legislative session this week.

House Bill 1C, Disaster Relief, sponsored by Florida Rep. Jason Shoaf, R- Port St. Joe, allocated $181.5 million to help Florida farmers and homeowners whose property was damaged by Hurricane Idalia on Aug. 30 and to address the backlog of My Safe Florida Home applications.

The bill provides an additional $176.2 million to the My Safe Florida Home program that could lower annual homeowners insurance premiums for Floridians by $1,000.

The bill also provides additional resources to assist farmers recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Idalia, including tax relief on motor fuel used for agricultural shipments and debris removal and on materials used to repair or replace nonresidential farm buildings and fencing.

“I was honored to sponsor this bill which provides needed relief to those hit hardest by Hurricane Idalia, many of whom are my constituents," Shoaf said. "The bill funds several programs that assist in local recovery efforts and expands the My Safe Florida Home program so that Floridians can reinforce their homes to mitigate future storm damage."

Find out what's happening in Tampawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Due to the overwhelming popularity of the My Safe Florida Home program, the state had to temporarily pause the acceptance of grant applications because the number of grant applications submitted exceeded the allocated funding.

The Legislature originally allocated $150 million in funding for the program when it was first passed during the 2022 legislative session. In 2023, the Legislature appropriated an additional $100 million, but “applications have greatly exceeded the amount of funding available,” a recent state analysis of the program concluded.

Nearly 39,000 people have applied for the grants. Of those 20,979 grants have been approved and 17,617 grant applications have been submitted and are awaiting review and approval.

My Safe Florida Home was passed by the Florida Legislature six months before Hurricane Ian struck South Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 28, devastating Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island, Pine Island, Captiva Island and Cape Coral.

The program, administered by the Florida Department of Financial Services, provides grants to homeowners to strengthen their homes against hurricanes by reinforcing roof-to-wall connections, installing water-resistant roofs, upgrading roofs, improving the strength of roof deck attachments, and installing hurricane-resistant exterior doors, garage doors and windows.

The program also offers free home inspections to owners of any single-family home or townhouse to determine improvements needed against hurricane damage.

Those who receive grants and make improvements could potentially lower their home insurance premiums, may be eligible to apply for a matching grant of up to $10,000 from the state and will be exempted from paying the 6 percent state sales tax for hurricane-resistant doors, garage doors and windows.

The 2023 Legislature updated the program as of July 1, providing grants to applicants whose homes are insured for $700,000 or less and applicants outside of the Wind-Borne Debris region. The original program provided grants to homes insured for $500,000 or less.

The Legislature also increased low-income grants from $5,000 to $10,000.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who's been wrestling with property insurance companies pulling out of Florida or declaring bankruptcies at record levels resulting in increases in property insurance rates statewide, applauded the Legislature on the passage of the additional $176 million in funding for My Safe Florida Home.

According to research conducted by the national Insurance Information Institute, 15 to 20 percent of Florida homeowners currently have no homeowners insurance, as compared to the 12 percent average nationwide.

Many homeowners dropped by their bankrupt insurance companies have been forced to seek coverage from Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the not-for-profit state-funded insurance company formed by the Florida Legislature in August 2002.

Citizens currently has about 1.4 million policyholders, making what is supposed to be a property insurer of last resort the second-largest insurer of property in Florida behind the private Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Co.

Due to the overwhelming demand caused by property insurance companies defaulting or pulling out of Florida, Citizens sent letters to more than 304,000 Florida homeowners several months ago, giving them an Oct. 10 deadline to either pay a 61 percent higher premium or seek coverage from one of five private insurance companies that have agreed to take on some of Citizens' policies at higher rates than what homeowners are paying for Citizens insurance:

While the Florida Legislature has passed a number of insurance reforms designed to retain property insurers in Florida by weeding out frivolous lawsuits, Patronis said the My Safe Florida Home program has enabled thousands of Florida to retain homeowners insurance.

“The My Safe Florida Home program has been a huge success, helping thousands of Floridians harden their home against storms while saving an average of $1,000 annually on insurance premiums," he said. "The program has also assisted more than 87,000 homeowners in conducting free home inspections to further understand how to protect their homes during disasters."

The additional funds approved this week will fund applications submitted on or before Oct. 15. Many of these applications were submitted after Hurricane Idalia struck Florida's east coast on Aug. 31, damaging property from Pinellas County north to Florida Big Bend area.

"Since Day 1, I’ve made it my mission to put policyholders first and use every tool at our disposal to help Floridians weather the storm of increasing home insurance costs," Patronis said. "I look forward to working with the Legislature during the next legislative session to look for ways to expand the program and provide more funding so that more Floridians can benefit.”

That may be easier said than done.

The legislation passed this week bars the Florida Department of Financial Services from accepting new applications for My Safe Florida Home or creating a waiting list “in anticipation of additional funding unless the Legislature provides express authority to implement such actions.”

During the lightning-round special session that began Monday and concluded Wednesday, the Legislature also provided additional funding for scholarships for families of students with unique abilities, agreed to divest from any companies doing business in Florida that support Iran and allocated funding so Florida's Jewish day schools, synagogues and community centers can install or upgrade safety features in light of recent acts of antisemitism in Florida.

“In Florida, we don’t wait around to act," said Speaker of the House Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast. "Thanks to Gov. DeSantis’ support, we conducted an efficient special session that delivered on a series of key promises.”

He said the Legislature has now appropriated a total of $417 million in disaster relief funding. In addition to the $181.5 million for the My Safe Florida Home program and Hurricane Idalia disaster relief, the Legislature allocated: