In August I posted a blog item about my first visit to a LEED Platinum certified home. While not a lodging establishment, I thought I might pick up some valuable tips about green building. The name of the development is Mirabella and is in Bradenton, Fla. At the time of my visit there were 70 completed homes that had earned LEED Platinum, with 37 additional homes under construction and 53 lots remaining.
I just read about Mirabella again this past week because of its Tree Planting Day. As it turns out, in late April and early May, vandals cut down 77 trees, totaling over $11,000 in damages to the community. The act was labeled “murder” and “urban ecocide” by Dr. Reese Halter, an eco-stress tree physiologist. Although Mirabella has offered a $1,000 reward for the conviction of the eco-vandals, no arrests have been made yet, at this time.
Marshall Gobuty, founder, and the entire Mirabella team have taken the crime very seriously, working with local law enforcement and issuing a reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the vandals.
This past week, Mirabella turned an unfortunate event into something more positive with a Tree Planting day, naming each new tree after one of the community’s residents. Gobuty hopes that this will put the vandalism to rest and return a sense of community to Mirabella’s homeowners.
Tree Planting Day was dedicated to one of the first resident owners, Dick Fraser, who passed away in October 2017. “The entire community is very much like family and we were all devastated to hear of Dick’s passing,” said Gobuty. “We hope to honor him with this event, and celebrate his life, and our opportunity to know him in the process of building Mirabella.”
