COMMUNITIES
an experience to do something all together with all the little
touches they provide.”
She is so intrigued by Tesoro’s many attributes that she
designed a mascot that she calls “Otto P.” for “Over The
Top.” He’s a beaver (for construction), holding golf clubs in
one paw, tennis racquet in the other, wearing a chef’s hat.
His colors are green for golf courses and gold for the luxury
lifestyle and services. His likeness rests on an ornate
wrought-iron easel in the family room.
It isn’t all socializing, though. Tesoro is also about wildlife
and its preservation. A bald eagle pair lives and nests on part
of the property, which instantly whisked a large area out of
the development plans. A camera monitoring the eagle nest
is visible on the Audubon Society web site.
Gopher tortoises live on a 200-acre preserve set aside for
them. Fox squirrels, alligators, tri-colored herons, the roseate
spoonbill, tarpon, red-winged blackbirds, and even manatees
have been seen on Tesoro property or in the St. Lucie River
adjacent to Tesoro.
The Budnicks once watched as a family of sandhill cranes
had a mini-crisis when a baby crane wandered away from
his parents. After several minutes of excited walking back
and forth, Papa Crane found the baby and marched over,
squawking at him.
“His voice just went octaves higher,” Judie said. “Then he
walked the baby back to the mother and she started squawking
at him. I swear, it was just like watching humans.”
Wood storks frequent the many ponds scattered throughout
Tesoro, said Armond Ferri, a resident whose home is surrounded
by tall flowering bushes and gardens. He now sells
real estate at Tesoro, too.
Snook are favorites with the fishermen at Tesoro, he said.
“This place is the gestalt of living,” Judie Budnick said.
“You have the totality of nature, the relaxation, and the beauty.
Not to mention that the food is divine.
“We absolutely have found a piece of heaven on earth.”
A tall tower, top, with fountains and flowerbeds marks the entrance to Tesoro. The view of one of the two master baths, above, at the Budnick home is
breathtaking.
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