For the Pignatora Family, Moving to Wellen Park Was Their Biggest and Best Adventure Yet

When Elise and Joe met in high school in Buffalo, New York, neither of them realized then that it was the start of a lifetime adventure. From a military career and public service to raising four beautiful children, they’ve seen their share of changes and challenges. After many years in the insurance industry, Joe was offered the opportunity to open his own agency which involved moving from snowy New York to sunny Florida, and they knew it was their perfect next adventure.

Elise explains, “We figured, why not move to beautiful Florida while we’re young and our kids are young? And we’ve been happy ever since. We’re very happy with our choice of Wellen Park.”

Elise and Joe moved with their four children to the Renaissance neighborhood in 2021. For the Pignatoras, Wellen Park’s location was a huge draw. “We continue to adventure and enjoy everything the area has to offer… The proximity to all of the unique beaches is fantastic. We go on a lot of nature hikes. We’re an active family so we try to always be out and about.”

In addition to the many natural attractions around Wellen Park, the Pignatoras explain that they have found opportunities to explore nearby destinations such as Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Tampa, and of course, Disney World!

Not that they always have to venture far to find fun – their son Luca says, “We usually come to Downtown Wellen every weekend. I go fishing here all the time.” His mom agrees. “We come down here all the time. We like being out and having fun. We always say we’re out on an adventure!”

The Pignatoras all agree that their favorite events at Wellen Park are the weekly concerts, where their three daughters love to dance, sing, and turn cartwheels. On any given day in Downtown, the children can meet up with friends from the community and from school.

The Pignatoras are building a home in EVERLY, one of Wellen Park’s most recent neighborhoods to begin development. In addition to giving the family of six more room to spread out, their new home will be within walking or biking distance to the new K-8 school under development. “We’re excited for the growth. Having the schools right here in Wellen Park is fantastic.” Because of the children’s spread in grades (currently first, fourth, and sixth grades), the combined campus will be an extra benefit, especially as it opens to also include grades 9-12. After all, the Pignatoras aren’t planning on leaving Wellen Park any time soon.  “We’re very excited to be building in Everly because that will be what we deem our forever home.”

When asked how she feels about Wellen Park, Elise sums it up very simply. “It’s everything. We are so grateful. Really, really grateful.”

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