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Southwest/Tampa Bay In the News - Oct. 2005
In the News
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Katherine Harris' Net Worth
SARASOTA -- U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris cashed in between $5.1 million and $25.25 million worth of BHG Inc. stock last year, according to her most recent financial disclosure report.
Disclosures were due in May, but Harris, a Republican who is gunning for Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson's seat, asked for an extension. Her nine-page report, submitted in August, revealed Harris is the second-wealthiest member of the Florida delegation, with an estimated net worth of between $10 million and $39 million ["Congressional Holdings," September, FloridaTrend.com]. Her biggest holdings include a $5-million to $25-million stake in Intercon Marketing, her husband's marine products firm; a $1-million to $5-million account in Northern Trust Bank; and a rental property in Sarasota valued at between $1 million and $5 million.
The couple's home on Longboat Key, valued at about $2.28 million, was not included on the disclosure form. She also has $250,000 to $600,000 worth of stock in her father's business, Citrus & Chemical Bancorporation Inc.CAPE CORAL -- National homebuilder Hovanian Enterprises recently bought out First Home Builders of Florida, based in Cape Coral and Fort Myers, for an undisclosed amount.
CLEARWATER -- JMC Communities has broken ground on the Sandpearl Resort & Residences, which will feature a 253-room luxury hotel, 117 condos and retail space along Mandalay Avenue.
COLLIER COUNTY -- The county is kicking off a tourism campaign aimed at attracting more visitors from Chicago, New York, Orlando and Tampa Bay. It is financing the marketing campaign by increasing the county's bed tax.
LAKELAND -- Kohl's Department Stores is opening a store in Lakeland this month and will hire 150 employees. The Wisconsin-based discount retail chain will hire a total of 1,500 for 10 new store openings around the state, including three in Jacksonville and six others in Altamonte Springs, Clermont, Hunters Creek (in Orange County), Orange City, Orlando and Viera.
LARGO -- Through a new subsidiary, GeoPharma has acquired all the assets of Consolidated Pharmaceutical Group, an antibiotic manufacturer based in Baltimore.
NAPLES -- Michigan-based Arcadia Resources acquired Summit Home Respiratory Services, a medical and respiratory equipment provider that serves Naples, Bonita Springs and Fort Myers. Arcadia also recently acquired United Health Care Services, located in Fort Myers and Port Charlotte.
OLDSMAR -- Mercedes Walton was named chief executive officer of Cryo-Cell International, a family cord blood bank service. She has served as the company's interim CEO since April 2003.
SARASOTA -- AirTran Airways (NYSE-AAI) has added daily non-stop, round-trip flights between Sarasota Bradenton International Airport and New York's LaGuardia Airport and Boston's Logan International Airport.
The meat and cheese delicatessen giant Boars Head is relocating its headquarters from the Sarasota Quay to the Sarasota City Center, where it will lease 40,400 square feet of office space.
ST. PETERSBURG -- The works of glass artist Dale Chihuly will be showcased at the new Arts Center, which is going up in the historic Landmark Union Trust Bank building. The Chihuly Collection and the Arts Center are centerpieces of a new two-block development downtown.
Gov. Jeb Bush tapped St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker to head the new Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida, which will work on growth management issues.
TAMPA -- Industrial construction in the Tampa Bay area totaled 2.05 million square feet in the second quarter -- the highest quarterly total since March 2001, according to real estate services company Colliers Arnold. There were 12 buildings under construction during the second quarter, including five on the east side.
Developer Grady Pridgen acquired the former Nielsen Media Co. complex in Dunedin and the former Bright House property adjacent to it, bringing his total holdings to 2.5 million square feet.
The University of South Florida and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute renewed their affiliation with a 10-year agreement that calls for the creation of a board to support interdisciplinary oncology. The agreement "sets up areas of collaboration and clarifies financial exchanges between the institutions."
