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Southeast In the News - May 2005
Broward County -- Job growth in Broward was among the best in the state last year, jumping 3.7%, according to the state Agency for Workforce Innovation.
School board members will poll the public to gauge support for a 1-cent sales tax to pay for education. Voters overwhelmingly defeated a similar effort 10 years ago.
The FBI is now investigating whether the Broward Sheriff's Office falsified crime reports between 2000 and 2003, according to a Miami Herald report. The office has been under investigation for two years by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Broward State Attorney's Office.
Delray Beach -- Steve Odland, 46, former CEO of the AutoZone auto parts chain, has been named chairman and chief executive of Delray Beach-based Office Depot. Odland replaces Bruce Nelson, who was pushed out last year amid disappointing earnings.
Fort Lauderdale -- City commissioners want county officials to advance them $3.3 million for security costs they expect to incur while hosting the Organization of American States General Assembly in June. The Broward County Convention Center is located in the city.
Real estate developer Donald Trump has announced plans to build a 298-unit luxury condominium/hotel on Fort Lauderdale Beach. The Trump International Hotel & Tower is scheduled for completion in February 2007.
A proposal to build a downtown public rail route in Fort Lauderdale has moved forward with a letter of support from the state Department of Transportation, which has promised financial support for the project.
County commissioners have approved plans for 3,000 more downtown residential units, well short of the 13,000-unit approval requested by the Fort Lauderdale downtown development authority.
Hollywood -- The Internal Revenue Service is challenging the tax-free status of $345 million in bonds issued by two north Florida cities for the financing of the Seminole Hard Rock casino facilities in Tampa and Hollywood. The Panhandle cities of Gulf Breeze and Century issued the bonds as part of an ongoing effort to earn bond fees by helping to finance the projects of other local governments.
Miramar -- A joint venture between office developer Rockefeller Group Development Corp. and shopping center developer Kimco Developers has taken the first step toward the city's town center project. The two companies will buy 40 acres of city-owned land for $11 million. The project will include shops, offices and residential units.
North Lauderdale -- A Broward County jury has awarded $800,000 in damages to the daughter and widower of a North Lauderdale woman whose body was allegedly sold by a transport company for use in an embalming lesson at Lynn University instead of being transported to a crematorium. The parties reached a confidential settlement before jurors could consider the issue of punitive damages against Joseph Damiano of Professional Transport Services. A previous lawsuit against the university and the funeral chapel was settled for an undisclosed amount.
Palm Beach Gardens -- City council members will not reconsider a decision to push for a biotech park east of I-95, despite a decision by county commissioners not to consider the site for a Scripps Research Institute alternative.
Former Catalfumo Construction and Development Co. executive Harry Darling has been named vice president in charge of East Coast projects for developer Bruce Rendina.
Pembroke Pines -- Voters have approved a $100-million bond referendum, paving the way for the city to begin soliciting bids for an estimated 100 projects ranging from a new seniors center to a city golf course. A little more than half of the bond money is slated to pay for green space.
West Palm Beach -- Developer Northwood Renaissance has agreed to give the city its purchase options on three parcels of land in the Northwood area. The city wants to attract development that would anchor a business district.
