Collier County -- Real estate development firm Bonita Bay Properties started the permitting process for a 1,435-acre residential community, Mediterra. To be located along the future Livingston Road extension in northern Collier, initial plans call for 600 residences, a community center, golf course, tennis, fitness facilities and a market. The firm plans to apply to continue the project into neighboring Lee County.

Englewood -- Premier Community Bank in Venice plans to open a branch here next spring.

Lakeland -- Mattress manufacturer Kingsdown Inc. is setting up in 45,000 sq. ft. of recently purchased space in Eaton Park. The North Carolina company sells mattresses directly to furniture retailers. It expects to open this summer, hire 30 employees and also relocate its box-spring manufacturing operation in Orlando to the new facility.

Naples -- Recent additions to upscale Waterside Shops at Pelican Bay include Pottery Barn, Chicago Eyewear, Bang & Olufson, Joseph Abboud, Boss Hugo Boss Sport and St. John Boutique. The six retailers join 45 specialty shops and department stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Jacobson's.

Sarasota -- PC assembler and retailer Gateway Cos. opened one of its retail outlets, Gateway Country, here. There are 10 Country stores in Florida, including Tampa, Clearwater and Fort Myers, and each has 12 to 15 employees.

St. Petersburg -- The U.S. Army awarded a $31.3 million contract to Primex Technologies to manufacture tank ammunition. The $600 million defense and aerospace company will manage the contract from its St. Petersburg headquarters, but Primex facilities in Pennsylvania and sub-contractors around the U.S. will manufacture the components.

Tampa -- Orange, Calif.-based pharmaceutical company Bergen Brunswig Corp. announced plans to buy PharMerica (Nasdaq-DOSE) in a stock swap valued at $1.4 billion. The merger is expected to be approved at the shareholders meeting this month.

Digex Inc., a Maryland subsidiary of Tampa-based Intermedia Communications Corp. (Nasdaq-ICIX), will provide hosting services for Standard & Poor's Ratings Digest Web site. Investment houses, banks and financial professionals use the site to access credit analyses and ratings.