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Northeast Florida Business Briefs - Feb. 2006
ALACHUA COUNTY —
» The mixed-use Tioga Town Center, which will eventually include 1,600 homes, 300 of which are complete, opened Nov. 30.
» Sysco, the food service marketer and distributor, started construction on a redistribution center, which is scheduled to open in early 2008.
ATLANTIC BEACH —
» Voters approved a city charter amendment limiting building heights to 35 feet.
CLAY COUNTY —
» Green Cove Springs received a $998,000 matching grant from the St. Johns River Water Management District for a $2-million stormwater basin project, which includes 2.2 miles of drainage construction and a stormwater treatment system. The project should be completed by August.
» The Florida Army National Guard Regional Training Institute at Camp Blanding is getting a $34-million upgrade, including new classrooms, housing and office space.
» The Clay County School Board is seeking a half-cent sales tax increase to help deal with overcrowding. The district is one of the lowest-funded in the state.
» Orange Park Medical Center has started charging non-emergency patients an extra $100 for emergency room visits.
JACKSONVILLE —
» After the local Fraternal Order of Police executive board recommended that its members support Mayor John Peyton in the upcoming mayor’s race, Mike Weinstein decided to drop out of the race, saying that without the board’s support, the race would have been too hard to win. Many of his supporters believe Weinstein should run for the state Legislature instead.
» Prudential Financial added 55 jobs at its call center facility.
» To meet increased demand, Flightstar Aircraft Services added a second production line to convert Boeing 757 passenger planes into cargo planes.
» Florida Community College at Jacksonville received two five-year Navy contracts worth $67 million to provide educational services to sailors worldwide.
» Citing the slowdown in home loans, NetBank cut 100 jobs at the end of December.
» St. Paul, Minn.-based Gander Mountain, a big-box retailer that features outdoor sports products, plans to open a store at River City Marketplace. The chain has one Florida store, in Lake Mary.
» The U.S. District Court upheld a regional general permit allowing St. Joe Co. (NYSE-JOE) to move forward with environmental and development planning for 48,150 acres in Walton and Bay counties.
» Florida Rock Industries (NYSE-FRK) reported a 34% increase in fiscal 2006 earnings. Revenue was $1.37 billion, up from $1.15 billion last year.
» San Francisco-based Golden Gate Capital purchased a controlling interest in Venus Holdings, the parent company of Venus Swimware, WinterSilks and Venus Manufacturing.
» CIT Group plans to double its workforce to 700 by 2009. >> Dave & Buster’s sold its Jacksonville arcade and restaurant to Orlando-based National Retail Properties.
» Arizona-based Concrete Reinforcements plans to build a 131,250-sq.-ft. plant.
» The University of North Florida approved adding doctorate programs in physical therapy and nursing. If approved by the Florida Board of Governors, the programs would begin next fall.
» The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens opened a $6-million building, the largest in the museum’s 45-year history.
» Construction on the Waverly, a $100-million, 226-unit high-end gated condo community on the Southside, is expected to begin this spring.
» The Bank of North Florida opened its first branch in December.
» Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida plans to build two buildings at its Deerwood campus so it can consolidate 1,500 employees from other parts of the city.
» The Duval County legislative delegation approved a resolution seeking an undetermined amount of state funding for the St. Johns River Ferry.
» U.S. Attorney Paul Perez says no one will face criminal charges in a February 2006 incident in which two black firefighters found hangman nooses on their gear. Perez says a lack of cooperation by one of the two firefighters hampered the investigation.
JACKSONVILLE BEACH —
» The City Council approved a resolution to float a $10-million sales tax bond to upgrade the city’s water treatment plant.
MARION COUNTY —
» Emergency One, which employs 1,300 in Ocala and was once the largest builder of fire trucks in North America, is looking for a new plant site, possibly outside of Florida.
» A consulting firm has recommended the city raise water rates by 74% for master meter accounts, which includes commercial properties and multifamily developments using a single meter.
NASSAU COUNTY —
» Amelia Island Co. plans to build a 130-room hotel near its Royal Amelia Golf Course.
PUTNAM COUNTY —
» Georgia-Pacific suspended operations for six months at its Palatka sawmill, putting 107 employees out of work.
ST. JOHNS COUNTY —
» Stokes & Co. plans to build a 749-home development called Madeira at the old Ponce de Leon Golf Course site. The developer will receive about $500,000 in tax credits under the Brownfields Redevelopment Program because of arsenic contamination at the site.
» Rayonier sold 1,940 acres of timberland near Julington Creek in St. Johns County to real estate developer LandMar Group for $27.5 million. LandMar declined to disclose its plans for the property.
