Sincol, a manufacturer and distributor of doors for residential use, will expand its operation in Hialeah's Enterprise Zone, adding 35 employees to its existing workforce of 20.
Miami -- The city's efforts to build affordable housing suffered another blow when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development demanded the return of $2.6 million in grant money earmarked for the low-income Model City neighborhood. Federal officials say the city failed to begin construction within the required time frame.
Kos Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq-KOSP) has moved its company headquarters from Miami to Cranbury, N.J., where it will be closer to its production facility. Some of the 40 Miami-based employees have been transferred to New Jersey, others to Kos' Weston office.
Suspended Miami City Commissioner Arthur Teele has been convicted by a jury of a felony charge of threatening a police officer. During a highway altercation last August, Teele threatened a Miami-Dade police detective who was following Teele and his wife as part of an ongoing corruption investigation.
Miami-Dade -- Buoyed by strong growth at American Airlines, overall passenger traffic at Miami International Airport ended six years of annual declines by recording growth of 1.9% in 2004. Despite the gains, MIA slipped to second place in total passenger volume among Florida airports behind Orlando International Airport. MIA has been plagued by passenger complaints, massive cost overruns to a $4.8-billion expansion project and high landing fees that deter the fast-growing discount airline segment.
Burger King Chief Executive Greg Brenneman, who has helped the Miami-based company reverse years of declining sales and profits, has added the title of chairman to his job description. The company, which has hinted at the possibility of moving its headquarters, has recorded 13 consecutive months of positive U.S. same-store sales.
Moody's Investors Service's latest ranking of commercial real estate markets in the U.S. places the Miami metropolitan area fourth, trailing only Los Angeles, Orange County, Calif., and Honolulu. Moody's says commercial real estate driven principally by the consumer side of the economy -- apartments and shopping centers -- continues to grow while the office and industrial segments remain sluggish.
Miami Herald Publisher Alberto Ibarguen will step down in July to become president of Miami-based charity John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, replacing Hodding Carter. Ibarguen, the Knight Ridder daily's top man since 1998, will be replaced by Miami Herald General Manager Jesus Diaz Jr.
Florida Power & Light has been given the go-ahead by Gov. Jeb Bush and the Florida Cabinet to build a natural gas-powered generator at its South Miami-Dade Turkey Point facility. The $600-million project is expected to serve up to 230,000 homes and businesses when completed in 2007.
Cristal Credit International, a France-based financial risk-management firm specializing in business credit reports, financial surveys and investigations, has opened an office in Miami to service clients in North and South America.
Carlos J. Arboleya, former chairman of Barnett Banks, has received the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce's annual Sand in My Shoes Award recognizing significant and long-lasting contributions to the south Florida area.
Miami-based logistics and truck leasing company Ryder System (NYSE-R) has agreed to pay the IRS $175 million plus interest to resolve a dispute related to tax returns from 1998 to 2000. The IRS initially claimed the company could owe as much as $342 million.
Miami Lakes -- Medical device manufacturer Cordis Corp., a division of Johnson & Johnson, will cut about 200 jobs over the coming year as part of a streamlining measure.