March 29, 2024

Northeast Business Briefs - Oct. 2004

Bob Snell | 10/1/2004
Clay County -- Clerk of Court Operations Director Jimmy Ricks resigned amid a hotly contested election involving his boss, Clerk of Court Jimmy Jett. Wayne Spivey, Jett's opponent, accused Ricks of coercing clerk's office employees into donating to Jett's campaign.

Gainesville -- A recent survey of faculty attitudes at the University of Florida concludes professors generally don't trust or respect senior administrators. The study, commissioned by President Bernie Machen, shows most teachers believe the administration doesn't listen to them and has little concern for their welfare.

The Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport Authority signed agreements with two new air carriers. Northwest will offer two daily round-trip flights to its Memphis hub, while Gulfstream International Airlines (operating under the Continental Airlines logo) will fly three round-trips to Miami and two to Tampa every weekday.

The University of Florida opened a $12-million butterfly rainforest at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity. The screened exhibit boasts one of the largest collections of moths and butterflies in the world.

Jacksonville -- Miami-based Riverwalk Hotels plans to build a $500-million mixed-use project on the city's Southbank. The proposal includes five 35- to 40-story towers, 90,000 square feet of retail space, a 200-room hotel, a 300-slip marina and a two-acre riverfront park.

Construction of a 327-acre business and residential park in North Jacksonville will begin shortly. The Stone Mountain Industrial Park project will begin with a 100,000-sq.-ft. light-manufacturing building.

TriLegacy Group abandoned plans to develop the $860-million Shipyards project after city officials accused the firm of mishandling $36.5 million in incentives. Under a deal reached with city lawyers, a second developer, LandMar Group LLC, has until the end of the year to decide whether it wants to buy development rights to the project, the largest private venture in downtown history.

St. Vincent's Health System will add a seven-story, $20-million cancer center and parking garage to its Riverside campus.

The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments division has asked Armor Holdings to outfit 40 armored Humvees and add newly developed gunner protection kits to an additional 5,100 Humvees already in use. The order and several related requests could be worth $400 million to the company.

Under pressure from county judges dissatisfied with plans for their future home, Mayor John Peyton reversed field and proposed increasing the budget for the new Duval County Courthouse complex to $268 million. Peyton had earlier pledged to spend no more than $232 million on the building.

JEA directors approved the first electric rate increase in 14 years. Monthly bills for most of the city-owned utility's 380,000 customers will increase by 5.5%.

The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission approved more than $820,000 in incentives shortly after Mayor John Peyton's 60-day moratorium on new incentives expired. California-based WMC Mortgage Corp. received $420,000, while Kimmik Corp. was given $400,000.

Jacksonville Beach -- A November referendum will ask voters to cap building height at 35 feet. The measure was put on the ballot by residents upset at the string of high-rises built recently along the oceanfront.

Marion County -- Commissioners rejected Wal-Mart's plan to build a supercenter on U.S. 441 north of Belleview.

BREAST CANCER -- Statewide Facts

October is breast cancer awareness month. The following statistics on breast cancer in Florida come from the American Cancer Society, which is holding a number of walk-a-thons around the state this month to raise funds for research and education. (For more information, go to cancer.org, then click on "Making Strides.")

27% of women over 40 in Florida have never had a mammogram.

Only about two-thirds of eligible Florida Medicare recipients used the mammography screening coverage. Rates for African-American women and Hispanic women are lower than for other groups.

In 2003, nearly 40,000 women were expected to die from breast cancer. Only lung cancer accounts for more cancer deaths in all women. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among African-American women.

African-American women have a slightly higher incidence of breast cancer before 40, while white women have a higher incidence after 40.

The five-year survival rate for localized breast cancer is 97%.

In the past 10 years, Florida has seen a 32% increase in the number of women over 40 -- the group most at risk for breast cancer. American Cancer Society guidelines call for an annual clinical breast exam and annual mammogram.

In the past 10 years, there has been a 6% decrease in the number of mammography centers in Florida. Fifteen counties -- Dixie, Franklin, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Holmes, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Liberty, Union, Wakula and Walton -- have no mammography center. Fifteen others have one center.

The Florida counties with the highest age-adjusted rate of breast cancer in 2002 were Baker, Taylor, Leon, Union and Duval.

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