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Northeast Business Briefs - Sept. 2004
Archer -- Citing a growing list of personal conflicts, city commissioners voted to fire City Manager Bruce Pagel.
Chiefland -- After its owners pleaded guilty to six counts of grand theft, White Construction was banned from state contracts for 30 years. President Luther M. White Jr. was sentenced to 30 years' probation for his role in a scheme to overbill the state on some road projects.
Clay County -- Deputies in the Sheriff's Office voted by a 3-to-1 margin against unionizing the department by joining the Fraternal Order of Police.
Jacksonville -- Following pressure from St. Johns River advocates, the state Department of Transportation agreed not to dump demolition debris from the old Fuller Warren Bridge into the river, as earlier planned. Instead, remains of the former I-95 drawbridge will be shipped to an upland disposal site.
Developer LandMar Group purchased three Palm Coast golf courses -- Cypress Knoll Golf Club, Matanzas Woods and Pine Lakes Country Club -- from Commonwealth Palm Coast Corp. LandMar now owns eight courses in southeast Georgia and northeast Florida.
The city of Baltimore sued CSX Corp. (NYSE-CSX), claiming the railroad giant was responsible for a train derailment and chemical fire that shut down parts of downtown for several days in 2001. Baltimore officials want $10 million to cover the cost of fighting the fire, repairing a broken water main and other expenses.
River City Brewing Co. on the city's Southbank has booked the annual Playboy magazine party, which will be held the night prior to the Feb. 6 Super Bowl.
Landstar System (Nasdaq-LSTR) received a $225-million loan from New York-based J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Landstar, a freight carrier of steel, automotive products and military supplies, will use $70 million of the credit line to refinance a previous loan.
Marriott International dropped its bid for the Adam's Mark downtown hotel after city officials refused to float an $8-million loan to help finance the purchase.
Elections officials are investigating an effort by local Republicans to boost party membership during a naturalization ceremony at the University of North Florida. New citizens were reportedly given voter registration applications already marked for registration with the GOP, a possible violation of federal election law.
Fidelity Information Services, subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial, will handle the core data processing for New York City-based Dime Savings Bank. Under the six-year agreement, Dime's core and ATM processing will be run on a Fidelity system that helps banks speed up processing and automate many functions.
Lake City -- Butler, Ind.-based New Millennium Building Systems will build a $28-million facility to manufacture steel joists and decks, employing 175. City and Columbia County officials lured the company with a number of incentives, including the extension of water and sewer lines to the 70-acre site off Lake Jeffery Road.
Marion County -- The county has put the 200-acre public park at Horseshoe Lake on the real estate market, asking $2 million.
Mayport -- U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., predicts Mayport Naval Station will survive next year's federal Base Realignment and Closure process. The junior senator says the base has become a vital player in anti-terrorism and narcotics enforcement efforts.
Nassau County -- Johnson Homebuilders will build 81 homes on a 182-acre parcel east of Callahan.
Ocala -- CLM Workforce Connection is one of seven Demand Driven Incubator Sites selected by the National Association of Workforce Boards. CLM will use a $75,000 grant to promote the growth of welfare-to-work and other employment training and placement services.
Ponte Vedra Beach -- Sunshine State Insurance was acquired by Sarasota-based QualSure Insurance, which will move its headquarters to Ponte Vedra.
St. Johns Beach -- Freehold, N.J.-based Tarantin Tank and Equipment Co. will open a distribution center near Hastings, which will carry the company's line of liquid propane and natural gas products.
Suwannee County -- Suwannee American Cement was fined $200,000 for violating air quality and other environmental standards at its plant near the Ichetucknee River. The state Department of Environmental Protection accused the company of exceeding air pollution limits several times over the last year.
Education
SEEKING HIGHER TAXES
MARION COUNTY -- County commissioners approved a November referendum that will ask voters to raise the local option sales tax by a half-cent to pay for school-related projects, including six new schools. The tax should raise enough to close a $100-million shortfall in the district's capital improvement plan.
