Friday's Daily Pulse

› Flamingos flock to St. Petersburg City Hall over water quality [St. Petersburg Times]
The city has seen its share of lobbyists, but none quite like the ones that arrived Thursday morning. A flock of plastic flamingos grazed on the City Hall lawn before today's 8:30 a.m. City Council meeting. They were planted there by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, which is objecting to efforts by state lawmakers to restrict local governments from regulating the use and sale of nitrogen and phosphorous-based fertilizers. "It's their debut," Nanette O'Hara, the outreach coordinator for the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, said of the pink birds. "It's hard to drive by without noticing them. We just want to bring attention to this issue." The birds make up a campaign called "Be Floridian" that explains how excess nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers pollute our freshwater bodies, beaches and marine life.

› Be wary of 'energy survey' calls, authorities warn [Florida Times-Union]
Residents in Northeast Florida are being swamped by offers of a free energy survey and are getting irked by the calls, authorities said. The Clay County Sheriff's Office said complaints are rising about USA Energy Experts and their repeat calls offering a free energy survey and help cashing in on more than $3,000 in federal stimulus money. Calls have been reported across the First Coast, including Clay, Duval and St. Johns counties. Spokeswoman Mary Justino of the Clay County Sheriff's Office said some homeowners feel so harassed they have made appointments in an effort to make the telemarketing calls stop.

› CNL Lifestyle fund gets cash infusion [Orlando Sentinel]
An Orlando-based investment trust that specializes in leisure properties and attractions has closed on a $400 million bond issue, which will allow the $2.7 billion fund to purchase more real estate. CNL Lifestyle Properties Inc., with a portfolio of ski resorts, attractions, golf courses, marinas, and senior-living properties, closed on 7.25 percent, unsecured senior notes due April 2019. While the bond ratings assigned to the issue — BB- by Standard & Poor's and Ba3 by Moody's — are generally considered highly speculative by analysts, CNL officials said it's rare to find institutional buyers interested in bonds for a nontraded real estate investment trust, or REIT. "I'm pleased that investors have recognized the validity of our innovative investment thesis, which is focused on properties that stand to benefit from the lifestyle choices of baby boomers, their children and grandchildren," said Byron Carlock, president of CNL Lifestyle Properties.

› Gulf View Square Mall up for sale [St. Petersburg Times]
Simon Property Group has decided to put long-struggling Gulf View Square Mall up for sale in a attempt to trim marginally performing properties from its portfolio. The move is seen as an indication Simon, the world's biggest mall owner and operator, has given up trying to turn the 31-year-old property around. While it's possible Simon could sell to an institutional investor and be paid to continue managing and leasing the property, Simon historically has preferred to be both owner and renter.

› Changes at the top for Oceania, parent company [Miami Herald]
Miami-based Oceania Cruises is getting a new president: Bruce Himelstein, formerly a resort company sales and marketing executive. Himelstein replaces Bob Binder, who has been promoted to vice chairman and president of Prestige Cruise Holdings, parent company of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Binder will focus on the completion and delivery of Oceania's Riviera, which debuts next April, and oversee global expansion of the company's brands. Oceania's most recent ship, Marina, launched earlier this year. Himelstein was most recently chief marketing officer for Kerzner International Holdings, whose flagship brand is Atlantis. Before that, he was senior vice president of sales and marketing at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company

› Embattled Hernando dredge project manager to stay on job [St. Petersburg Times]
Under fire for both his professional experience and his business and personal finances, Greg Jarque was offered an opportunity to walk away from his job as dredging project manager by County Administrator David Hamilton on Wednesday. Jarque's response was that he wanted to stay and as the sun rose on Hernando Beach on Thursday, he was already at the dredge site working to move the long-stalled project ahead, Hamilton said. Officials were preparing contract details on Thursday that would formalize the hiring of Jarque's Gritz Development and Construction firm to oversee the vexing project, which has dragged on for years. The contract would cost the county $152,500. "Mr. Jarque has no intention of resigning,'' Hamilton said.