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Southwest Florida Roundup
Squeeze Play: Tampa Company Uses Its Presses to Squeeze Marijuana
Legal marijuana creates another business line for Vincent Corp.
Business Briefs
FORT MYERS/NAPLES — Scott Fischer Enterprises has sold two southwest Florida motorcycle dealerships, Six Bends Harley-Davidson in Fort Myers and Naples Harley-Davidson. The buyer, TMCFM, has multiple Harley-Davidson dealerships across the country, including one in West Palm Beach.
LAKEWOOD RANCH — Earth Fare supermarket, expected to open later this year, plans to hire more than 100 workers.
MADEIRA BEACH — The city commission in this fractious beach town hired Jonathan Evans, 37, as city manager. Evans was fired from his previous job as city manager of Riviera Beach in September after his staff investigated misconduct by city commissioners there. Among the three Madeira Beach city commissioners who voted to hire him are two facing a recall petition.
MANATEE COUNTY — Planners are considering proposals for two developments in the southern half of the county: The Villas at Lockwood Ridge, which would feature 84 townhomes, and Braden River Shores, which would include 417-single-family homes.
- Manatee County’s 16-member lifeguard team was ranked first in the state in 2017, according to the Florida Beach Patrol Chief’s Association. Aside from performing 80 water rescues and 2,800 swimmer assists last year, the lifeguards also helped with medical emergencies and evacuations during Hurricane Irma.
NEW PORT RICHEY — The Pasco County city recently completed $1.8 million in improvements to its recreation and aquatics center.
SARASOTA — Career Edge Funders Collaborative, which works to boost job opportunities and wages in Manatee and Sarasota counties, is funding an automotive technician program in partnership with six local car dealerships. Auto mechanics earn on average between $40,000 and $50,000 a year.
ST. PETERSBURG — The Reserve at Gateway, a 314-unit apartment community in the northern part of the city, has sold for $64.1 million. The buyer, Equus Capital Partners of Pennsylvania, has changed the complex’s name to Madison Gateway and says it will spend $2.4 million on improvements.
- HSN shareholders gave their final approval to HSN’s $2.1-billion sale to Liberty Interactive, the parent company of QVC.
TAMPA — Florida Funders, a firm providing early-stage capital to tech companies, has raised $10 million since last May and plans to raise $10 million more. Investors include Jeff Vinik, Chris Sullivan, Bob Basham and Steve Raymund.
- The 92-yearold Tampa Theatre downtown has reopened after $6 million in renovations.
- Revolution Capital Group, a former owner of the defunct Tampa Tribune, now wants to buy the Boston Herald for $5.75 million.
- CAE USA has won a $40-million contract from the U.S. Air Force to use simulators to train international military students to fly and maintain C-130 aircraft.
TAMPA BAY — PricewaterhouseCoopers, which employs 3,000 in the Tampa Bay area, plans to hire another 350.
- Tampa-based Yacht StarShip Cruises & Events has added a fourth yacht, the Yacht StarShip IV, a 124-foot ship based in Clearwater Beach that can accommodate 150 passengers.
- The owners of a bargelike vessel that operates as a floating bar in Tampa Bay have purchased an island off Apollo Beach in Hillsborough County. The seven-acre spoil island, nicknamed Beer Can Island because boaters often stop off there to drink alcohol, sold for $63,650 and will become the home base of the Tiki Bay Island floating bar.
WIMUAMA — Lennar plans to develop Montage at SouthShore Bay, an adult-oriented community of 855 homes. The development will feature a sixacre, man-made Crystal Lagoon lake.
Players
- White House Black Market, a Chico’s FAS clothing store brand, has a new president: David Pastrana. Pastrana replaces Donna Colaco, who left the company.
- Tim Schar is SunTrust’s new Tampa Bay market president. He had been CFO of California- based ApplePie Capital.
- St. Petersburg’s Warehouse Arts District has named Diane Bailey Morton its new executive director. An attorney, she replaces former executive director Mary Jane Park.
- Cecil L. Pendergrass was elected the 2018 chair of the Lee County Board of Port Commissioners, which oversees Southwest Florida International Airport and Page Field in Fort Myers.
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