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Northeast Florida Roundup
UNF creates department of physical therapy to help expand PT academic programs
SPOTLIGHT
Elevating Physical Therapy
The University of North Florida has created a department of physical therapy to help expand PT academic programs, faculty-led research and local partnerships, like the post-professional residency in orthopedic practice the college has with Brooks Rehabilitation. Sherry Pinkstaff, who has been with the college since 2012, will lead the Brooks College of Health’s Department of Physical Therapy.
Future residency program plans include specialty areas such as pediatrics, faculty development and neurology. The college also plans to add dual-degree programs such as PT coupled with public health, health administration or business.
AVIATION
- Gainesville Regional Airport has completed work on its 15,200-sq.-ft., two-gate passenger terminal expansion. The project increases capacity and adds amenities, including expanded restrooms, a second food-and-beverage area, a lactation room and an outdoor pet relief area.
DISTRIBUTION
- Golf cart company Red Hawk has signed a lease for 72,000 square feet in Jacksonville’s Westside Distribution Center, doubling the golf cart distributor and dealer’s footprint in the region.
- Timber Hill Group, a Chicago-based equity firm, has purchased three industrial and logistics-related properties in northwest Jacksonville totaling 50 acres.
EDUCATION
- Gainesville’s Santa Fe College will launch an associate’s nursing program next spring with classes in the evening and on weekends.
- Jacksonville University has partnered with Chicago-based Rush University to create a master’s in respiratory care. Baptist Health donated $100,000 to help launch the program, which is expected to strengthen the pipeline of respiratory therapists in Northeast Florida.
ENVIRONMENT
- North Florida Land Trust has received a donation from the River Branch Foundation to purchase a portion of the Small Islands for conservation. Located off J. Turner Butler Boulevard at Jacksonville Beach, the land includes a salt marsh and tidal creeks that are home to rare species.
RESTAURANTS
- The owners of North Carolina-based coffee franchise Bitty & Beau plan to open a restaurant in Jacksonville. The company employs individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
HEALTH CARE
- UF Health has received a $25 million from the Fixel Family Foundation to expand the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, a clinical care and research enterprise focused on advancing diagnosis and treatment for Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders.
- The National Institutes of Health awarded UF Health neurosurgeon Brian Hoh a $38-million, five-year grant to test two prospective treatments for symptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis, a leading cause of ischemic stroke. Concord Hospitality Enterprises and Whitman Peterson, in collaboration with Mayo Clinic, are planning a $70-million Hilton Hotel & Resort near the hospital’s Jacksonville campus.
NON-PROFITS
The Frank DeLuca YMCA Sportsplex has opened in Ocala. The project, made possible through a $1-million donation by Frank DeLuca of DeLuca Toyota, includes a multipurpose “airnasium” for basketball and volleyball as well as four pickleball courts. The Jacksonville-based nonprofit organization Rethreaded has acquired Amelia Toffee Co. Rethreaded products are packaged and sold by women who have escaped human trafficking.
REAL ESTATE
- Jacksonville’s Downtown Investment Authority has approved nearly $30 million in incentives for the development of the former Florida Times-Union property. The city has agreed to split the cost of building a restaurant so that Fuqua Development can receive a rebate on some of its property taxes. The proposed plan for the property includes apartments, a grocery store and retail space.
- Jacksonville City Council has approved $24.7 million in incentives for the Laura Street Trio restoration project. Plans for restoration of three historic buildings at Laura and Forsyth streets include a Marriott Autograph hotel, 21,000 square feet of restaurant and lounge space and 8,000 square feet of retail space.
RETAIL
- After more than 50 years of selling orange juice, seashells and souvenirs on A1A in St. Augustine, Tom’s Fruits and Gifts will close.
SPORTS BUSINESS
- Construction is underway on the 40,000-sq.-ft. UF Veterinary Hospital at Ocala’s World Equestrian Center. The facility, which is expected to open next spring, will focus on sports medicine, diagnostic imaging, rehabilitation and after-hours urgent care.
TECHNOLOGY
- Jacksonville-based cybersecurity software developer Tauruseer has been awarded a patent for a system that visualizes and measures software risks between end-to-end users.
TRANSPORTATION
- The Jacksonville Port Authority has selected Superior Construction for the first phase of SSA Marine’s expansion at the Blount Island Marine Terminal. Plans call for increasing the container yard’s size from 50 to 90 acres with paving, fencing, gate enhancements and lighting improvements.
Read more in Florida Trend's December issue.
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