GAINESVILLE —
» Stadium Club, a half-built condominium across University Avenue from the University of Florida’s football stadium, is in foreclosure after developers Philip and Sharon Stock of North Redington Beach missed payments on a $12.8-million mortgage. The site has been an eyesore since construction stopped in late 2007.
» Phoebe Cade Miles, philanthropist and daughter of late Gatorade inventor Robert Cade, is converting the historic Firestone building downtown into an events center for non-profit fund raising. The $3-million renovation is to be completed by spring.
HAMILTON COUNTY —
» Adage, a joint venture by Duke Energy and Areva to develop wood-biomass energy plants, announced plans to build its first such facility in Hamilton County, about 80 miles west of Jacksonville. The 50-megawatt plant is expected to create 400 construction jobs and 125 permanent jobs.
JACKSONVILLE —
» LandMar Group, which was to build the $450-million, mixed-use project Shipyards on the St. Johns River, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The city was already foreclosing on the project, a long-hoped-for centerpiece of downtown renewal. The Jacksonville-based residential development company was among 125 affiliates that filed along with its parent company, Charlotte, N.C.-based Crescent Resources.
» The city ranked Ross Perot’s Hillwood company of Dallas as top pick for master developer of 4,500 acres of city-owned land set aside for manufacturing and distribution centers at Cecil Field.
» EverBank, which added 200 positions earlier this year, is creating 100 more in Jacksonville because of a refinancing business bump.
» Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed a bill that would have allowed Duval County to collect a half-cent sales tax to cover healthcare for lower-income patients at hospitals such as Shands Jacksonville, which provides most of the city’s indigent care. Crist says he vetoed the bill because it allowed taxation without voter approval. But all other counties can levy such a tax to pay for indigent care; a glitch exempted Duval because its government is consolidated. Lawmakers had voted unanimously to fix the discrepancy.
» Volkswagen Group of America opened a $30-million parts facility in Jacksonville that is 30% larger than its former facility in the city. The center stocks about 50,000 parts for 115 VW and Audi dealerships around the Southeast and Puerto Rico.
» Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grille, a Jacksonville-based restaurant chain, shuttered its Jacksonville Beach and Roosevelt Boulevard locations. The company has no plans to close six other restaurants from Tampa to Tallahassee.
LEVY COUNTY —
» Jack Wilkinson, a 95-year-old retired farmer and public school teacher, donated $2.5 million to Central Florida Community College for a permanent Levy County campus that will bear his name. From his nursing home, he told the Gainesville Sun that he didn’t need the money and didn’t have family to pass it on to.
ORANGE PARK —
» Quantum Engineering, a subsidiary of Louisville, Ky.-based Safetran Systems that specializes in custom technologies for the railroad industry, is shuttering its Orange Park facility. The 88 employees who work in manufacturing will lose their jobs. The 20 who work in product engineering and development will move to a Safetran facility in Jacksonville.
ST. AUGUSTINE —
» U.S. News & World Report named St. Augustine one of the best places to live, the only Florida city in the top 10, which looked for “affordable communities that have strong economies and plenty of fun things to do.” The magazine noted a highly educated workforce, access to world-class golfing and enough play for “even the most fanatical outdoor sports enthusiast.”