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TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2008
LAKELAND:
Publix to Buy 49 Florida Albertsons Stores
Publix Super Markets Inc. has agreed to buy more than half the Albertsons stores left in Florida as a fiercely competitive grocery war claims another casualty.
Signaling a major retreat from one of the state's biggest markets, the sale of 49 of 93 Albertsons across the state includes getting rid of 17 of 22 stores in the Tampa Bay area. The sell-off means 5,000 workers stand to lose their jobs. Al?bertsons officials declined to outline what sort of severance plan, if any, it will offer.
"We're hoping Publix will hire many of them, but we intend to remain in business in Florida," said Shane McEntarffer, spokesman for Albertsons. Publix will hold job fairs within weeks to interview those who might be interested in switching.
[Source: St. Petersburg Times]
More on this topic from Florida Trend:
NAPLES:
Radio Active
Once, George Beasley had to worry that cash-strapped advertisers might try to pay him in seafood. Today, his radio empire faces new challenges: In a multimedia world, there's much more competition for consumer's ears. Beasley Broadcast Group owns 44 radio stations and ranks as the 17th-largest radio group in the nation.
[Source: Florida Trend]
MIAMI:
UM Bets on Biotech Future
Could Miami be the next Silicon Valley, the next Research Triangle, the next Boston for the biotechnology business?
Top leaders at the University of Miami medical school say the answer is yes, and they are planning to build a new Life Science Park near Jackson Memorial Hospital as a centerpiece of their bid.
The park will provide office and laboratory space for companies that collaborate with UM researchers, making it easier to turn scientific discoveries into commercial products. At 1.4 million square feet, it would be about the same size as the Dolphin Mall in West Miami-Dade. It's an ambitious goal. Biotech -- the business of developing profitable products in medical and other life sciences -- is a growing industry but is now concentrated in a handful of major cities. An extensive 2002 study suggested that efforts to create new biotech clusters will be difficult at best.
[Source: Miami Herald]
NATURE COAST:
Environmental Groups Oppose Major Development
Thirty-seven environmental groups on Monday called for denial of a proposed permit for a hotel and condominium development along the Gulf of Mexico in Taylor County in a region called the Nature Coast.
Dr. J. Crayton Pruitt, a St. Petersburg surgeon, proposes 624 condominium units, an 874-rooom hotel, 280,000 square feet of commercial space and a golf course on 1,243 acres. Environmental groups and state agencies have raised concerns about the permit request to fill in or clear 44 acres of wetlands.
Environmental groups, including Audubon of Florida and the Florida Wildlife Federation, want the water district board to reject the request, saying approval would set a bad precedent for the region. The Suwannee River Water Management District board is scheduled to vote on the permit today at City Hall in Live Oak.
[Source: Tallahassee Democrat]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
›Stores, Restaurants Yank Tomatoes Amid Outbreak [Palm Beach Post]
From McDonald's to Publix, Taco Bell to Winn-Dixie, the story was the same Monday: Businesses across Florida and the nation removed, destroyed and shunned three varieties of tomatoes that have been linked to a national outbreak of salmonella poisoning.
›Miami-Dade Wants More Boat Docks, Lessen Manatee Protections [SP Times]
The county's plan for protecting manatees is regarded as one of the best in the state, an example for other Florida counties to follow.
But now county commissioners want to rewrite the 13-year-old plan to accommodate a growing demand for more boat docks.
›New iPhone Is Cheaper, Faster [AP]
The iPhone will soon be $200 and come with satellite navigation and faster Internet access, but it will be pricier to own because monthly service charges are rising.
›Odyssey-Spain Ship Dispute Expected to Drag On [St. Petersburg Times]
Lawyers for the two sides told a federal magistrate in Tampa on Monday that they expect to keep exchanging information until fall or later. So, a trial in the year-old case isn't likely until 2009, maybe later.
›Aircraft Firm Plots Big Buy [Palm Beach Post]
In a deal expected to create B/E Aerospace's largest and most profitable division, the Wellington company Monday announced it was acquiring a unit of Honeywell International Inc. for $1.05 billion in cash and stock.
›Orlando Realtors Find Weak Pulse in Housing Market [Orlando Sentinel]
The Orlando Regional Realtor Association said Monday that, from the industry's perspective, the local housing market appears to be continuing a "slow shift" toward a more balanced mix of buyers and sellers.
›Tourists Still Coming, But They're Looking for Bargains [Miami Herald]
For the six months that ended in March, state figures show that spending in the tourism sector has been flat or slightly up in Broward and Miami-Dade, even as spending overall dropped between 4% and 8%.
›Crist Might Veto Money for Jackson Memorial Hospital [Miami Herald]
Gov. Charlie Crist's office has made an ''implied'' threat to Jackson Memorial Hospital: participate in a new healthcare project or risk a $20 million budget veto, according to the Florida House leader and sources familiar with the conversations. ''If that kind of pressure is happening, it's not appropriate. These are publicly funded hospitals that provide care,'' said House Speaker Marco Rubio.
›Cape Coral Pulls Plug on $1B 1Utility Project [Fort Myers News-Press]
Though the project has been rife with controversy in its 10-year history, Monday marked the first time Council voted down project expansion plans. The move leaves the city, 6,200 homeowners and several hundred construction workers in limbo.
›Obama Backers Will Blitz Florida [St. Petersburg Times]
Starting next week, some 400 specially trained Barack Obama campaign "fellows" will fan out across Florida for an intensive six weeks of registering voters, mobilizing volunteers, as well as working to bring Hillary Rodham Clinton supporters into the fold.
›EPA Refuses to Limit Dirty-Water Transfers to Glades [Miami Herald]
In a case with national implications, federal regulators refused to monitor South Florida water managers' practice of pumping polluted water into Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. Related: Low Lake Okeechobee not all bad
›FAU's Tasers Are Still on the Shelf [Sun-Sentinel]
Two years after an officer shot a student, the Florida Atlantic University Police Department hasn't begun using Tasers purchased for officers as a non-lethal alternative to subdue suspects.
Police officials are still pondering whether to distribute the 12 stun guns, which were bought at a cost of nearly $10,000.
›USF Dean Resigns, Cites Budget Cuts [Tampa Tribune]
John Skvoretz, who has led the College of Arts and Sciences since 2005, wrote in an e-mail to faculty Sunday night that it was hard watching the university weigh proposals that would dismantle the college.
›State Judge Denies Ethics Charges [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
An appellate judge took the witness stand Monday to deny unprecedented ethics charges over his criticism of a colleague in an opinion that used colorful language and cited newspaper articles about political wheeling and dealing.
›AirTran Battles Headwinds [Orlando Sentinel]
Fuel once accounted for less than a fifth of AirTran's costs; this year, it could make up almost half. The airline expects its total fuel bill will rise nearly 70% this year, to almost $1.4 billion.
›Rays Count on Heavy Hitting Lawyer to Deliver Stadium [St. Petersburg Times]
Clearwater land use attorney Ed Armstrong joined the Rays' lineup in May — not because the team needed legal work, but because it needed access.
›New Law Will Forbid Food Waste in Landfill [Lakeland Ledger]
Gov. Charlie Crist is expected to sign a bill into law today that contains a clause forbidding commercial and residential food waste from being put in a construction refuse landfill northwest of Bartow.
›Deep Trouble in Shallow Water [Daytona Beach News-Journal]
Boaters in Ponce de Leon Inlet find deep water in short supply these days. Massive amounts of sand have washed into the inlet and piled up along the bottom, making the channel skinnier and shallower.
›Shareholder Group Opposes Terms of Danka Sale [St. Petersburg Times]
In April, Konica offered $240-million for Danka's Office Imaging business, headquartered in St. Petersburg. Danka and Konica said they hoped to complete the deal by midyear.
›Disney Plans Massive Bowling Stadium for Wide World of Sports [Sentinel]
Planned for 100 lanes, stadium-style seating and a restaurant, the facility would be complete in about 18 months. When not used for tournaments, the stadium would be open to the public. It would be the biggest in the country.
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