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Southwest Florida & Tampa Bay Business Briefs - May 2008
BARTOW
» Filter maker Flanders Corp. plans to replace its fire-destroyed plant with a larger, 265,000-sq.-ft. facility. The new plant will employ 350.
BRADENTON
» Neal Communities announced a deal to build 45 homes in the Mandalay residential community. The homes, ranging from 2,479 to 3,300 square feet will be priced from the low $200,000s.
CAPE CORAL
» Considering factors such as the cost of labor and the education level of the local workforce, Forbes.com ranked the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area as the top region in the nation for job growth in 2007.
DE SOTO and HARDEE COUNTIES
» The two counties have been awarded $2 million in federal money to help pay for affordable housing projects. The De Soto Homeless Coalition was granted $500,000 to built 17 rental units in Arcadia; the Hardee County Housing Authority will use $500,000 to help build 20 units for senior citizens in Bowling Green; and Affordable Housing Solutions for Florida will build 75 apartments for seniors in Wauchula and 50 family rental units in Bowling Green with the $1 million it received.
FORT MYERS
» The Forum at Fort Myers, a 480,000-sq.-ft. retail center at Interstate 75 and Colonial Boulevard, will open this summer featuring a lineup of national retailers, including Home Depot and Target.
» The Madden Research Loop, a bioscience and technology research facility to be built near the Southwest International Airport, expects to break ground later this year.
NAPLES
» By a 4-3 vote, the Naples City Council rejected a proposed smoking ban on public beaches and city parks.
» Big Cypress Market Place, an air-conditioned flea market on East Tamiami Trail, is scheduled to open this summer with 140 retail vendors, a winery and eight restaurants.
PORT CHARLOTTE
» Citing the residential and economic slowdown, Kitson & Partners has withdrawn plans to develop Murdock Village, a major project proposed to bring homes, shops and offices downtown.
SARASOTA
» The Sarasota Opera House has reopened after undergoing a $20-million renovation.
» Diane and Bob Roskamp announced a $1-million gift to the Ringling College of Art and Design to help fund an expansion of the college’s facilities.
» Developers of downtown’s Proscenium project say they have a deal to add a Waldorf-Astoria hotel to the project’s mix of retail, restaurant and entertainment space.
ST. PETERSBURG
» Three developers, including one working with DeBartolo Holdings of Tampa, met the deadline for submitting bids to buy Tropicana Field and replace the Tampa Bay Rays’ stadium with homes, stores, restaurants and offices. The sale hinges on public support for a proposed $450-million field downtown.»
» The Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg has unveiled its $21.2-million Hazel Hough Wing.
ST. PETE BEACH
» The Loews Don CeSar Beach Resort has opened an $11-million spa, called Spa Oceana.
TAMPA
» Creative Recycling will remarket and recycle an estimated 29,000 touch-screen voting machines from 18 Florida counties as part a deal with the Secretary of State’s office.
» The University of South Florida has received an anonymous $10-million gift to fund scholarships and academic programs. USF has also broken ground on a $2.1-million search-and-rescue research facility.
» U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base is eliminating 1,100 positions. Also, Central Command’s chief, Adm. William Fallon, has stepped down. Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey is acting commander.
» The Epicurean Hotel, a luxury food-oriented condo/hotel project proposed by David Laxer of Bern’s Steak House, has been put on hold.
WINTER HAVEN
» The New York Times Co., owner of the Ledger newspaper in Lakeland, has purchased the News Chief, a Winter Haven daily. The News Chief will continue to publish, and its news staff and editorial board will still operate independently from the Ledger.
