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MONDAY, JAN. 14, 2008
TAMPA BAY:
Ultramansions Are Moving ... Even in This Market
A tiny subset of the real estate market remains vibrant: multimillion-dollar homes.
We're not talking McMansions shoehorned into quarter-acre lots. We're talking palatial waterfront estates, jaw-dropping homes with three-story marble entrances, elegant game parlors, aquarium-sized pools and servants' quarters bigger than the average Colonial. They are a market within a market, sort of like Baghdad's "Green Zone" protected from the ravages outside. [Source: St. Petersburg Times]
JACKSONVILLE:
What's Going on with Downtown?
Well, not as much as developers had planned, but not as little as recent economic news might make you think. Eighteen months ago, downtown Jacksonville was heading toward perhaps its greatest renaissance yet. Private developers were busily planning condominiums and offices along the St. Johns River and interest in smaller projects was heightening.
All that slowed as the real estate downturn took hold in 2007, first hitting residential developers as buyers dried up and later the commercial market as lenders tightened their requirements. [Source: Florida Times-Union]
More on this topic from Florida Trend:
PORT ST. LUCIE:
City, Once Ignored, Envied for Biotechs
Now a 120-acre section of citrus groves is sprouting a respectable biotechnology community. That's prompting other counties and cities across the state to call Enterprise Florida and ask:
"How did Port St. Lucie do it? What's going on? How are they able to be so successful in this area?
Suddenly, the city's Tradition community is looking like the ready-made biotech destination that was envisioned but never realized at Mecca Farms and Vavrus Ranch in Palm Beach County.
[Source: Palm Beach Post]
More on this topic from Florida Trend:
MANATEE:
Unfinished Homes Languish; Neighbors Fret
Unfinished construction and abandoned homes are nothing new. But Manatee County code enforcers worry that the languishing housing market and rising foreclosures in the region may be driving the numbers up.
Even one abandoned home or construction site, considered safety hazards and crime magnets, can cause problems for an entire neighborhood. It is not uncommon for property owners to simply abandon properties -- many were bought as investments -- when they can no longer make payments.
The banks take ownership but often do not maintain the homes or make sure squatters have not moved in. Sometimes it takes weeks to even determine ownership.
[Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
›Urban Harvest: A Farm in Pinellas County [St. Petersburg Times]
People live in Pinellas. Food grows in Pasco and Hillsborough. But one couple decided to farm where they live. Could it be the future?
›UF Prepares for Kevorkian Visit [Gainesville Sun]
Dr. Jack Kevorkian Tuesday's appearance, which has drawn strong opposition from right-to-life groups, was postponed in October after the infamous "Don't Tase me bro" affair.
›Salt Water Leaks from SeaWorld into Aquifer [Orlando Sentinel]
There also appears to be little risk that the salty groundwater, which is limited to the "surficial," or near-surface, aquifer, will wind up in someone's drinking water, normally drawn from the state's deep aquifer.
›Early Voting Starts Today; Big Turnout Expected for Primary [Sentinel]
The 2008 Florida presidential primary begins today with the start of early voting, and a flood of absentee-ballot requests is an indication that turnout could be high.
›No Piper Aircraft Decision Until End of Month or Later [TC Palm]
But local officials remain optimistic the plane maker will stay in Vero Beach.
›Who Can Win Florida? [St. Petersburg Times]
Democrats aren't sure whether Obama or Clinton would have a better shot in November.
›Q&A: Bank of America Buys Countrywide [St. Petersburg Times]
Bank of America said Friday it will buy Countrywide Financial Corp. for $4-billion, saving the troubled mortgage lender -- the nation's largest -- from collapse. What does this mean?
›Amendment 1 Decision May Not Be Easy One [Tallahassee Democrat]
Amendment 1 does propose, among other elements, to increase the homestead exemption by $25,000. But the break would apply only to non-school taxes. In many counties, school taxes are the biggest single item on a property owner's tax bill.
›Businesses Say They’re Starting to Feel the Water Pinch [Naples Daily News]
The tighter restrictions starting this week will affect businesses from nurseries and landscapers to car washes and pressure cleaners. Some could see more business, while others fear sales will go down the drain.
›South Florida Economic Outlook: Growth Is Slow [Miami Herald]
Many economists and business leaders note that the region's economy is holding up remarkably well in the face of multiple shocks: the housing downturn, the credit crunch and sky-high energy prices.
›Recession Would Hit Hard, State Economists Warn [Miami Herald]
Florida's economy, already slumping from a depressed real estate market and a sharp decline in sales-tax collections, would be hit hard if the country slides into a recession, state economic forecasters are warning lawmakers.
›Office Depot CEO on Hot Seat in 2008? [Palm Beach Post]
Steve Odland could do no wrong in 2005 when he took the top job at the Delray Beach-based office supplies retailer. Share prices shot up on news of his arrival. Eight straight quarters of double-digit gains followed.
›Some 'Green' Marketing Ploys Play Dirty Tricks [Miami Herald]
Environmentalists are suspicious of voluntary 'green' promotions that may do little or nothing to help the environment.
›Sen. Barack Obama's Name Misspelled on 2,000 Ballots [Orlando Sentinel]
The new year has barely begun, but things are already getting confusing at the Volusia County Supervisor of Elections Office.
›Low-Cost Alpacas Fit Business Plan [St. Petersburg Times]
The Berger's Suncoast Farms is one of about 100 serious alpaca breeding operations in the state of Florida.
›Lee Scrambling to Lure Europeans to Southwest Fla. [Fort Myers News-Press]
County and hoteliers are optimistic about the payoff from their overseas ventures.
›Listen to it Here: State Song Winner Announced [Fort Myers News-Press]
"Florida, Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky" beat out two competitors in an online competition conducted by the Florida Music Educators Association.
›Questions Surround Giuliani's All-In Bet On Florida's Primary [Tampa Tribune]
To some, it's a risky strategy based on questionable judgment. To others, it's the clever, unexpected move that will leave the former mayor of New York smelling like a rose.
›Opinion: Lake O Has its Limits [Palm Beach Post]
Dropping the lake as low as 6 feet also would threaten tourism that the lake supports. While agriculture deserves attention, what has happened to proposals to make farmers store more water on their own land?
›Paper Satirizes Stiffness at PBAU [Palm Beach Post]
An alternative newspaper skewers strict policies at 40-year-old school.
›Orlando-Area Dinner Theaters Face Stiff Competition for Audiences [Sentinel]
Dinner theaters were once part of the Florida mystique, places where busloads of retirees would file into pastel-colored auditoriums for an evening of rubber chicken and a reheated Broadway musical. Times and tastes have changed, and so has the concept.
›Nicaraguan Rum Ready to Conquer Florida [Miami Herald]
Robert Collins, Flor de Caña's managing director, says that the Nicaraguan company is launching a word-play campaign to help market its rum in South Florida and other key U.S. markets.
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