Town Center
The proposed Legacy Wiregrass Ranch is more than just another part of a master-planned community. If it’s ever realized, it would create a new downtown for the expanding Wiregrass Ranch development, Wesley Chapel and Pasco County at large.
The town center would unfold on 30 acres of ag land owned by JD Porter, whose family owns the 5,100-acre Wiregrass cattle ranch. (He also leads Locust Branch, the company that tackles all Wiregrass Ranch developments.) It would bring 150,000 square feet of office space, a 150-room hotel, 820 apartments and 150,000 square feet for retail and restaurants. The total 130-acre Legacy project is anticipated to cost more than $400 million.
Pasco County commissioners approved an economic development agreement for Legacy in June. As of press time, Locust Branch was identifying potential tenants and development partners, said COO Scott Sheridan. The project is projected to generate $575 million annually for Pasco County and create 7,000-plus jobs.
Arts Center
The Bay Park redevelopment is infusing more green spaces, restaurants and attractions into 53 acres of city-owned land along Sarasota’s bayfront over the next decade. One of the hopeful crown jewels of the project? A new Sarasota Performing Arts Center.
In 2023, international architect Renzo Piano Building Workshop and local Sweet Sparkman Architecture & Interiors were selected to design the facility. An initial concept shared last year featured two buildings — a 2,700-seat main theater and a smaller multipurpose venue — linked by raised walkways. Revised designs based on community and City Commission feedback should be available by early spring.
An implementation agreement for the public-private joint venture, which was originally billed as a $300-million project, had been delayed twice as of press time. Proponents say the Sarasota Performing Arts Center would welcome around 500,000 visitors and generate an estimated $200 million annually.
Master Plan
Alico is no stranger to diversification. The Fort Myers-based agribusiness and land management company has long dabbled in citrus, cattle, sugarcane, sod and mining operations on its more than 50,000 acres.
Now, as a disease called citrus greening wreaks havoc on Florida’s citrus industry, Alico is pivoting. Last March, it filed its first development application for what will ultimately be a 4,600-acre master-planned community in northwest Collier County. By June, state legislation created a stewardship district to help manage the two 1,500-acre mixed-use communities that will comprise Corkscrew Grove Villages.
It represents Alico’s latest departure from its longtime citrus operations – a move that should bring $335 million to $380 million in residential and commercial developments over the next five years, president and CEO John Kiernan told investors in May. Along with Corkscrew Grove Villages, the company is also pursuing development in Highlands, Polk and Hendry counties. Last year marked Alico’s final major citrus harvest.
- CONSTRUCTION
Robert Brown
CEO & Founder
GCM Contracting Solutions, Fort Myers
WORKFORCE: “We probably have the biggest pipeline we’ve ever had going into 2026. I would say (workforce) is not a challenge yet, but it is a concern going forward that there won’t be enough to go around. Our team, as well as a lot of teams, are an older workforce. … We’re going to have to find ways to train and replace them.”
TRENDS: “We are starting to do automation for car parks and warehouses. We think automation, with workforce shortages, is a thing of the future.”
IMMIGRATION: “It has an impact for our workforce. Our state is pretty staunch regarding its immigration policies, and I think that affects the immigration in our area. At the same time, hopefully we as a country can solve this with better immigration laws. Ideally, we would be able to bring in a workforce on a temporary basis and not have the ebbs and flows of illegal immigration.”
- DEFENSE
Cameron Chell
Co-founder, CEO and President
Draganfly, Tampa
OUTLOOK: “The defense sector, in general, is on a tear right now in terms of retooling, reimagining and upgrading. As it relates specifically to drone industry economics, North America and many parts of the world have moved from a consumer- and industrial-based capitalist function to a policy-driven area because drones are such a strategic imperative. … The challenge is a bit of a whipsaw in uncertainty around where geopolitical policy is going to land. Our international sales are a bit unpredictable.”
HIRING: “We’ll definitely be in hiring mode in 2026. We’ll never hire enough people. … I don’t think we’ll meet our workforce needs, but that’s more a function of the bulge in scale and demand that’s happening. … It’s a bit of an extraordinary situation.”
TARIFF IMPACT: “I’m not a tariff guy, but surprisingly, it’s been positive. It’s unique for us, because we have manufacturing in both Canada and the United States, so we’re able to supply either side of the border appropriately. Because both of those countries have adopted a nationalist type of policy where it’s either ‘buy American’ or ‘buy Canadian,’ it’s actually worked out as an advantage to us. Certainly, in terms of competing against the offshore manufacturing, it’s been an advantage.”
- NONPROFIT
Nelle S. Miller
CEO and President
All Faiths Food Bank, Sarasota
CHALLENGES: “It’s going to be very challenging for a lot of not-for-profits who have missions that aren’t well defined and whose donors, for one reason or another, feel they’re superfluous. They’re nice to have, but they’re not necessary to ongoing life as we know it. There’s going to be some donor fatigue because, as we’ve experienced all these cutbacks from the government in all sectors of not-for-profit work and philanthropy, they have literally stated, ‘Philanthropy will pick this up.’ For how long can we do that?”
DONATIONS: “Operationally, we’re stable, but we’re going to have to put more and more money into buying food. … Our major retail donors, who give us millions of pounds of food a year, their donations are somewhat flat. So, as our numbers in need increase and our food source remains flat, we have to somehow subsidize that. … We’re going to really struggle to get enough food out there. It may mean we have to adjust the amount of food that we give to each person as they come through our system.”
- MANUFACTURING
Kevin Grief
Senior Vice President of Operations,
Arthrex, Naples
INSOURCING: “In the medical manufacturing sector, we see strong momentum — especially in the U.S., where domestic production continues to thrive. Arthrex’s long-standing commitment to U.S.-based manufacturing has positioned us well. Our decision to insource over 20 years ago, while others outsourced, has proven to be a forward-thinking strategy.”
HIRING: “Arthrex is proudly in hiring mode. ... While workforce development in Southwest Florida presents some unique considerations — such as housing and infrastructure — we view these as opportunities to strengthen our community partnerships and invest in long-term solutions. Our collaboration with universities across the state of Florida continues to grow, helping us connect with emerging talent. For highly specialized roles, we conduct national searches and offer relocation support. Through initiatives like the FutureMakers Coalition, we’re contributing to a regional effort to build a skilled and empowered workforce.”
Business Briefs
CITRUS COUNTY
- Leesburg-based LifeStream Behavioral Center is constructing a $16-million, 48,000-sq.-ft. behavioral health building with 60 beds in Lecanto, marking Citrus County’s first Baker Act facility.
HERNANDO COUNTY
- The city of Brooksville and Hernando County are eying their recently created 697-acre South Brooksville Community Redevelopment Area to plan for new affordable housing, infrastructure upgrades, commercial businesses and green spaces.
PASCO COUNTY
- Texas-based Columnar is making headway on Double Branch, a 965-acre master-planned development that will house 5.5 million square feet of industrial, 1 million square feet of offices, 500,000 square feet of retail, 3,500 housing units and two hotels.
PINELLAS COUNTY
- Largo’s $85-million downtown redevelopment project — called Horizon West Bay — includes a new city hall, 18,000 square feet of retail and a parking garage.
POLK COUNTY
- The seven-story, $166-million Lakeland Highlands Hospital — a collaboration between Orlando Health and local, physician-owned Watson Clinic — is scheduled to open this summer, along with a medical office building and an ambulatory surgery center.
MANATEE COUNTY
- Forest Cove, a 156- unit workforce housing community managed by Sarasota-based developer-operator One Stop Housing, will break ground in Bradenton early this year.
HARDEE COUNTY
- The city-owned Wauchula Municipal Airport is designing multimillion-dollar projects that would extend its runway and taxiway, add new T-hangars and construct a new rotating beacon tower.
HIGHLANDS COUNTY
- Amazon’s new 75,000-sq.-ft. Lake Placid delivery center became operational in November.
SARASOTA COUNTY
- Arizona-based homebuilder Taylor Morrison’s Esplanade at Wellen Park will open early this year in Venice with 877 homes, resort-style amenities and wellness programs.
DESOTO COUNTY
- The North Arcadia Complex in the county seat is getting a facelift, including new pickleball courts, landscaping, scoreboards, sidewalks, renovated bathrooms and playground improvements.
CHARLOTTE COUNTY
- Thanks to $1.75 million in state funding, the Southwest Florida Advanced Manufacturing Training Center has launched in Punta Gorda’s Enterprise Charlotte Airport Park, creating a regional hub for training in aerospace and advanced manufacturing.
GLADES COUNTY
- On 550 acres near Okeechobee, the master-planned Lakefront Estates and Villas will comprise up to 1,000 single-family homes, 300 rental units, 780,000 square feet of commercial space, two synagogues and a private Jewish school.
HENDRY COUNTY
- A strip of LaBelle land near State Road 80 is slated to become a water park, 80- room hotel, 1950s-style diner and retail.
LEE COUNTY
- In a $1.1-billion phase of its terminal expansion project, the Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers is adding a new concourse with 14 initial gates and expanded retail, food and beverage concessions.
COLLIER COUNTY
- The planned town of Big Cypress — the future anchor of the Rivergrass, Longwater and Bellmar villages coming to eastern Collier County — is expecting to open home sales by this fall.