SPOTLIGHT

Champing at the Bit

The University of Florida Veterinary Hospital at World Equestrian Center in Ocala recently opened. Services at the 40,000-sq.-ft. facility include diagnostic imaging, rehabilitation and sports medicine with a combination of advanced diagnostic imaging technology. Local pet owners can also use the facility.

By year’s end, students from the UF veterinary program will perform clinical rotations at the hospital.

HEALTH CARE

• UF Health Jacksonville will receive $80 million from the state to upgrade its trauma center, which will serve about 125,000 patients a year.
• The JaxUSA Partnership held a Medical Innovation Summit that attracted more than 300 attendees and included medically oriented presentations from various local hospitals, including Ascension St. Vincent’s and Mayo Clinic.
• The 50-bed Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital opened earlier this summer. Physical, occupational and speech therapies, along with 24-hour nursing care, are offered to patients who have suffered a stroke, brain injury or complex orthopedic conditions. Brian Soares is the hospital’s CEO.
• By this fall, HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital plans to open a freestanding emergency room in Middleburg to serve residents of southwestern Clay County. The 11-bed, 10,820-sq.-ft. emergency room will be open around the clock and will have lab and imaging services. This is the hospital’s third ER.
• Neuroscientists at the University of Florida, led by Dr. Habibeh Khoshbouei, identified two blood biomarkers that could make it easier to screen for Parkinson’s disease. The findings, published in the journal NPJ Parkinson’s Disease, focus on changes in the expression of two proteins in the blood immune cells of Parkinson’s disease patients.
• HCA Florida West Marion Hospital in Ocala has hired Peter Hemstead as its new CEO. He replaces Gabe Bullaro.

HIGHER EDUCATION

• Edward Waters University has received a $300,000 grant from Apple and the Propel Center for academic programming and research for arts and entertainment opportunities. Edward Waters was one of 10 historically Black colleges and universities in the U.S. chosen to receive the grant.

NON-PROFITS

• The Jacksonville Housing Authority received a four-year, $2.6-million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to open its Jobs Plus Center.
• The Museum of Science & History has selected New York City-based Local Projects to be the exhibit designer at its new location in downtown Jacksonville.

TRADE

• Groundbreaking will begin later this year on a riverfront Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Jacksonville. The hotel will anchor a mixed-use development led by PCL Construction.
• Jacksonville’s McVeigh & Magnum Engineering has been acquired by IMEG, a national engineering firm. McVeigh & Magnum will continue to operate out of its locations in Jacksonville, Atlanta, and Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C.
• Intercontinental Exchange is buying Jacksonville-based Black Knight, which provides software, data and analytics for mortgage and home equity lending and servicing. The $13.1-billion sale is pending approval from Black Knight stockholders but is slated to be final by next year.
• TC Federal Bank of Thomasville, Ga., plans to open a commercial loan production office in Jacksonville. It will follow up with a retail branch. Longtime banker Jeff Weeks will lead the market expansion. This is TC Bank’s fourth location. Its other Florida branch is in Tallahassee.
• Veho, which provides last-mile delivery for e-commerce brands, will open a $1.1-million distribution center in Northeast Florida. The company, which already has three Florida locations, also plans to expand to Tampa by the end of the year.
• Evans Rowing plans to bring a 1.62-acre recreational rowing center to a waterfront area along Julington Creek in St. Johns County. It will be the county’s first recreational rowing center.

TRANSPORTATION

• Construction is slated to begin in October on a $300-million, six-gate concourse at the Jacksonville International Airport. The concourse should be completed by mid-2025. The Jacksonville harbor deepening project is complete. The project increased the depth of the harbor from 40 feet to 47 feet along 11 miles of the federal shipping channel, from the sea buoy to Blount Island. The deepening allows larger ships to reach Blount Island and existing ships to carry more cargo.
• Flagler College in St. Augustine received a $12-million matching gift from the William R. Kenan Jr., Charitable Trust. It is the largest single donation the college has received and will be paid over four years. Funds will be used for financial aid, academic programs and the restoration of campus buildings, including the former Hotel Ponce de Leon.