The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, FL) articles from July 2005

The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, FL) archives from July 2005

Related Group plans condo tower in West Palm.
July 31, 2005... Byline: Alexandra Clough Jul. 31--The Related Group, which helped build West Palm Beach's CityPlace, is about to bring its real estate magic to the city's sleepy north end. The Miami development company plans to build a luxury...

Sales taxes used for uninsured health care.
July 31, 2005... Byline: Phil Galewitz Jul. 31--While state lawmakers in Tallahassee steadfastly refuse to raise taxes to improve health care for the uninsured, residents in two Florida counties voted to do just that. Last year, Alachua and Polk counties...

Earthlink sets out to do some major rewiring.
July 31, 2005... Byline: Bob Keefe Jul. 31--There was a time when the world was wide open for EarthLink Inc. The Atlanta-based Internet service provider was one of the hottest technology companies around, with its stock in the clouds and its cool...

Local governments find ways to assist with care for uninsured.
July 31, 2005... Byline: Phil Galewitz Jul. 31--While most of the state's uninsured residents live in South Florida, two cities in central and northern Florida have attracted national attention for the medical programs they offer the poor in their...

Lin Gosman fined $1,200 for delaying release of documents.
July 30, 2005... Byline: Paul Owers Jul. 30--Lin Gosman, the wife of former health-care magnate Abe Gosman, didn't believe what she was hearing Friday. As the trustee's lawyer in Abe Gosman's Chapter 7 bankruptcy case repeatedly told a judge that she...

Canker found in PBC's Callery-Judge grove.
July 30, 2005... Byline: Susan Salisbury Jul. 30--Canker came calling this week at one of Palm Beach County's last two remaining citrus groves. A single infected grapefruit tree was found at the northeast edge of Callery-Judge Grove near Loxahatchee...

Homeowners, insurers still haggling over repairs from last year's storms.
July 30, 2005... Byline: David Sedore Jul. 30--It's easy to spot the Michlowitz residence. It's the only one in Wellington's Aero Club neighborhood with a roof still covered with blue tarps. Almost 11 months after Hurricane Frances nearly blew the...

Canker found in Palm Beach County's Callery-Judge grove.
July 30, 2005... Byline: Susan Salisbury Jul. 30--Canker came calling this week at one of Palm Beach County's last two remaining citrus groves. A single infected grapefruit tree was found at the northeast edge of Callery-Judge Grove near Loxahatchee...

Boca's RailAmerica credits safety push for profit jump.
July 29, 2005... Byline: Joseph Tartakoff Jul. 29--RailAmerica Inc. reported markedly higher second-quarter earnings and revenue Thursday on increased shipments of goods, but the Boca Raton-based short-line rail company warned full-year results could be...

State sugar producers vow to fight future trade pacts.
July 29, 2005... Byline: Susan Salisbury Jul. 29--The U.S. sugar industry, including Florida producers based in the Glades, turned its attention toward defeating future trade deals following the narrow approval Thursday of the Central American Free Trade...

Overseas business helps BE Aerospace's profits soar.
July 28, 2005... Byline: Stephen Pounds Jul. 28--BE Aerospace glided to higher profits in the second quarter from the sale of airline seats overseas even as penny-pinching American carriers steered away from upgrading their aging fleets. ...

Allstate cites risk for variations in hike requests.
July 28, 2005... Byline: David Sedore Jul. 28--It's little consolation, but Palm Beach County residents who insure their homes through Allstate's two Florida companies won't be hit as hard by planned rate hikes as policyholders living in other parts of...

Audit: Geo Group overcharged state.
July 28, 2005... Byline: Joseph Tartakoff Jul. 28--Inadequate oversight in Tallahassee allowed prison operator The Geo Group Inc. to overcharge the state by at least $5 million for services at correctional facilities in Palm Beach and Glades counties,...

Foster to direct film on Big Sugar/cane cutter fight.
July 28, 2005... Byline: Susan Salisbury Jul. 28--Actress Jodie Foster will direct a movie about a young lawyer and a veteran public-interest attorney who fight Palm Beach's own first family of sugar, the Fanjuls, on behalf of Jamaican cane cutters. ...

New Jersey financial institution buys Palm Beach County Bank.
July 27, 2005... Byline: David Sedore Jul. 27--A brash New Jersey bank known for its customer service is hoping a $100 million deal for seven-branch Palm Beach County Bank will give it the foundation to become a force in South Florida. In fact,...

Gas prices jolt consumer confidence.
July 27, 2005... Byline: Jeff Ostrowski Jul. 27--Floridians' confidence in the economy plunged this month largely due to concern over rising gas prices, according to a survey released Tuesday. The state's consumer confidence index fell to 93 in July...

Is Jacuzzi for sale?
July 26, 2005... Byline: Joseph M. Tartakoff Jul. 26--For a decade, Jacuzzi Brands Inc. has been on a selling spree -- unloading its garden tools, outdoor furniture and ladder divisions. Now, analysts say the spa and plumbing-ware maker may be...

Young Florida companies starve for venture-capital investments.
July 26, 2005... Byline: Stephen Pounds Jul. 26--The well of investment dollars for young Florida companies to expand dried to a trickle last quarter. In the second quarter, venture capitalists invested $29 million in Florida firms, the lowest amount...

State's building boom bolsters horticulture.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Susan Salisbury Jul. 25--Commercial and residential construction continues to proliferate in Florida like the proverbial weed, but sprouting along with it are businesses that surround it in shades of green. A new study by the...

New Red Cross parties can be lifesavers.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Stephanie Horvath Jul. 25--Taking a page from the Tupperware book, the American Red Cross's Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter now offers a series of in-home parties that teach lifesaving skills. Instead of plastic storage...

Mulling changes for uninsured care, Palm Beach County studies neighbors.
July 24, 2005... Byline: Phil Galewitz Jul. 24--As state and federal efforts to reduce the number of Americans without health insurance lag, the burden has fallen to cities and counties to tackle the growing problem that prevents millions of people from...

Boca Raton chamber head retires.
July 23, 2005... Byline: Stephen Pounds Jul. 23--Mike Arts, one of the region's most prominent and politically active business figures, said Friday that he is retiring after 20 years of running the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. Arts, 65, will be...

State's jobless rate falls below 4 percent.
July 23, 2005... Byline: David Sedore Jul. 23--Florida's already shallow pool of available workers is drying up rapidly -- a boon to job seekers, but a migraine for those doing the hiring -- according to a state report released Friday. The statewide...

FPL's second-quarter profit drops 21 percent.
July 23, 2005... Byline: Kristi Swartz Jul. 23--Mild weather and the higher price of power cut FPL Group Inc.'s second-quarter profit by 21 percent, the company said Friday. A spring with a prolonged period of cooler temperatures kept Floridians...

Delray Medical joins others against west Boynton hospital.
July 22, 2005... Byline: Stephanie Horvath Jul. 22--There's a distinct feeling of deja-vu regarding plans to build a hospital west of Boynton Beach. Delray Medical Center on Thursday became the third local hospital to appeal the Florida Agency for...

New owner plans hip update for 1925 GulfStream Hotel.
July 22, 2005... Byline: Paul Owers Jul. 22--Get ready for a hipper GulfStream Hotel. Ceebraid-Signal Corp. of West Palm Beach completed a $13 million deal last week for the Lake Worth landmark and plans to turn it, during the next year, into an...

Cargill closing St. Lucie juice plant.
July 22, 2005... Byline: Susan Salisbury Jul. 22--Count it as yet another hurricane victim. A Cargill Citro Pure juice production plant in Fort Pierce that hasn't squeezed a grapefruit since before the 2004 hurricanes is closing. Plant...

Developer buys 91,000-acre Babcock Ranch.
July 22, 2005... Byline: Linda Rawls Jul. 22--Kitson & Partners, the West Palm Beach-based developer of Ibis Golf & Country Club, has bought the 91,000-acre Babcock Ranch -- a pristine environmental treasure near Fort Myers that includes Florida panthers...

Tough medicine, better sales send Office Depot stocks soaring.
July 22, 2005... Byline: Paul Owers Jul. 22--Office Depot Inc. said Thursday profits rose 26 percent in the second quarter on cost-cutting and sales increases, sending company shares up on their biggest one-day jump in three years. The figures beat...

Florida lawmaker wants homeowner rate hikes probed.
July 21, 2005... Byline: David Sedore Jul. 21--Homeowner insurance companies are seeking rate hikes that appear to be "excessive and unfair," Sen. Ron Klein said Wednesday, and he wants the state to do something about it. Klein, D-Delray Beach, asked...

JFK joins challenge to Bethesda's planned western hospital.
July 21, 2005... Byline: Stephanie Horvath Jul. 21--JFK Medical Center has become the second local hospital to challenge the construction of a new hospital west of Boynton Beach. Last month the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration approved...

Slim-Fast to leave West Palm Beach, Fla., headquarters.
July 21, 2005... Byline: Paul Owers Jul. 21--Slim-Fast Foods Co. will close its 68-person West Palm Beach headquarters and fold it into parent Unilever's national office in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Unilever spokeswoman Jennifer Stalzer said Wednesday...

Tax-free shopping is back!
July 21, 2005... Byline: Susan Salisbury Jul. 21--It's time to stock up on those back-to-school staples such as pencils, notebooks and a new pair of jeans. And don't forget the fishing vests, sleepwear, robes and slippers. They're all part of...

Loss at Nabi Biopharmaceuticals deepens since losing top drug.
July 20, 2005... Byline: Stephen Pounds Jul. 20--Losses at Nabi Biopharmaceuticals deepened in the second quarter as the company felt the full effect of losing its best-selling drug this year and deferring revenue on the sale of another drug, the company...

Officials OK reduced FPL surcharge.
July 20, 2005... Byline: Kristi E. Swartz Jul. 20--Customers of Florida Power & Light Co. will continue paying some of the company's 2004 hurricane expenses for the next three years, state regulators decided Tuesday. But they will be paying slightly...

Competitor challenges Bethesda bid for west Boynton hospital.
July 19, 2005... Byline: Stephanie Horvath Jul. 19--In the past few years, local hospitals have poured thousands of hours and dollars into a fight over whether or not a new hospital should be built west of Boynton Beach. And, like a broken record, it...

Decision expected on storm surcharge.
July 19, 2005... Byline: Kristi E. Swartz Jul. 19--Florida Power & Light Co. has been collecting $2.09 a month from its customers since February to pay for last year's hurricane expenses. Today, state regulators will decide whether the company can...

First Peoples Bank excited about public trading.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Lori Becker Jul. 18--Shares are expected to start trading this week for the Treasure Coast's newest public company, First Peoples Bank. Under the ticker FPBI, shares of the homegrown community bank will trade on the Nasdaq...

The Palm Beach Post, Fla., Lori Becker column.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Lori Becker Jul. 18--MARTIN BUSINESSMAN GUERTIN TO RUN CARIBBEAN RESORT: Gary Guertin is island-bound. The longtime Martin County businessman is leaving the Treasure Coast to run a luxury resort in the eastern Caribbean. ...

Local builders win regional award.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Linda Rawls Jul. 18--If you're a builder -- or a member of the myriad professions that make home building a multibillion dollar industry in South Florida -- then the Aurora Award is the honor you covet, just as a singer craves a...

The Palm Beach Post, Fla., Moving Up column.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Mary Thurwachter Jul. 18--NAME: Josette G. Kaufman POSITION: Executive director, Arthur R. Marshall Foundation PLACE OF BUSINESS: West Palm Beach. RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Arthur R. Marshall Foundation has been...

Riviera-made custom 'Vettes faster, more furious.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Stephen Pounds Jul. 18--This street 'Vette packs some wallop. Race-car enthusiast and financier Warren Mosler's MT900S Corvette is sassier than most, sporting a high-performance 435-horsepower engine and a super-light...

New drug under study may reverse effects of eye disorder.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Susan R. Miller Jul. 18--Marion Kleinfeld's life was rapidly growing dark. The 78-year-old Delray Beach grandmother was legally blind in her right eye and one morning awoke to discover she couldn't read the paper with her...

Pension programs no longer a given.
July 18, 2005... Byline: David Sedore Jul. 18--Trade in your fully funded, decades-old company pension plan for a new package of retirement benefits that promises to be fully funded. That's the offer workers at St. Mary's Medical Center were given a...

The Palm Beach Post, Fla., real estate column.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Paul Owers Jul. 18--PLAZA IN ROYAL PALM TO DRAW OUTBACK, 5 RETAILERS NEW TO AREA: Rick Gertz Jr. and Gene Newman know that not every major retailer has a store in west-central Palm Beach County. It only seems that way. And in...

The Palm Beach Post, Fla., Alexandra Clough column.
July 17, 2005... Byline: Alexandra Clough Jul. 17--BOCA VET PUTTING PETS IN THE LAP OF LUXURY: A doctor is poised to break ground on a medical complex in Boca Raton that'll blend Western-style medicine with Eastern techniques. The luxurious complex will...

Paxson changing PAX-TV's name, how network operates.
July 17, 2005... Byline: Joseph M. Tartakoff Jul. 17--Four years ago, Paxson Communications Corp. was on a roll. Ratings at Paxson's family-friendly network, PAX-TV, were up 23 percent for the year and analysts were recommending the company's stock,...

Florida Power & Light Co. sells home generators.
July 16, 2005... Byline: Kristi E. Swartz Jul. 16--Jupiter Inlet Colony Mayor John Zuccarelli joked last year that it might be cheaper to buy all of his town's residents a generator to cope with post-hurricane power outages rather than shell out millions...

Insurers boost Gallagher's campaign coffers.
July 16, 2005... Byline: David Sedore Jul. 16--Tom Gallagher might be trailing Charlie Crist when it comes to raising money in the race to become the Republican candidate for governor, but he does have a big edge among one constituency: the state's...

Former New York Mayor Giuliani shares thoughts for leadership in a crisis.
July 16, 2005... Byline: Linda Rawls Jul. 16--If Rudy Giuliani said he could tell you how to handle any crisis in your personal or professional life -- and emerge as a courageous leader -- you would probably listen. After all, the former mayor of New...

OSHA cites, fines NuCO2 in driver death.
July 16, 2005... Byline: Lori Becker Jul. 16--Carbon dioxide supplier NuCO2 Inc. was cited and fined $12,600 last week in connection with the January death of one of the company's delivery drivers. After a six-month investigation, the U.S....

25 candidates to be considered for 3 PSC posts.
July 16, 2005... Byline: Kristi Swartz Jul. 16--Another step in selecting three people who will help decide how much you pay the phone, utility and water companies will begin Monday. The nominating council for the state Public Service Commission,...

Allstate hikes Florida homeowner rates 8.6 percent now, plans second increase.
July 15, 2005... Byline: David Sedore Jul. 15--Allstate Floridian, which recently agreed to split a nearly 30 percent home insurance rate hike into two separate increases, made it official Thursday. The state's third-largest insurer is raising...

Blue Cross, Tenet sign new contract.
July 15, 2005... Byline: Stephanie Horvath Jul. 15--Palm Beach County's largest hospital operator and the state's largest health insurer agreed to a new contract Thursday at the end of a two-week extension of the old pact. Blue Cross Blue Shield of...

Palm Beach County, Fla., passes housing boom peak, expert says.
July 15, 2005... Byline: Linda Rawls Jul. 15--Palm Beach County's hot housing market is in no danger of a bubble -- a plunge in prices and demand -- but the heady days of making a fast killing in real estate are over, two prominent housing economists...

Boca Raton, Fla.-based prison operator Geo Group to buy cross-state rival.
July 15, 2005... Byline: Stephen Pounds Jul. 15--The Geo Group is buying one of its rivals, Sarasota-based prison management firm Correctional Services Corp., for $62 million in cash, Geo said Thursday. Boca Raton-based Geo has been searching out an...

West Palm rum maker rides high on potential buy.
July 14, 2005... Byline: Joseph M. Tartakoff Jul. 14--Life is sweet these days for rum maker Cruzan International Inc. The West Palm Beach-based company's stock (Amex: RUM, $28.11) is up nearly 100 percent since the owner of Absolut Vodka acquired a...

Palms West goes high-tech with new ICU, telemetry unit.
July 13, 2005... Byline: Joseph M. Tartakoff Jul. 13--A nurse uses a wireless scanner to read a band on a patient's arm and then goes to a monitor to determine precisely what dose of medicine is necessary. Later, when the patient needs to be weighed,...

Orange outlook scaled back after storm-stunted season.
July 13, 2005... Byline: Susan Salisbury Jul. 13--Florida's hurricane-hammered orange crop of just under 150 million boxes is the smallest in 13 years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in its end-of-season forecast Tuesday. June's rains...

Canker toll at millions of trees.
July 12, 2005... Byline: Susan Salisbury Jul. 12--More than 3.6 million commercial citrus trees have been, or are scheduled to be, felled in the fight against citrus canker, new figures from the state Agriculture Department show. Much of the recent...

Insurers assess Dennis' hit.
July 12, 2005... Byline: David Sedore Jul. 12--Insurers began mobilizing their armies of adjusters Monday in the wake of Hurricane Dennis, but so far had little to report as far as the number of homeowner claims and how much it will cost to repair...

Twenty-one banks, thrifts earn Bauer 5-star rating.
July 11, 2005... Byline: David Sedore Jul. 11--These are flush times for local banks and thrifts. During the quarter ended March 31, 21 institutions doing business in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast earned five-star ratings for superior...

Gearhead publisher resurrects 'Kulture'.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Jeff Ostrowski Jul. 11--Saying he's built a loyal following with his glossy magazines for hot-rodders and bikers, publisher Geno DiPol plans to launch a new title in August. DiPol, of Boca Raton, said Car Kulture Deluxe...

Ex-Publix VP's book lauds customer service.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Joseph M. Tartakoff Jul. 11--Joseph Carvin, former vice president of human resources at Publix Super Markets Inc., is convinced customer service at the chain's 850 stores is the best thing since sliced bread. "Publix is the...

The Palm Beach Post, Fla., residential real estate column.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Linda Rawls Jul. 11--'DAREDEVIL DEVELOPER' MCKINNEY DROPS $42.5 MILLION ON MANALAPAN VACANT LOT: What goes around comes around -- but when it does, it costs a whole lot more in Manalapan. Local megamansion builder Frank...

South Florida warms up to wireless 'hot spots'.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Stephen Pounds Jul. 11--Renford Williams sits erect at a countertop in the waiting room of Tires Plus in Lake Worth facing an open laptop computer while others slump in their chairs watching an overhead television. The...

The Palm Beach Post, Fla., Alexandra Clough column.
July 10, 2005... Byline: Alexandra Clough Jul. 10--CHARITIES RECEIVE UNCLAIMED MILLIONS FROM CELLASENE CLASS-ACTION SUIT: Several Palm Beach County charities received a nice check recently -- courtesy of a Boca Raton company and its ill-fated fat buster....

Five towns weigh plusses, prices of burying power lines.
July 10, 2005... Byline: Kristi E. Swartz Jul. 10--There were power poles and wires all over the roads of Jupiter Island after Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne came to call. "Then you have to repair all of that," said Charles Falcone, a Jupiter Island...

The Palm Beach Post, Fla., business briefs.
July 9, 2005... Jul. 9--ARTESYN CREATES BOARD SEAT FOR HEDGE FUND REPRESENTATIVE: Artesyn Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: ATSN, $9.66) created a board seat for Marc Weisman, a representative of JANA Partners LLC, a $1.4 billion hedge fund with offices in San...

Black women take control by opening businesses.
July 9, 2005... Byline: Susan Salisbury Jul. 9--Karline Ricketts' moment of truth came when she realized she would never be named controller of the major New York retail firm for which she was head bookkeeper. The time was the 1980s, and Ricketts...

Nationwide gets state OK to raise homeowner rates 21.3 percent.
July 9, 2005... Byline: David Sedore Jul. 9--Nationwide Insurance Co. has received state approval to raise homeowner rates by a statewide average of 21.3 percent and mobile-home rates by an average of 25 percent. The state Office of Insurance...

London assault likely to shift security push to mass transit.
July 9, 2005... Byline: Stephen Pounds Jul. 9--As the attacks on London's subway and bus system sink in with the Bush administration and Congress, local security company executives said Friday they see attention turning from airport security to a...

Reduced FPL storm recovery amount urged in Florida.
July 8, 2005... Byline: Kristi Swartz Jul. 8--The staff of the state Public Service Commission on Thursday recommended slicing $91.9 million from the amount that Florida Power & Light Co. wants to recover from customers to help pay for last year's storm...

Jacuzzi closes Eljer sale to Boca Raton buyout firm.
July 7, 2005... Byline: Stephen Pounds Jul. 7--Bath and plumbing products maker Jacuzzi Brands Inc. has completed the sale of its Eljer Plumbingware business to an affiliate of buyout firm Sun Capital Partners, the companies said Wednesday. Jacuzzi...

Citizens halts new policies as Cindy bears down.
July 6, 2005... Byline: David Sedore Jul. 6--Tropical Storm Cindy has Citizens Property Insurance Corp. on hold as far as writing new homeowner policies is concerned. Meteorologists Tuesday issued a tropical storm watch for parts of the Gulf Coast...

Plastic surgeons, Bethesda given lawsuit extension.
July 6, 2005... Byline: Stephanie Horvath Jul. 6--A long-running battle between Bethesda Memorial Hospital and six of its plastic surgeons got a 60-day extension Tuesday. The surgeons -- Drs. Luis Vinas, Alan Pillersdorf, Dov Eidelman, Hatem...

The Palm Beach Post, Fla., Moving Up column.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Mary Thurwachter Jul. 4--NAME: John Tranter POSITION: CEO of Gulfstream Business Bank in Stuart RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Just six years after opening its doors in Stuart, Gulfstream Business Bank is expanding its Palm...

Heart injection study breathes life into patient.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Stephanie Horvath Jul. 4--As the morning sun sears the paved path outside his Hutchinson Island condominium, Bill Bray is working up a sweat on his daily 2-mile walk. Even though he's sweating, at no point during the brisk...

PAX-TV makeover includes name change to 'i'.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Joseph M. Tartakoff Jul. 4--Paxson Communications Corp. renamed its PAX-TV network with one letter -- "i" -- last week while realigning its mission as a provider of independently produced television. But when it came to...

Area pediatric group celebrates 50 years.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Stephanie Horvath Jul. 4--This week the nation's largest privately held pediatric practice will celebrate 50 years of treating children. Pediatric Associates opened its first office in Hollywood on July 8, 1955. Friday it...

The Palm Beach Post, Fla., real estate column.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Paul Owers Jul. 4--E.R. BRADLEY'S NOT FOR SALE AT ANY PRICE: We all should have Frank Coniglio's troubles. Poor guy can't finish breakfast without fielding unsolicited bids for his real estate holdings. Coniglio, 66, owns...

Bethesda Memorial Hospital testing bat-based stroke drug.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Stephanie Horvath Jul. 4--Vampire bats might soon become a stroke patient's best friend. A new clot-busting drug for strokes being tested at Bethesda Memorial Hospital in Boynton Beach is a genetically engineered version of...

The Palm Beach Post, Fla., Alexandra Clough column.
July 3, 2005... Byline: Alexandra Clough Jul. 3--LUXURY SEAGATE SET FOR DELRAY: Just when you think you have a good business idea, someone comes along and comes up with an even better one. Mark Guzzetta, the Republican Party money man and official...

Professionals mix business with pleasure with new service groups.
July 3, 2005... Byline: Joseph Tartakoff Jul. 3--A year and a half ago, nine acquaintances met at the back of the now-defunct Rooney's Public House on Clematis Street and came up with a plan. They were all young, busy at work and looking for a way...