Florida Trend articles from August 2004

Florida Trend archives from August 2004

Florida's workforce advantage.(corner office)
August 1, 2004... I came away from last month's Silver Anniversary Florida Economic Development 'Workshop and Conference firmly convinced that Florida has the best business climate in the world. Even though we heard strong evidence from a straight-talking...

Voter trends.(readers)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... Kudos to FLORIDA TREND for recognizing a trend that is not only sweeping Florida, but also the rest of the nation--the dramatic increase of "no party affiliation" and independent voters ["Hitting Home," May, FloridaTrend.com]. However,...

Outsourcing.(readers)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... Mark Twain once observed that a man with one foot in a fire and the other foot in a bucket of ice was "on the average doing quite well." Go stand toe-to-toe with a North Carolina furniture builder/worker who lives in a modest home, has two...

Tribute.(readers)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... Thank you for the "Tribute" section of your June issue. It is a great reminder of the freedom we enjoy in the United States and especially those that make it possible by paying the ultimate price--their lives. As a Cuban-American, I certainly...

Clarification.(readers)(Correction Notice)
August 1, 2004... The intangibles tax for a business with $255,000 in intangible personal property totals $5-$250,000 is exempt, and the remaining $5,000 is taxed at $1 per $1,000.

Flying high.(Executive lifestyles: private aviation)(BlueStar-Jets )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... New Yorker Craig Siegel moved to Boca Raton two years ago to have a Florida base for the private air travel company BlueStar-Jets he started with his college buddies, Richard Sitomer and Todd Rome. Business for the 4-year-old company, Siegel...

Frequent flier.(Executive lifestyles: private aviation)(Biography)
August 1, 2004... DARYLE SCOTT President, founder/Venus Swimwear JACKSONVILLE SCOTT'S TOP PICK: A pilot himself, Scott bought time on fractional company Avantair, which has maintenance facilities and a sales office at the St. Petersburg/Clearwater...

Scouring the net for deals.(Executive lifestyles: private aviation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Massachusetts-based CharterAuction.com, which shops private reservation requests for the cheapest fares on its internet auction site, is popular with Florida's upscale frequent fliers. "Florida is our most popular destination," says company...

Fly-in community.(Executive lifestyles: private aviation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo is one of the largest fly-in communities in Florida. The more than 200 member-resident aviation community has a private 4,500-foot runway and a busy Flying Club for recreational fliers. A Resident: Chicago...

Filet mignon to go.(Executive lifestyles: private aviation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Charles and Linda Dekranis of Sarasota cater to a lofty clientele, wining and dining air travelers on private jets. The couple cater any kind of meal a flier could want. A Niche: The Dekranises used to own the Foodies Center Market on...

Late bloomer?(CSA Marketing)(Biography)
August 1, 2004... At 58, Martha Mestril retired after 17 years with Johnson & Johnson and ventured out on her own. From her Kendall home, she founded CSA Marketing, an in-store promotions company. A decade later, it generates $15 million in annual revenue and is...

Changing channels.(Wragg & Casas)(Biography)
August 1, 2004... Charles Jones' career-inspiring moment came as a teenager working at the Piggly Wiggly in his native Columbia, S.C. A radio station manager visiting the store noticed how Jones' voice carried and told him his future was in communications. Jones...

Burnishing a brand.(Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell)
August 1, 2004... Disney, Anheuser-Busch, Sunsweet prunes, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Delta, Nike, Sony, Apple Computers--ad man Larry Tolpin certainly has helped burnish some of the world's best-known brands and products. Now his task is to help build...

Coastal Construction Group.(Construction)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Miami-based Coastal Construction Group has named Steven M. May vice president of Coastal Construction Co. and Coastal Condominiums. May was previously executive vice president of operations at Deerfield Beach-based Seawood Builders.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.(Education)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Eric B. Weekes has been tapped as CFO at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. Weekes had been treasurer of Oklahoma City-based OGE Energy Corp., a $3-billion energy company.

Eastern Financial Florida Credit Union.(Financial Services)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Eastern Financial Florida Credit Union in Miramar has promoted COO Stephen C. McGill to president and CEO. McGill replaces Kent Herbert, who is retiring.

Glades General Hospital.(Healthcare)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Daniel Aranda, former assistant administrator at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, has been named CEO at Glades General Hospital in Belle Glade. The 73-bed hospital, previously operated by for-profit Province Healthcare Corp. of...

Bruce Williams Homes.(Home Building)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Bradenton-based Bruce Williams Homes has promoted President Britt Williams to CEO of Bruce Williams Homes and Williams Communities, a new division. Williams takes over from his father, Lloyd Williams, who remains chairman.

Lennar Corp.(Home Building)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... COO Robert J. Strudler has been promoted to chairman of Miami-based Lennar Corp., replacing founder Leonard Miller, who passed away two years ago. Taking over from Strudler is Jonathan M. Jaffe, who was previously a vice president and director....

ViVA.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... ViVA, a Hispanic marketing, advertising and public relations firm in Miami, has named Loreyne Alicea president, replacing Linda Lane Gonzalez, who will remain CEO. Alicea was previously senior vice president of GrupoUno International.

IVAX.(Pharmaceuticals)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Miami-based pharmaceutical manufacturer IVAX has named Jesus Leal president of its IVAX Laboratories division. Leal was previously a vice president and general manager at Abbott Park, Ill.-based Abbott Laboratories.

Canaveral Port Authority.(Ports)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Malcolm "Mac" McLouth is retiring as director and CEO of the Canaveral Port Authority in Port Canaveral in December. COO J. Stanley Payne has been tapped to succeed McLouth.

OpenNetwork Technologies.(Technology)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Clearwater-based OpenNetwork Technologies, a maker of identity management security solutions, has named Cosmo "Cos" Santullo president and CEO. Santullo, who has worked in the industry for 25 years, succeeds Kurt Long.

Pushing the boundaries: Miami-Dade considers letting development creep closer to the Everglades.(Development)
August 1, 2004... Throughout the southern reaches of Miami-Dade, tract homes are sprouting faster than the tomatoes, pole beans and other vegetables that long have dominated the life and landscape of the area. The county's southern communities, mostly...

Equitrac Corp.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... CORAL GABLES -- Citing a desire to be closer to pools of high-tech talent in Broward and Palm Beach counties, Equitrac Corp. is relocating from Coral Gables to Plantation in south Broward. Equitrac produces hardware and software that helps...

PurrSeaverance.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... KEY WEST -- High-speed catamaran service has begun between Miami and Key West. The 149-passenger PurrSeaverance, which can reach speeds of 50 mph, runs three- to four-hour round trips Thursday through Sunday.

Lennar Developer Inc.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... MIAMI -- Lennar Corp.'s new condominium division, Lennar Developers Inc., has four south Florida high-rise projects in the works: The Grand and Colonnade in Kendall and 360[degrees] and Casa Marina in North Bay Village.

Kos Pharmaceuticals.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Kos Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq-KOSP) plans to move its headquarters from Miami's Brickell Avenue to Cranbury, N.J. Most of the firm's 40 Miami employees will be transferred. Executives say proximity to Princeton University and other biotech firms...

Miami-Dade--plans have resumed for two new hospitals in the fast-growing West Kendall area.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... MIAMI-DADE -- Plans have resumed for two new hospitals in the fast-growing West Kendall area. A judge ruled that a rival facility, Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, failed to show why it would be harmed by expansions by Kendall...

Public school students.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Nearly 40% of Miami-Dade public school students will be eligible to transfer to other schools--far more than administrators had expected--because their neighborhood school failed to meet federal standards under the No Child Left Behind program....

Free Trade Area of the Americas conference.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... A draft report by the Miami-Dade Independent Review Panel investigating allegations of police misconduct during the Free Trade Area of the Americas conference in Miami in November concludes that demonstrators' civil rights were violated and...

Citing improved customer service and an aggressive expansion program, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce has bestowed its annual Cutting Edge Award to Fort Lauderdale-based BankAtlantic Bancorp.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Citing improved customer service and an aggressive expansion program, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce has bestowed its annual Cutting Edge Award to Fort Lauderdale-based BankAtlantic Bancorp. Nabi Biopharmaceuticals (Nasdaq-NABI) and...

Two Spanish companies have set up recently in Miami: Barcelona's Envases Del Valles, which makes packaging products for the food industry, and COPCA Business Platform.(In The News)(Envases Del Valles)(COPCA Business Platform)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Two Spanish companies have set up recently in Miami: Barcelona's Envases Del Valles, which makes packaging products for the food industry, and COPCA Business Platform, a firm that promotes trade and business opportunities in the Catalan region...

Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce has reported an "internal loss" of close to $1.5 million, leading chamber officials to request an investigation by the State Attorney's Office into possible fraud charges.

Tanker Pacific.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Singapore-based Tanker Pacific has selected Miami for its hemispheric headquarters, where it will oversee operations in North and South America. The company, which expects to hire 30 locally, specializes in oil tanker transportation and...

Hemispheric free trade area.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... More than 40% of Latin American business executives believe Miami is best suited to serve as capital of a hemispheric free trade area, according to a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the business information arm of Economist magazine...

Royal Crowne Plaza Resort.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... MIAMI BEACH -- Developer R. Donahue Peebles plans to convert about a quarter of the 160-room Royal Crowne Plaza Resort into timeshare units. The South Beach property has been billed as the first black-owned convention hotel in the nation.

Powerful presence.(Minority Business)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... MIAMI-DADE -- Three of the four largest Hispanic-owned companies in the U.S. are based in Miami-Dade, according to Hispanic Business magazine: Cell phone equipment exporter Bright-star Corp., developer The Related Group of Florida and telecom...

Bone of contention: a new slate of board members considers moving the Graves Museum.(Archaeology)
August 1, 2004... For more than a decade, the Graves Museum of Archaeology and Natural History has survived in the unlikeliest of locations--wedged among gas stations, fast-food restaurants and budget hotels on a crowded strip of U.S. 1 between Hollywood and...

Gold's Gym.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... BOCA RATON -- Private equity firm Brockway Moran & Partners plans to sell its Gold's Gym chain to Texas-based TRT Holdings, owner of the Omni Hotel Chain, for $160 million.

Former Supervisor of Elections Miriam Oliphant.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... BROWARD COUNTRY -- County commissioners have agreed to pay off $481,811 in debt and lawsuit settlements left over from the tenure of former Supervisor of Elections Miriam Oliphant, who was suspended by Gov. Jeb Bush last year for mismanagement....

West Park.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Four south Broward neighborhoods will become the county's 31st city if voters approve a referendum on the November ballot. The new city, dubbed West Park, would comprise approximately 13,000 people.

Hurricane and tropical storm education facility.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... DEERFIELD BEACH -- Organizers have begun raising money to build a $25-million to $35-million hurricane and tropical storm education facility that would include a 250seat auditorium and a host of weather instruments and exhibits. The project is...

Vanguard Car Rental.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... FORT LAUDERDALE -- Vanguard Car Rental, parent company of Alamo and National car rental units, has decided to keep a reservations center in south Florida despite plans to move its headquarters to Tulsa, Okla. About 1,200 employees will remain...

Point Blank Boy Armor.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... OAKLAND -- Point Blank Body Armor is planning to add workers and ramp up production after winning a $239.4-million, three-year contract to supply the Army with equipment. Point Blank has three south Florida plants and employs about 675.

Construction hours.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... PORT ST. LUCIE -- City council members have agreed to hold off on limiting construction hours to give the industry time to voluntarily try to placate residents frustrated by late night and weekend construction noise.

Martin Memorial Health Systems.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... ST. LUCIE WEST -- State healthcare officials have turned down plans by Martin Memorial Health Systems to add an 80-bed acute-care hospital to its campus.

Height limit.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... STUART -- City commissioners have adopted a three-story, 35-foot height limit for all buildings in the city's old downtown.

P.D. Penguin's.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... TREASURE COAST -- Two former professional figure skaters plan to develop a 21,000-sq.-ft. ice-skating, restaurant and children's entertainment center in Palm Beach County or the Treasure Coast by next summer. Richard and Michi Porter say they...

Home building.(In The News)(Builder magazine)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Home building on the Treasure Coast last year outpaced growth in every other area of the country, according to an annual survey in Builder magazine's May issue. According to the report, building permits for single-family homes increased by 92%...

Fidelity Federal Bank & Trust.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... WEST PALM BEACH -- A $1.4-billion lawsuit against Fidelity Federal Bank & Trust over its purchase of drivers license information used to send out mail solicitations for its auto refinance loans was dismissed by a federal judge, who ruled that...

Ranch owner Charles Vavrus.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... A city injunction that prevented Palm Beach County ranch owner Charles Vavrus from clearing part of his 4,763-acre ranch was not illegal, a jury has concluded. Vavrus, whose property includes land planned as part of the biotech village...

Bonaventure Resort & Spa.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... WESTON -- The Bonaventure Resort & Spa could get a makeover under plans by one of the resort's original developers to buy it back, sell off rooms as condominiums and bring in a Golden Door spa to upgrade the 496-room facility.

Mansion hot spots.(Housing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Cambridge, Mass., has the highest percentage of single-family owner-occupied homes valued at $1 million or more, according to a Census survey. About one in every nine homes there is valued at $1 million or more. In Florida, Fort Lauderdale is...

Air & Sea Show.(Entertainment)(Pro Series Inc)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... FORT LAUDERDALE -- City commissioners have reached an agreement to keep the annual Air & Sea Show going for at least one more year. The city had threatened to end its contract with the show's production company, Pro Series Inc., saying costs...

Losing attitude.(Aviation)(Small Aircraft Transport System program)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... SOUTH FLORIDA -- Two Florida companies involved in NASA's SATS (Small Aircraft Transport System) program have yet to get off the ground after high-flying promises of lighter jets and air taxi services two years ago. Miami-based Safire Aircraft...

Steering students: economic educators enlist a Tampa firm to help teach students money management.(Education)
August 1, 2004... As they came offspring break, Sara Carroll's students at Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School in Largo eased back into their schoolwork by playing a board game. But the game--created by a Tampa company that trains employees at Fortune 1000...

Reginald Owens.(In The News)(Clearwater)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... CLEARWATER -- Clearwater's economic development and housing director, Reginald Owens, has resigned to work for a real estate development company in Arizona. Owens had worked for the city for two years.

Pinellas County Economic Development.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce President Mike Meidel is the new director of Pinellas County Economic Development. Meidel replaces Richard "Buzz" David, who will become president of the Amarillo Economic Development Corp. in Texas.

5,000-acre ranch in Pasco County.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... PASCO COUNTY -- The Porter family, which owns a 5,000-acre ranch in Pasco County, has agreed to sell the land for what will become the largest residential development in the Tampa Bay area. Pulte Homes is planning to eventually build more than...

Radiology Regional Center.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... SOUTHWEST FLORIDA -- Radiology Regional Center, which has eight centers from Cape Coral to Naples, has paid $2.53 million to the federal government to settle allegations that it submitted false claims to Medicare. The group's supervisor of...

Midwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways are expanding service in Tampa and Fort Myers.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Midwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways are expanding service in Tampa and Fort Myers. Midwest will offer non-stop service from Milwaukee to both Florida cities beginning in December. JetBlue will add daily service from Tampa to LaGuardia Airport...

Goodwill Industries-Suncoast.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... ST. PETERSBURG -- Goodwill Industries-Suncoast ranks first among 173 Goodwill agencies in North America in job placements, according to Goodwill Industries International. The non-profit organization found jobs for 12,852 people last year in...

Tampa--two University of South Florida College of Medicine doctors have left the faculty just months after the dean of the school's anesthesiology residency program was told to resign for asking staff and colleagues to contribute to former Florida House Speaker Johnnie Byrd's U.S. Senate campaign.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... TAMPA -- Two University of South Florida College of Medicine doctors have left the faculty just months after the dean of the school's anesthesiology residency program was told to resign for asking staff and colleagues to contribute to former...

WellCare Group.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... WellCare Group, which operates the largest Medicaid HMO in Florida, New York and Connecticut, raised $116 million in its IPO last month. The company, trading under the symbol WCG, plans to use the money to expand.

Hillsborough Community College.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Hillsborough Community College officials have picked Mathews Construction to oversee construction of the $7.2-million, 47,000-sq.-ft. facility on its Plant City campus. The building will be used for meetings, special events and physical fitness...

22,000 jobs.(In The News)(Clearwater metro)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... TAMPA BAY -- The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area created more than 22,000 jobs in May from a year earlier, the most of any region, according to the Agency for Workforce Innovation. Most of the jobs were in the professional and...

Ringling Museum expansion.(Arts)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... SARASOTA -- Construction on four new buildings at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is set to begin soon. The additions include the Tibbals Learning Center, a visitors pavilion, galleries and an education/conservation complex. Florida...

50,000 acres and a ranch: a central Florida tract of land 1 1/2 times the size of Disney World goes up for sale.(Real Estate)
August 1, 2004... It's almost the stuff of Florida legend--the opportunity to buy a tract of land big enough for an entire town or a half-dozen world-class theme parks. The Wilson family, the land's owner, is at the crossroads between old Florida's agricultural...

Laser Systems division of Northrop Grumman.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... APOPKA -- The Army has ordered $35 million in laser targeting gear from the Laser Systems division of Northrop Grumman. Laser Systems has an existing deal for 315 target locators and has delivered 96. The new contract will up the total to 1,008...

Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co.(In The News)
August 1, 2004... DAYTONA BEACH -- Kitson & Partners of West Palm Beach has agreed to pay $17 million to Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co. for 1,150 acres at the LPGA International golf community. The sale is a continuation of a previous deal in which Kitson bought...

Adventure Landing water park.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... DAYTONA BEACH -- Bill Geary and a group of investors have agreed to buy the closed Adventure Landing water park, renovate the property and reopen it. Built six years ago for $15 million, the park sold after a public auction at which there were...

BP International.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... DELAND -- BP International purchased a fabric factory in Mexico to support its netting products fabrication business. The company says it has no plans to move any fabrication from DeLand to the 25,000sq.-ft, plant in Morelos.

Osceola County Stadium.(In The News)(United States Specialty Sports Association)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... KISSIMMEE -- Osceola County will spend $5 million to renovate the Osceola County Stadium to accommodate the national headquarters for the U.S. Specialty Sports Association. The association will lease the space for $76,000 a year, but the county...

Leisure Bay Industries.(In The News)(Leisure Bay Industries)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... LAKE MARY -- Leisure Bay Industries, a pool and spa maker, has signed a five-year lease for the 570,O00-sq.-ft. former Recoton Corp. building. The company, which operates Recreational Factory Warehouse, will occupy 400,000 square feet. It has...

AirNet Communications Corp.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... MELBOURNE -- AirNet Communications Corp. (Nasdaq-ANCC) received $3 million in orders for its mobile communications base stations. The units will be resold to an undisclosed operator in North America.

Connextions Inc.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... ORLANDO -- Connextions Inc. has signed deals to provide technical support to users of Napster, the music download service, and to provide call-in health advice for Florida Hospital. Together, the deals led Connextions to hire an additional 40...

Adding coordinates.(Education)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... ORLANDO -- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has opened a campus in south Orlando, one of 10 it plans to open over the next three to four years. The Metro Center will offer bachelor of science degrees in professional aeronautics,...

Truly Nolen.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Pest-control company Truly Nolen plans to launch franchises in China, El Salvador, France, Jordan, Pakistan, the Philippines and Spain. The company will also expand in Argentina. The new operations will increase the company's presence outside...

PainCare Holdings.(In The News)(Dynamic Rehabilitation Centers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... PainCare Holdings has acquired Dynamic Rehabilitation Centers, a Michigan spinal rehabilitation practice with four locations, for $9 million.

Hughes Supply Co.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Hughes Supply Co. (NYSE-HUG) has signed a deal that will have Trammell Crow manage its 486 construction supply wholesale outlets in 38 states, including 144 locations in Florida. The companies did not disclose the value of the deal, which will...

Expo Centre.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... City officials have decided to stop taking reservations at the city-owned Expo Centre adjacent to the T.D. Waterhouse Center and Bob Carr Performing Arts Center. The city has decided it wants to get out of the meeting business, although it may...

Osceola County--Frankly Golf and Frankly Consulting are moving from New Jersey to ChampionsGate.(In The News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... OSCEOLA COUNTY -- Frankly Golf and Frankly Consulting are moving from New Jersey to ChampionsGate. Founder Frank Thomas, who invented the graphite golf shaft, served as technical director to the U.S. Golf Association for 26 years.

Money in the bank.(Banking)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Bank and thrift deposits in a four-county central Florida area rose almost 12% from the first quarter of 2002 to the first quarter of 2003, jumping from $19.96 billion to $22.31 billion. CENTRAL FLORIDA BANK / THRIFT DEPOSITS ...