Florida Trend articles from August 2005

Florida Trend archives from August 2005

Staff of gold.(corner office)
August 1, 2005... We know that our journalists, artists and designers do excellent work, and our industry colleagues also appreciate that wore Again this year, our staff was honored with awards from two important organizations: The American Society of Business...

Keeping in touch.(executive lifestyles: Technology at Home)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... George Cloutier has a very hands-on style. So hands-on that the founder and CEO of Orlando-based American Management Services used to shuttle between homes in Palm Beach and Nantucket, Mass., and offices in Rochester, N.Y., Waltham, Mass., and...

Catching Z-Wave.(wireless home automation equipment.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... After Mike Einstein bought his St. Petersburg home recently, he began outfitting it with a low-cost, wireless home-automation device called HomeSettings, which uses Z-Wave technology. Einstein is very familiar with the system. The St....

MSP technology.(Video Without Borders Inc., media service provider.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Video Without Borders Inc. in Fort Lauderdale is using MSP (media service provider) technology to harness the power of the internet. The company's digital media center connects to the web's content seamlessly, enabling viewers to transfer web...

Artful solution.(Art Screen Masking system (Wall Mount).)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... What: Art Screen Masking system Company: Cableorganizer.com, Fort Lauderdale The Art Screen is a large picture frame that hides that wall-mounted plasma or widescreen TV by masking it as a work of art. It consists of a hardwood frame...

Light touch.(OzoneLite (Light Bulb).)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... What: OzoneLite light bulb Company: OzoneLite, Deerfield Beach OzoneLite is NASA titanium dioxide technology packaged in an atypical-looking light bulb now ready for the commercial market. David deMartino, one of the founders of...

Safer surfing.(IDLive (Authentication software).)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Raye Croghan of Tallahassee-based IDology is on a mission to make the internet safer for e-commerce. IDology has developed technology called IDLive to authenticate a user's identity. This is especially important, Croghan points out, with online...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
August 1, 2005... A photo that ran with "Suiting Up" in the June Executive Lifestyles feature was of Jo Anne Feustel, a volunteer at Dress for Success Northeast Florida, not Candace Moody.

Tomorrow's medicine: medical advances and earlier detection play a key role in fighting prostate cancer.(executive health: Prostate Cancer)
August 1, 2005... One in every six men eventually develops prostate cancer, but the slow-moving illness is increasingly detected and treated before it becomes deadly. And with promising medical advances in both radiation and surgery-the two most common forms of...

Having it all.(trendsetters[TM]: Builders and Developers)(Lissette Calderon)(Brief Article)(Biography)
August 1, 2005... Lissette Calderon raves about Coral Gables High School, her alma mater. Gables High, she says, was that rare place where a girl could be senior class president and prom queen. "They taught me about being the kind of person I wanted to be," she...

Drive-by investing.(trendsetters [TM])(Dan Bellows)(Biography)
August 1, 2005... In 1989, Dan Bellows began buying in Hannibal Square, a historically black and then-blighted area of his hometown, Winter Park. While others avoided Hannibal, he bought and remodeled houses, rooming houses, restaurants and other commercial...

Manufacturing a career.(trendsetters [TM])(Alan Zirkelbach)(Brief Article)(Biography)
August 1, 2005... In a way, Alan Zirkelbach learned the construction business by building boat windshields. It was while working on getting plant space built for his family's manufacturing company in Manatee County that he came to believe the building industry,...

A sign of disapproval: illegal billboards litter Miami's landscape, and little is being done about it.(ADVERTISING)
August 1, 2005... When is an illegal billboard not illegal? When it's in Miami. That's the frustrated cry of civic watchdogs as well as some Miami-Dade County officials who complain that the city is refusing to enforce laws limiting the spread of billboards,...

Coral Gables-based Peebles Atlantic Development and Homestead auto dealer Armstrong Holdings were named to the Black Enterprise B.E. 100s Report.(CORAL GABLES)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... CORAL GABLES--Coral Gables-based Peebles Atlantic Development and Homestead auto dealer Armstrong Holdings were named to the Black Enterprise B.E. 100s Report, an annual rating based on business performance.

Former Monroe County Attorney James T. Hendrick.(investigations.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... KEY WEST--A federal grand jury has indicted former Monroe County Attorney James T. Hendrick in connection with an alleged kickback scheme involving a controversial development project in Marathon. The indictment stems from an investigation of...

FalconTrust Air Avitat Miami.(opens facility at KendalI-Tamiami Executive Airport.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... MIAMI -- Private jet operator Falcon Trust Air Avitat Miami has opened a three-story upscale facility at KendalI-Tamiami Executive Airport. It includes a fitness center, movie theater and conference rooms.

Business with Latin America.(Miami ranks second)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Miami ranks second behind Santiago, Chile, as a place to do business with Latin America, according to an annual survey by America Economia magazine. Two years ago, Miami ranked first. Its drop is attributed to security concerns and a rising...

Neff Corp.(acquired by Odyssey Investment Partners )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Miami-based equipment rental company Neff Corp, (OTC-NFFCA) has been acquired by Odyssey Investment Partners of New York for $510 million. The company, which operates 66 rental branches in the Southeast and West, will remain headquartered in...

With more than $2 billion in revenue last year, The Related Group of Florida led eight south Florida companies making the list of the nation's top 20 Hispanic-owned companies, as ranked by Hispanic Business magazine.(MIAMI)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... With more than $2 billion in revenue last year, The Related Group of Florida led eight south Florida companies making the list of the nation's top 20 Hispanic-owned companies, as ranked by Hispanic Business magazine. The ranking is based on...

Miami Dade College.(Miami-Dade Community College gets grant from Department of Labor )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded Miami Dade College a $1-million grant for construction and startup costs for a biomedical training program in Miami's low-income Liberty City neighborhood. Economic development officials say the program...

Florida International University.(first law class graduated)(IVAX Corp. acquires Phoenix Scientific Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Florida International University graduated its first law school class, five years after receiving authorization from the Legislature. The school also broke ground on its $34-million Rafael Diaz-Balart College of Law building. Miami drug...

Omni Center.(acquired by Argent Ventures L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... New York-based Argent Ventures has acquired the massive but largely empty Omni Center along Biscayne Boulevard in downtown Miami for $100 million.

Florida Department of Transportation.(Jose Abreu appointed to Miami-Dade's aviation department)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... MIAMI-DADE -- Florida Department of Transportation chief Jose Abreu has been tapped to run Miami-Dade's aviation department. He takes over for Angela Gittens, who resigned in November under pressure from County Manager George Burgess. Abreu's...

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez.(seeking voter approval to shift some of county commission powers to County Mayor)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Backers of a plan by Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez to seek voter approval for shifting some powers from the county commission to the mayor's office have collected enough signatures to place the measure on the November ballot. Alvarez...

Millionair count.(WEALTH BOOM)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... MIAMI -- The 2005 World Wealth Report found that high-net-worth individuals, those with at least $1 million in assets excluding their primary residence, increased by 10% in 2004. There are currently 2.7 million Americans with a net worth of at...

Java man: a Canadian hopes to perk up the area's agriculture sector.(AGRICULTURE)(J.C. Nadeau )
August 1, 2005... For now, the nine-acre patch under power lines is used only occasionally --as a garbage dump. But to J.C. Nadeau, it's the future site of Florida's first working coffee plantation. Nadeau, a 60-year-old transplant from Quebec whose other...

$82-million hospital.(Bethesda Memorial Hospital to build new facility)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... BOYTNTON BEACH -- The Agency for Health Care Administration has approved Bethesda Memorial Hospital's plans to build an $82-million hospital west of its Boynton Beach facility.

High-tech scanners in some classrooms.(BROWARD COUNTY)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... BROWARD COUNTY -- School district construction officials are considering installing high-tech scanners in some classrooms. The devices would scan students' palms or thumbs before they were admitted to class. The proposal for one Fort Lauderdale...

R. Donahue Peebles.(ruled against)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... An appeals court has ruled against developer R. Donahue Peebles in his effort to recover $4.3 million in expenses related to a doomed contract to build an $81-million convention center hotel. The deal fell apart in 2001 after Wyndham...

Broward County employers.(BROWARD COUNTY)
August 1, 2005... About 60% of Broward County employers say they have plans to hire additional workers in the third quarter, according to a survey by staff services company Manpower Inc., an increase of 6% over employers' second-quarter plans.

Historic lighthouse keeper's cottage.(renovation plans)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... County commissioners have agreed to spend $40,000 to relocate a historic lighthouse keeper's cottage that was facing demolition as part of a private resort's renovation plans. The cottage has been used as a clubhouse by the resort since 1936.

Beachfront Marriott resort hotel.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... HOLLYWOOD -- A developer's proposal for a new beachfront Marriott resort hotel has swelled from 14 stories and 264 rooms to 18 stories and 290 rooms.

172-home luxury development.(JUPITER)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... JUPITER -- Council members have approved a 172-home luxury development on 105 acres between 1-95 and Indiantown Road.

Reverse-osmosis water treatment facility.(LAKE WORTH)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... LAKE WORTH -- City officials are preparing to test a reverse-osmosis water treatment facility as part of plans for a new $22-million plant expected to be online in two years. The new plant will allow the city to meet its rapidly expanding water...

Sea turtle populations.(government funding to research)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... PALM BEACH COUNTY -- A $19,000 grant funded by the state's sea turtle specialty license plate is funding a yearlong study of the area's endangered and threatened sea turtle populations.

Citrus canker quarantine.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... A citrus canker quarantine area has grown to take in trees in Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Atlantis, Lake Park, north West Palm Beach and areas of Palm Beach Gardens.

School Superintendent Art Johnson.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... School Superintendent Art Johnson has added a military leadership guidebook to the list of required reading for school principals. Former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki is among the authors of "Be--Know --Do: Leadership the Army...

Traffic impact.(PALM BEACH GARDENS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... PALM BEACH GARDENS -- City officials concerned about traffic impact related to the development of the Scripps Research Institute say local government officials--and not just Palm Beach County--should have a role in the decision-making process...

Slot machine revenue.(POMPANO BEACH)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... POMPANO BEACH -- City commissioners have exercised their right to negotiate themselves a better cut of slot machine revenue from a local harness track. The deal calls for the city to get an additional $250,000 a year from slot revenue generated...

$23,500 expense account.(PORT EVERGLADES)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... PORT EVERGLADES -- Gov. Jeb Bush vetoed a bill that would have allowed Broward County officials to create a $23,500 expense account for luring new business to the port.

A former economic development consultant to the Broward County city of Miramar, Glenn D. Vann, has been hired as the city's new Community Redevelopment Agency director.(PORT ST. LUCIE)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... PORT ST. LUCIE -- A former economic development consultant to the Broward County city of Miramar, Glenn D. Vann, has been hired as the city's new Community Redevelopment Agency director, replacing Greg Oravec, who resigned in April.

80-bed facility.(Martin Memorial Hospital.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... ST. LUCIE COUNTY -- The Agency for Health Care Administration denied Martin Memorial Hospital's plans for an 80-bed facility in western Port St. Lucie. The proposal drew opposition from two HCA-owned hospitals.

For sale: will a giant west Florida ranch be preserved or carved up for development?(Babcock Preservation Partnership.)
August 1, 2005... The 91,000-acre swath of swamp and prairie that Edward Vose "E.V." Babcock bought in 1919 is today the only unbroken avenue of undeveloped land between Lake Okeechobee in the east and Charlotte Harbor on the Gulf Coast. Babcock, a lumber...

Market Street Mortgage.(acquires residential production offices.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... CLEARWATER -- Market Street Mortgage, the largest originator of home mortgages in the Tampa Bay area, has acquired 27 residential production offices in eight Western states from Major Mortgage, giving the company 101 locations nationwide.

Taxable property values.(COLLIER COUNTY)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... COLLIER COUNTY -- Taxable property values jumped by more than 19% over the past year and could generate an extra $38.3 million in tax revenue. New construction accounted for about 3% of the $61.2-billion total taxable value of property,...

Affordable housing development.(COLLIER COUNTY)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Citing traffic concerns, the Collier County Commission rejected a proposal for an affordable housing development off Collier Boulevard.

NeoMedia Technologies.(FORT MYERS)
August 1, 2005... FORT MYERS -- NeoMedia Technologies received permission from the European Patent Office to patent its core technology in 10 European countries. NeoMedia makes PaperClick software that lets PC, cell phone and PDA users scan bar codes or words on...

Southwest Florida International Airport.(FORT MYERS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Moody's Investor Services recently boosted its rating on the $397 million in outstanding bonds for Southwest Florida International Airport from A3 to A2. Strong increases in passenger traffic, regional population growth and the completion of a...

Taxable property values.(HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY -- Taxable property values jumped by 16.52% last year in Hillsborough County, thanks in part to new construction. Some 11,000 homes were constructed there last year.

Publix President Charles H. Jenkins.(LAKELAND)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
August 1, 2005... LAKELAND -- Former Publix President Charles H. Jenkins, brother of the grocery chain's founder and father of its current CEO, died June 14 of natural causes at age 90. Jenkins started his Publix career as a stock clerk at the company's Lake...

Industrial park.(MANATEE COUNTY)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... MANATEE COUNTY -- Despite opposition from some residents, developer David Shafer is looking to build an industrial park on 21 acres west of U.S. 301 and south of Tallevast Road. Shafer, a managing partner of Swift, Richardson Holding in...

GE Infrastructure Securty.(MANATEE COUNTY)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... GE Infrastructure Security has established a headquarters in Bradenton. The move is expected to bring 70 new jobs to the area.

Bonita Bay Group.(NAPLES)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... NAPLES -- For the seventh consecutive year, the Naples Alliance for Children has named the Bonita Bay Group a "family-friendly workplace." The developer of master-planned communities and recreational facilities throughout southwest Florida...

Second-home market.(NAPLES)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Naples ranked as the top second-home market in the country during the first quarter, according to Escapehomes.com, beating out both Myrtle Beach, S.C., and South Padre Island, Texas. The designation is based on the number of searches each...

Gammerler, AG.(PALMETTO)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... PALMETTO -- German-based Gammerler AG, maker of printing equipment, plans to build its North American headquarters in Palmetto, adding 70 jobs to the area. The company is committing $4.25 million to build the 80,000-sq.-ft. facility and...

Opinicus Corp.(PASCO COUNTY)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... PASCO COUNTYV-- Flight simulator maker Opinicus Corp. is building a 56,383-sq.-ft. research and manufacturing facility at State Road 54 and the Suncoast Parkway.

Art Eckert.(SARASOTA)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... SARASOTA -- Art Eckert was appointed president of S.S. Appel & Co., the developer that is planning the Sonesta Legacy Resort and Spa and San Marco Plaza at Lakewood Ranch.

Alternative fuel vehicles.(SARASOTA)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... City leaders have launched a pilot program for alternative fuel vehicles: The city has purchased two Toyota Priuses--one for the public works department and the other for the code compliance division.

Dome Industrial Pilot Area.(ST. PETERSBURG)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... ST. PETERSBURG -- The city is expected to choose this month from four proposals to buy and develop the Dome Industrial Pilot Area, a 16-acre site west of Tropicana Field. Bids range from $2.25 million to $3 million.

Dave Sobush.(ST. PETERSBURG)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Dave Sobush has signed on as the city's economic development coordinator. Previously, he was an associate director of the University of South Florida's Center for Economic Development Research.

High-speed ferry.(TAMPA)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... TAMPA -- The developer of the Seaboard Square condos at Channelside has hired a marketing communications firm to analyze the costs and potential market for a high-speed ferry to connect Tampa and St. Petersburg.

Free wireless internet access.(TAMPA)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Sago Networks will provide free wireless internet access in downtown Tampa, meaning that anyone with a wireless-enabled computer or PDA can surf the web for free.

More legroom.(EDUCATION)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... NAPLES -- Florida Gulf Coast University is planning to acquire property at the corner of U.S. 41 and Goodlette-Frank Road to build a 50,000-sq.-ft. classroom building. The $27-million facility will be a major anchor in a redevelopment project...

Development via democracy: innovative electronics will help Orange County lay out 20-year plans for a proposed high-tech corridor.(LAND-USE PLANNING)
August 1, 2005... For a proposed development area dubbed Innovation Way, it seems fitting that the community is providing input via a test-pilot program that incorporates some of the latest technology in land-use planning. A 37,000-acre section of southeast...

Davlar Inc.(DAYTONA BEACH)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... DAYTONA BEACH -- The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation has ordered Davlar Inc. to contact the buyers of 91 undeveloped lots it sold on eBay and offer their money back. The company made more than $300,000 in the auctions...

International Speedway Corp.(DAYTONA BEACH)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... (Nasdaq-ISCA) plans to sell Nazareth (Pennsylvania) Speedway's 158-acre site for $19 million. The racetrack suspended motorsports operations at the end of the 2004 season, and Nazareth's races were transferred to International Speedway's...

TAB Express International.(DELAND)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... DELAND -- TAB Express International abruptly closed its 5-year-old flight school due to what it called a financing dispute with Key Bank of Cleveland, locking out 49 employees and at least 80 students, some of whom had paid as much as $100,000...

Hotel Orlando North.(MAITLAND)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... MAITLAND -- The Hotel Orlando North, a 400-room hotel once popular among business travelers, was scheduled to close July 25 for a 10-month renovation at the hands of an undisclosed buyer. The hotel held a Sheraton franchise until February 2003...

JetBlue Airways.(ORLANDO)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... ORLANDO -- JetBlue Airways opened a training center at Orlando International Airport and announced plans to build a 300-room, $20-million lodge to house crew members in training. The Orlando center replaces a similar operation in Miami in...

Dynetech Corp.(ORLANDO)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Dynetech Corp. plans to build a $50-million headquarters downtown as part of a 30-story mixed-use property planned by Lincoln Property Co. The development is planned to include 146,000 square feet of office space, 160 apartments, 10,000 square...

Enterprise Florida.(ORLANDO)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Darrell Kelley is retiring this month as chief executive of Enterprise Florida, the state's economic development organization. Kelley, 63, cited minor health problems for his decision.

Middleton Lawn and Pest Control.(ORLANDO)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Fort Lauderdale-based Sunair Electronics has acquired Middleton Lawn and Pest Control for $50 million in cash, stock and debt. Middleton President and CEO Greg Clendenin will become CEO of a new Sunair division, Sunair Southeast Pest Holdings.

Lockheed Martin Simulation, Training & Support.(ORLANDO)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Dale P. Bennett has been named president of Lockheed Martin Simulation, Training & Support. He replaced Daniel Crowley, who became executive vice president of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program at Lockheed Martin's aeronautics division in...

Sequiam Corp.(ORLANDO)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Sequiam Corp. bought Constellation Biometrics, a hardware and software company whose clients include Pitney Bowes, Ford UK and Siemens Business Solutions. Sequiam issued more than 1.6 million shares in exchange for all outstanding shares of...

Connextions.net.(ORLANDO)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Call center operator Connextions.net plans to hire about 300 people by the end of the year for a new pharmacy help desk, bringing employment to about 1,000.

S.R. Perrott.(ORMOND BEACH)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... ORMOND BEACH -- Beer distributor S.R. Perrott has purchased 13.5 acres for $1.9 million and plans to build a $10-million, 130,000-sq.-ft. distribution facility there. The company says it may be three to four years before the new facility is...

DRS Technologies.(PALM BAY)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... PALM BAY -- DRS Technologies has received two military contracts worth a total of $55.8 million. The company, based in Parsippany, N.J., will farm out the work to its DRS Optronics division in Palm Bay.

Wayne Gove, Sheriff Guindi and David Hood have teamed up to form Halifax River Partners and plan to build six 17-story condo towers at Port Orange Riverwalk.(PORT ORANGE)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... PORT ORANGE -- Wayne Gove, Sheriff Guindi and David Hood have teamed up to form Halifax River Partners and plan to build six 17-story condo towers at Port Orange Riverwalk. Gove and Guindi also bought Sweetwater's Restaurant and plan a land...

Mercedes Homes.(ROCKLEDGE)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... ROCKLEDGE -- Mercedes Homes has introduced two hurricane-resistant home prototypes. The houses, built in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Partnership for Advancing...

Involuntary servitude: the "company store" model is still a fixture at many northeast Florida farms, say workers advocates.(AGRICULTURE)
August 1, 2005... Slavery at an east Palatka potato farm. The accusation was so spectacular it became front-page news across the nation. To workers advocates, however, the treatment of migrants who ply the potato and cabbage fields of eastern Putnam and western...

Stormwater management.(imposes fee on residents.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... ALACHUA COUNTY -- Officials are considering imposing a fee on residents of unincorporated areas to pay for an estimated $9 million needed to improve stormwater management.

County engineer Chuck Iley.(appointment to Public Works Department.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... CLAY COUNTY -- County engineer Chuck Iley was appointed director of the scandal-plagued Public Works Department.

Tuition increases.(GAINESVILLE)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... GAINESVILLE -- University of Florida trustees approved a series of tuition increases that will raise rates for in-state graduate students by 15% to 19%.

Fusion Capital Fund II, a Chicago institutional investor, is investing $9 million in University of Florida biotech startup Oragenics, whose leading product is an oral rinse designed to prevent tooth decay.(GAINESVILLE)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Fusion Capital Fund II, a Chicago institutional investor, is investing $9 million in University of Florida biotech startup Oragenics, whose leading product is an oral rinse designed to prevent tooth decay. Another UF startup, software company...