Florida Trend articles from December 2007

Florida Trend archives from December 2007

Dining guide.(FloridaTrend.com/Extra)
December 1, 2007... The 500 best restaurants statewide, including 20 top newcomers, Hall of Famers and Golden Spoon winners in this year's Great Florida Restaurant Guide available only online.

Art relief.(FloridaTrend.com/Extra)
December 1, 2007... FLORIDA TREND reporter Amy Keller narrates a slideshow of artwork at the South Florida State Hospital. GEO Care purchased the works from an art program that helps the mentally ill by providing an opportunity for self-expression and recovery.

Florida, naturally.(FloridaTrend.com/Extra)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] View a slideshow of the works of nine Florida environmental photographers, including Clyde Butcher and Eric Zamora, who have collaborated on a 2008 calendar featuring their work.

Thick-skinned?(FloridaTrend.com/Extra)
December 1, 2007... How much do you know about elephants? Take your pachyderm quiz and find out. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Preparing for the future.(Corner Office)(Column)
December 1, 2007... If you're like me with tons of e-mail, voice mail and just regular old mail to read and respond to every day, you may be as stunned as I was when I heard that the amount of information we now have available will double in five years. This was...

Incentives.(Readers)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... The research cited in "The Case Against Incentives" [Around the State/Miami, September, FloridaTrend.com] displays an incomplete understanding of the benefits of economic incentives. The Beacon Council calculates the cost of the incentive...

China pitfalls.(Readers)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... It is difficult to believe that three years ago any company could be unaware of intellectual property rights (IPR) issues in China ["China Syndrome," October, FloridaTrend.com]. For more than a decade, the press has covered Chinese piracy of...

Water woes.(Readers)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... I enjoyed 99% of your editorial on water issues and how the folks in Bermuda have been dealing with limited fresh water for centuries ["Rain on the Roof," October, FloridaTrend.com]. I was stationed at the U.S. Coast Guard LORAN Station on...

Correction/clarification.(Readers)(Correction notice)
December 1, 2007... > The Bahama Shores Neighborhood Association is not a party to a lawsuit by several neighborhood residents against Westminster Communities of Florida and did not hire the attorney in the case. > Buckhead Life is converting Pete's Restaurant...

Chair fare.(Executive Lifestyles: Office Furniture With Style)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... When it comes to form and function, the office chair has come a long way. The award-winning Aeron chair, introduced in 1994, raised the bar in office comfort. Today, the design classic has some innovative company. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

What's in.(Executive Lifestyles: (Executive Lifestyles: Office Furniture With Style))(Diane Kohlmeyer Associates)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Diane Kohlmeyer of Diane Kohlmeyer Associates in Fort Lauderdale is an independent manufacturers representative who sells top-end, award-winning lines. She started her own firm 15 years ago. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One of Kohlmeyer's...

Office in motion.(Executive Lifestyles: Office Furniture With Style)
December 1, 2007... Walk into Architecture Inc.'s Fort Myers office and you'll never be quite sure who's sitting where on any given day. That's because everyone's furniture is on wheels, and office configurations change depending on the team at work and the...

Sweet nothings: a state lawmaker wants to ban beverages with high-fructose corn syrup from public schools.(Executive Lifestyles: Health: Eating Healthy)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When state Rep. Juan C. Zapata introduced a bill last year aimed at banning high-fructose corn syrup from Florida public schools, he called it the "crack of sweeteners." The bill never made it out of committee, but...

Omega-3.(RESEARCH)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Diets high in omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease. Now a University of Florida study says omega-3s also might thwart the onset of type 1 diabetes in children. The study found that...

Healthy alternatives.(HEALTH TIPS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Instead of potato chips... Try a quarter-cup of almonds, which contain nearly half of the daily recommended requirement of manganese and vitamin E Instead of jellybeans... Try a few dried apricots, which contain beta-carotene, fiber,...

In the heart of south beach.(Executive Lifestyle: Travel: Business and Leisure)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Originally built in 1937, the Hotel Victor reopened two years ago with a new name, a new look and a new style for the Art Deco district of South Beach. Unveiled after a $48-million renovation and expansion in...

Travel aid.(Executive Lifestyle: Travel: Business and Leisure)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Zuca Sport Pro $295 zuca.com The customizable rolling bag is designed to fit in carry-on compartments or double as a seat for travelers up to 300 pounds. Zuca also makes rolling backpackseats for schoolkids.

Visit St. Petersburg Clearwater.(TRAVEL)
December 1, 2007... Following research that included focus groups in Chicago, New York and Orlando, the St. Petersburg-Clearwater Area Convention and Visitors Bureau has renamed itself Visit St. Petersburg Clearwater. The Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau,...

Tampa Airport Marriott.(TRAVEL)
December 1, 2007... Tampa Airport Marriott has opened the city's first dedicated hotel kosher kitchen.

Busch Entertainment.(ATTRACTIONS)
December 1, 2007... Busch Entertainment, the Anheuser-Busch division that oversees theme parks, is moving its headquarters from St. Louis to Orlando by July. Jim Atchison has been promoted from general manager of SeaWorld Orlando to president and COO of Busch...

International Plaza Resort & Spa.(RESORTS)
December 1, 2007... International Plaza Resort & Spa, the former 1,100-unit Sheraton World Resort convention hotel, has been converted into a condo/hotel by new owners Buena Vista Hospitality Group and private equity firm UrbanAmerica.

Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa.(RESORTS)
December 1, 2007... Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa, one of the largest condo/hotel projects in the country, has opened its fourth of 10 buildings planned for its site near 1-4 and Downtown Disney. The property, which eventually will have 1,875 units, now...

Nathaniel Pryor Reed: environmentalist, 74.(Icon)
December 1, 2007... > The Indian River was literally alive, bluegill, pompano, ladyfish, channel bass, jack crevalle. This was the highlight of my life. I used to wade in the river as a young teenager for hours without sneakers on, and my feet would get cut with...

Good Call.(Trendsetters: Trade and Transporation)
December 1, 2007... In the five years since Pete Pizarro was brought in to turn around Telefonica USA, the subsidiary of the Madrid telecom giant has gone from losses to profits and posted a 20-fold increase in revenue. Telefonica USA provides global telecom...

Sky's the limit.(Trendsetters)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A decade ago, a change in consumer tastes put Rangel Fernandez and his Hialeah acrylic home furnishings factory in a difficult situation. "It was rough and tough. I had to lay off a lot of people," he says. ...

Bumpy ride.(Trendsetters)(transportation advocate Cheryl Stone)(Occupation overview)
December 1, 2007... Medical technologist Cheryl Stone's path to transportation advocate began with her own difficulty getting to work on time. Stone was infected by polio as a child and uses a wheelchair and a car outfitted with hand controls to get around. But...

Berth Mark: the trend: Bigger boats, more bells and whistles.(CRUISE SHIPS)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Less than two years from now, Royal Caribbean will beat its own record for the largest cruise ship by launching a $1.2-billion, 220,000-ton, 5,400-passenger giant. The "Genesis Project" ship--two are under...

Gulf Power CEO Susan Story has succeeded former Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings.(Players)
December 1, 2007... >> Gulf Power CEO Susan Story has succeeded former Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings as chair of the board of directors of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

Tallahassee builder Robert Parrish has taken over as president of Florida Home Builders Association.(Players)
December 1, 2007... >> Tallahassee builder Robert Parrish has taken over as president of Florida Home Builders Association. His company, Parrish Group, originally a residential builder, specializes in commercial development.

Florida Securities Dealers Association.(Players)
December 1, 2007... >> Andrew M. Hirsch, senior vice president and senior investment consultant in the Tampa office of wealth management company Baird, was elected president of the Florida Securities Dealers Association.

Associated Industries of Florida.(Players)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] >> Michelle Mattox will become chief political officer of Associated Industries of Florida next month. Mattox is a special projects manager at Public Concepts in Tallahassee.

Tightening the spigot.(WATER CONSUMPTION)(Statistical table)(Report)
December 1, 2007... Florida's per-capita water consumption is finally on the decline, according to a new report from the U.S. Geological Survey. Floridians used an average 157.5 gallons a day in 2005, down from 174 gallons a day in 2000. The Southwest Florida...

Education: costly toll.(Statewide)(Report)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 60% percentage of Florida students who graduate high school on time $15 billion amount that would be added to Florida's economy by 2020 if students of color graduated at the same rate as white students $194...

Degrees.(EDUCATION)(community colleges)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... DEGREES--For the fifth consecutive year, Florida's community colleges rank No. 1 among more than 1,200 schools as the nation's most successful producers of associate degrees. According to Community College Week's annual report conducted by the...

Malpractice rates.(HEALTHCARE)
December 1, 2007... --Medical malpractice insurance rates for Florida physicians and surgeons fell 3.06% in 2006, continuing a trend as a result of legislative reforms in 2003, according to a report by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Seven new medical...

Online crackdown.(CRIME)
December 1, 2007... --Attorney General Bill McCollum's office has opened cybercrime units in Jacksonville and Orlando as part of an initiative to combat cybercrime against children. Five additional units will open in the Tampa, Fort Myers, Tallahassee, Fort...

Teaming up.(VENTURE CAPITAL)
December 1, 2007... TEAMING UP--Venture capitalists Tate Garrett, Matthew Shaw and Jeffrey Wolf are forming VC firm Sunrock Ventures, which plans to invest in 18 to 24 companies in Florida and the Southeast over the next four years. Sunrock will be based in Tampa...

Helios help.(BUSINESS ISSUES)
December 1, 2007... HELIOS HELP--Helios Education Foundation, a $600-million grantawarding non-profit, has opened a Tampa office, its first in Florida. The foundation supports education-related programs in Florida and Arizona. Since its inception in 2004, it has...

New to Florida.(RETAIL)
December 1, 2007... NEWTO FLORIDA--Furniture retailer IKEA has opened its first two Florida locations, a 293,000-sq.-ft. store at 1-595 in Sunrise and a 310,000-sq.-ft. store in Orlando at the Mall at Millenia.

Animal cruelty.(DOGFIGHTING)
December 1, 2007... ANIMAL CRUELTY--The Humane Society ranked Florida 12th nationally on the strength of its dogfighting law. Participating in dogfighting in Florida, possessing dogs with the intention of fighting and being a spectator are punishable by a maximum...

No Mercy?(DEVELOPMENT)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A battle over a luxurg condominium development in Coconut Grove has caught the attention of developers, philanthropic activists, public officials and even hospital executives. With big money on all sides, the...

Tech solutions.(EDUCATION)(Florida International University to build a high tech laboratory)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Florida International University plans to create a hightech laboratory that uses technology to solve social problems with a $2.3-million grant it won from the National Science Foundation's Partnership for International Research and...

The Carnival Center for the Performing Arts.(Players)
December 1, 2007... O>> The Carnival Center for the Performing Arts named producer, entertainment executive and consultant Lawrence Wilker interim president and CEO.

Coral Gables-based Great Florida.(Players)
December 1, 2007... >> Christina Cruzpino, formerly of Bank of America, has been named executive vice president of the retail and business banking units of Coral Gables-based Great Florida Bank.

Ryder System.(Players)
December 1, 2007... >> Robert E. Sanchez has been named executive vice president and CFO of Ryder System. Sanchez was executive vice president of operations for Ryder's largest business segment, Fleet Management Solutions. He replaces Mark T. Jamieson, who is now...

Movida Communications.(Players)
December 1, 2007... >> Michael Robinson has been named CEO of Movida Communications, a Miami-based telecommunications company Robinson previously held top-level posts in the wireless communications industry, including positions at Motricity and Sprint. ...

Allen Morris Co.(CORAL GABLES)
December 1, 2007... CORAL GABLES--Developer Allen Morris Co. plans to build a 15-story office building in Coral Gables. Groundbreaking for Ponce de Leon Towers is scheduled for next summer. The tower will include 215,000 square feet of retail space and be modeled...

Interra Development Partners, a joint venture between Chicago-based Interra-Vision Development and Prudential Real Estate Investors of New Jersey.(FLORIDA CITY)
December 1, 2007... FLORIDA CITY -- Interra Development Partners, a joint venture between Chicago-based Interra-Vision Development and Prudential Real Estate Investors of New Jersey, is purchasing 19 acres to develop Florida City Centre. Best Buy will anchor the...

Brightstar.(MIAMI)(One Laptop Per Child)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... MIAMI -- One Laptop Per Child, a non-profit started by MIT media lab founder Nicholas Negroponte, has selected Miami-based Brightstar, a technology distribution and supply company, to distribute laptops in the U.S. and Canada as part of the...

Hamilton Bank.(MIAMI)
December 1, 2007... >> Federal bank regulators charge that as the legal representative for the failed Hamilton Bank of Miami, Carlos Loumiet concealed crimes committed by the bank's chairman, CEO and CFO. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency seeks a...

Free Trade Area of Ameritas summit in 2003.(MIAMI)
December 1, 2007... >> City commissioners approved payment of the city's portion of the $561,000 settlement to 21 protesters who claimed that police used excess force during the Free Trade Area of Americas summit in 2003.

Auctioned more than 150 homes in the Fort Lauderdale/Miami.(MIAMI)
December 1, 2007... >> Texas-based Hudson & Marshall, one of the nation's largest real estate auction firms, auctioned more than 150 homes in the Fort Lauderdale/Miami area on Oct. 20. Statewide, more than 400 foreclosed homes were auctioned during mid-October.

MacClatchy.(MIAMI)
December 1, 2007... >> McClatchy, Sacramento-based parent company of the Miami Herald and Nuevo Herald, announced that a $190-million sale of 10 acres near the two Miami newspapers to an investment group led by Miami developer Pedro Martin should be completed next...

Ryder System.(MIAMI)
December 1, 2007... >> Boeing has selected Ryder System (NYSE-R), to provide global transportation management services under a multiyear contract. As part of the deal, Ryder will create and manage a customized transportation management system for Boeing....

Miami City Ballet.(MIAMI)
December 1, 2007... >> Miami City Ballet received a $1 -million grant, the largest for a single ballet project in the dance company's history, from the Annenberg Foundation. The funds will underwrite a new ballet choreographed by Twyla Tharp to music of Elvis...

Florida Power & Light.(MIAMI-DADE COUNTY)
December 1, 2007... MIAMI-DADE COUNTY -- With the goal of building two nuclear reactors in the southern corner of Miami-Dade County, Florida Power & Light filed formal documents with the Florida Public Service Commission. FPL seeks to build the reactors at its...

Hospitality College at Johnson & Wales University's North Miami campus.(NORTH MIAMI)
December 1, 2007... NORTH MIAMI- The Hospitality College at Johnson & Wales University's North Miami campus is offering In Touch, a new program designed to improve the level of service in south Florida's hospitality industry.

Miami International Airport passenger count.(TRAVEL)
December 1, 2007... TRAVEL Miami International Airport Passenger Count Passengers Aug.2006 Aug.2007 % Change International 694,835 790,267 +13.7% arrivals Domestic 665,943 737,721 +10.8...

Finally, room at the inn.(HOTELS)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Twenty gears after rowdy college kids got the boot, Fort Lauderdale's famed Strip has gone luxe. A new five-star St. Regis Resort sells $46 steaks on the same oceanfront spot where the Candy Store held wet...

Poker payoff.(GAMING)
December 1, 2007... Poker isn't gambling; it's a game of skill. That's the theory behind the Skill Game Protection Act, a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) that would exempt poker and skill games like bridge and chess from an internet gambling...

Day Jet.(BOCA RATON)
December 1, 2007... BOCA RATON -- Day Jet has launched service between Lakeland, Tallahassee, Gainesville, Pensacola and Boca Raton. The air taxi service also plans to begin service to other Southeastern states.

Equitable Financial Group.(BOCA RATON)
December 1, 2007... >> 1st United Bancorp signed an agreement to buy Equitable Financial Group of Fort Lauderdale for about $55.6 million in cash and stock, about 2.15 times Equitable's $25.8-million book value.

Citrix Systems.(FORT LAUDERDALE)
December 1, 2007... FORT LAUDERDALE -- Citrix Systems has completed its $500-million acquisition of XenSource. The acquisition is the largest in Citrix's 18-year history. The new technology allows users to group multiple operating systems on a single server.

Port Everglades.(FORT LAUDERDALE)
December 1, 2007... >> Port Everglades generates about 11,000 direct jobs in south Florida and about $16.8 billion in overall economic activity, according to an economic impact survey.

Levitt & Sons.(FORT LAUDERDALE)
December 1, 2007... >> Levitt & Sons has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and has temporarily stopped building homes as it restructures debt. The company plans to take pretax charges of $160 million to $170 million as a result of losses on its...

Trump Financial.(HALLANDALE)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... HALLANDALE -- Trump Financial opened its first south Florida office with six loan officers and plans to grow to 20 by early next year. Trump is the preferred lender for several condominium projects in south Florida, including the Mondrian in...

BioRASI.(HOLLYWOOD)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... HOLLYWOOD -- BioRASI, the life sciences initiative of the Russian Academy of Scientists, has relocated its world headquarters from Miami. The 12,000-sq.-ft. building now houses 10 employees. Privately held BioRASI plans to recruit an additional...

Seminole Hard Rock and Casino.(HOLLYWOOD)
December 1, 2007... >> Michael Bloom, president and second-ranking officer of the Seminole Hard Rock and Casino, has resigned.

American Express.(PLANTATION)
December 1, 2007... PLANTATION -- American Express plans to add 600 jobs next month to the 3,800 it already has at its credit card call service center.

Mann Research Center.(FORT ST. LUCIE)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... PORT ST. LUCIE -- Mann Research Center, a company formed by medical device entrepreneur Alfred E. Mann, plans to develop a "major life sciences complex" next to the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies' planned campus. Mann Research has...

Boca Raton-based Green Advertising.(Players)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Courtlandt McQuire has been named president of Boca Raton-based Green Advertising.

Regents Bank.(Players)
December 1, 2007... Regents Bank has promoted Kaela Lerner to vice president and business banking sales manager, J.A. Hartl to vice president and business banking relationship manager, and Jan A. Gerken and Tom Abraira to vice presidents of business banking.

James Scarberry.(Players)
December 1, 2007... James Scarberry, Hollywood police chief, has retired.

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce.(Players)
December 1, 2007... The Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce named Daniel Lindblade president and CEO.

Ambit Marketing.(Players)
December 1, 2007... Kathy Koch, president of Ambit Marketing, is Broward Alliance's board chair for 2007-08.

Gang busters.(CRIME)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For years, members of gangs like Brown Pride Locos and SUR-13 have been involved in robberies, shootings and drug deals in Bradenton, Palmetto and parts of east Manatee County. A steady string of arrests did little...

Grant targets juvenile diabetes.(EDUCATION)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jeffrey P. Krischer, a professor of pediatrics at the University of South Florida, received $169 million from the National Institutes of Health to coordinate a 10-year international study of juvenile diabetes. The...

Babcock Ranch.(CHARLOTTE/LEE OCUNTIES)(Department of Environmental Protection)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... CHARLOTTE/LEE COUNTIES -- A state audit of the Department of Environmental Protection's land acquisitions concluded that the state's purchase of 73,000 acres of Babcock Ranch property from developer Syd Kitson was based on an appraisal that...

Skybus Airlines.(CHARLOTTE COUNTY)
December 1, 2007... CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- Skybus Airlines started service to Charlotte County Airport from Columbus, Ohio, and Portsmouth, N.H. The low-cost carrier is the first to occupy the airport's new $5.5-million terminal.

Market Street Mortgage.(CLEARWATER)
December 1, 2007... CLEARWATER -- Market Street Mortgage will be sold off in pieces following the collapse of its parent company, NetBank, which was shut down by federal regulators in September. Fifty-three of 179 employees in Market Street's Clearwater office...

HSN shopping network.(CLEARWATER)
December 1, 2007... >> Internet conglomerate IAC/InterActiveCorp is spinning off HSN shopping network and three other units.

Tourist development taxes.(COLLIER COUNTY)
December 1, 2007... COLLIER COUNTY -- Collier County collected a record $622,286 in tourist development taxes in August. The Naples, Marco island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau reported 84,000 visitors--8.4% over August 2006.

Big Cypress.(COLLIER COUNTY)
December 1, 2007... >> Collier Enterprises announced plans to build Big Cypress, a 2,800-acre community in eastern Collier County.

Six lanes.(COLLIER/LEE COUNTIES)
December 1, 2007... COLLIER/LEE COUNTIES -- A 30-mile stretch of 1-75 from Golden Gate Parkway in Collier County to Colonial Boulevard in Lee County is being expanded to six lanes. The project will take three years.