Florida Trend articles from February 2004

Florida Trend archives from February 2004

Governor's literacy initiative strengthens families: celebration event provides funding.(Special Advertising Report)
February 1, 2004... Amber Brooks, 25, is a single mother with a plan. "By the time I am 30, I want to have completed my education and put myself on a solid career path," she says. As a teenager, Amber fell into the wrong crowd and never finished school. "I...

Bona fide results.(corner office)(florida trend)
February 1, 2004... In our 45-year history, FLORIDA TREND has accomplished a lot of firsts. Our most recent "first" confirms that we are committed to presenting the most accurate and authoritative information possible for both our readers and advertisers. ...

Terri Schiavo.(readers)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... In his December editorial "Brilliance and Blindness," Mark Howard missed the larger issue in the Terri Schiavo dispute. This case is not about whether Terri Schiavo should live or die. It is about protecting Floridians from a dangerous legal...

Panama's reputation.(readers)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... As a longtime Miami resident, fourth-generation Panamanian citizen and journalist (founder and editor of La Prensa), I write this letter embarrassed by the incredible violation of journalistic ethics of FLORIDA TREND'S October issue ["Miami's...

Correction.(readers)(Correction Notice)
February 1, 2004... Floridians produce 27 million tons of trash each year.

Blending in.(Executive lifestyles: executives at home)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... "I'm kind of a chameleon," says former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala. "I like fitting into the environment where I am." So when Shalala moved to Florida nearly three years ago, she wanted her home to fit in with...

On the right track.(Executive lifestyles: executives at home)(collection of toy trains)
February 1, 2004... Attorney Joel Fass says toy trains are nearly as popular today as they were in their heyday in the 1950s. He should know. An avid collector of Lionel trains himself, Fass still has the train set from his childhood on Long Island in New York....

Staying sharp.(Executive lifestyles: executives at home)(collection of sharpeners)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... A businessman who's running for city commissioner in Coral Springs, where he resides, Roy Gold keeps a busy schedule. An environmental activist in his community, he's spearheaded numerous projects over the years from neighborhood tree-planting...

To the dogs.(Executive lifestyles: executives at home)
February 1, 2004... When Suanne Abeles leaves the Tampa jewelry store she owns and runs with her husband, Jeff, home and hounds await in nearby Odessa. Abeles' passion is her three Irish wolfhounds: Duncan, Indie and Sophie. The unusual giant breed has "absolutely...

Life of the party: COMCOR event and meeting production.(Trendsetters[TM]: travel and hospitality)
February 1, 2004... When Mona Meretsky throws a party, it's a production. She ran the post-game All Star bash at a Hollywood hotel last year for 4,000 intimate friends of the National Hockey League. She mapped out flow diagrams for the bars and food stations to...

Growing up together: Orange County convention center.(Trendsetters[TM]: travel and hospitality)
February 1, 2004... Tom Ackert recently looked at a photograph from 26 years ago of Orange County commissioners visiting the site of the convention center the county had begun building. Whom should he spy in the photo but a college intern for the county, the kid...

Hitting her own pitches: visit Florida.(Trendsetters[TM]: travel and hospitality)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Vacation marketer Kerri Post has never been out of the country. When traveling Florida, she stays at boutique hotels and dines at local restaurants. Her last getaway was to Sanibel Island. In short, Post, 40, practices what she pitches....

Catering to the upper crust: a Joy Wallace catering production.(Trendsetters[TM]: travel and hospitality)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... In November, Joy Wallace's catering business took over management of the cafe and gift shop at Vizcaya, a Miami museum and gardens. The cafe isn't large but represents a big departure for a woman who's done her best work out of a truck. ...

Bancshares of Florida, the Naples holding company for Citizens National Bank of Southwest Florida and Bank of Florida, named David G. Wallance to replace Thomas Whelan as chief financial officer.(Banking)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Bancshares of Florida, the Naples holding company for Citizens National Bank of Southwest Florida and Bank of Florida, named David G. Wallace to replace Thomas Whelan as chief financial officer. Whelan, 54, takes on the new position of chief...

Well-known Tallahassee attorney Steven J. Uhlfelder has been elected chairman of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board in Washington, D.C.(Education)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Well-known Tallahassee attorney Steven J. Uhlfelder has been elected chairman of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board in Washington, D.C. The 12-member board meets quarterly and selects students and teachers to participate in...

First Advantage Corp.(Insurance)(promotions)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... First Advantage Corp. has promoted Bart Valdez and Judy Seldin to new positions at the St. Petersburg company. Valdez, 40, takes over as president of the newly created enterprise screening services division, which provides employment background...

Arby's president and chief executive, Michael Howe, has resigned.(Restaurants)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Arby's president and chief executive, Michael Howe, has resigned. The Fort Lauderdale company has named Doug Benham, the former chief financial officer of franchisee RTM Restaurant Group of Atlanta, to replace him.

Burdines-Macy.(Retail)(appointment of president)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Burdines-Macy's named Nirmal K. "Trip" Tripathy president and COO of the Miami department store chain owned by Federated Department Stores. He replaces Michael J. Osborn, who was tapped as president and COO of Macy's West in June 2002....

Jack Levine, a prominent advocate for Florida children for more than 25 years, has retired as president of Voices for Florida's Children.(Social Services)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Jack Levine, a prominent advocate for Florida children for more than 25 years, has retired as president of Voices for Florida's Children. He will continue to consult with the group and remain active in advocacy issues for children.

Patricia Higgins has resigned as president and CEO of Tampa-based Switch and Data, a provider of switching equipment and services to telecom and internet companies.(Technology)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Patricia Higgins has resigned as president and CEO of Tampa-based Switch and Data, a provider of switching equipment and services to telecom and internet companies. She will continue in the positions until a replacement is named. Higgins has...

Alinean.(Technology)(appointment of president)
February 1, 2004... Alinean, a maker of software for the information technology industry, named Bill Johnston president. He takes over the position from founder Tom Pisello, who remains CEO. Johnston, 42, was recently COO and chief technology officer of...

Gerry Cahill, 52, was promoted to the newly created position of executive vice president and chief financial officer at Miami-based Carnival Corp. and London-based Carnival PLC.(Tourism)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Gerry Cahill, 52, was promoted to the newly created position of executive vice president and chief financial officer at Miami-based Carnival Corp. and London-based Carnival PLC. He joined Carnival in 1994 as vice president of finance and was...

CSX World Terminals.(Transportation)(appointment of president)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... CSX World Terminals in Jacksonville has promoted Andrew B. Fogarty to president and CEO. He succeeds Robert J. Grassi, who is retiring. Fogarty, 58, joined CSX World Terminals' parent company, CSX Corp., in 1989 and has spent the bulk of his...

No bowl of cherries: Tupperware's debt rating takes a hit as the company's financial performance declines.(Retail)
February 1, 2004... In 1946, inventor Earl Silas Tupper tried to sell his new line of airtight plastic food containers through department and hardware stores. It went nowhere. Shoppers, it turned out, didn't understand how to use the containers' unique seals....

Cleaning house: the maligned viatical industry is gaining support among mainstream investment firms.(Insurance)
February 1, 2004... In the mid-1980s, when the AIDS crisis was at its height, insurance brokers offering terminally ill patients cash upfront for their life insurance death benefits began flocking to Miami. But the "viatical" industry, attracted by the area's...

Two of south Florida's best-known developers, Jorge Perez's The Related Group of Florida and Edward Easton's The Easton Group, have teamed up to build Aventura Marina a 378-unit luxury waterfront condominium community.(Aventura)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Two of south Florida's best-known developers, Jorge Perez's The Related Group of Florida and Edward Easton's The Easton Group, have teamed up to build Aventura Marina, a 378-unit luxury waterfront condominium community. Groundbreaking will be...

Pow Wow.(Miami)(Travel Industry Association of America's annual tourism convention)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Miami will host the Travel Industry Association of America's annual tourism convention--known as the Pow Wow--in 2009. The May 16-20 event is expected to attract close to 6,000 travel agents and tour operators who will book about $3 billion...

Grenberg Traurig.(Miami)(employs 1,000 lawyers)
February 1, 2004... With the opening of an office in Dallas, Miami-based law firm Greenberg Traurig has joined the ranks of only a small number of firms nationwide to employ more than 1,000 lawyers. The firm opened in Miami in 1967.

Radio Unica Communications Corp.(Miami)(lay-offs)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Spanish-language broadcaster Radio Unica Communications Corp. (OTCBB-UNCAQ) has laid off 76 people, all in Miami, as it prepares to be acquired by New York's MultiCultural Broadcasting Corp. The Miami-based chain of 15 AM radio stations filed...

Baseball-only stadium.(Miami-Dade)(finances)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... County and Miami city officials are exploring financing options for a $325-million baseball-only stadium for the Florida Marlins. County commissioners have pledged up to $73 million in tax revenue, a move criticized by some municipal leaders....

Port of Miami.(Miami-Dade)(grants)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Miami-Dade will receive $2.26 million in grants from the Department of Homeland Security to beef up security at the Port of Miami and along the Miami River.

Florida International University.(Miami-Dade)(gets a grant from Kauffman Foundation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Florida International University has received a $3-million grant from the Kauffman Foundation to improve entrepreneurial studies at the university. FIU's Global Entrepreneurial Center, where much of the funds will be directed, is geared toward...

Miami-Dade County School District.(Miami-Dade)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The Miami-Dade County School District, the state's largest, was the only district in Florida to miss the voter-mandated cap for class sizes in two of the three grade categories. While the district met class-reduction targets within kindergarten...

For-profits take over healthy kids program.(Healthcare)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... MIAMI-DADE -- Two for-profit health plans, Amerigroup and Staywell, will take over the county's Healthy Kids program from Jackson Memorial Medical Center, raising concerns that the program's neediest patients will not have access to Jackson's...

Growing pains: St. Lucie County considers cultivating a niche in grapes.(Agriculture)
February 1, 2004... A shrinking market, declining prices and increasing pressure to develop agricultural land has the "Grapefruit Capital of the World" rethinking its future in smaller terms. Much smaller. Researchers at the Indian River Research and Education...

Mizner Park.(Boca Raton)
February 1, 2004... The landmark Mizner Park office, retail and apartment development is to be sold to Columbia, Md.-based Rouse & Co. and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority for $137 million.

1st United Bank.(Boca Raton)(First Western Bank of Cooper city)
February 1, 2004... 1st United Bank plans to purchase the First Western Bank of Cooper City for $6.6 million.

Hurricane standards.(Broward County)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The county's system for ensuring that home blueprints meet county hurricane standards needs improvement, two consultants who reviewed blueprints have concluded. The recommendations mirror the findings of a 2002 Miami Herald investigation that...

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport's south runway.(Broward County)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... After more than 10 years of debate, county commissioners have voted to approve a controversial plan to extend the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport's south runway, though not as far as originally planned. The scaled back version,...

City's police and fire departments.(Cooper City)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... A proposal to allow the Broward Sheriff's Office to absorb the city's police and fire departments has met with opposition from some residents who like the personal service provided by local police. City officials say the move would save the...

International Adoption Resources.(Coral Springs)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... State officials have revoked the license of Interc national Adoption Resources amid an investigation into the company's connections to a suspected child smuggler.

Langston Associates.(Delray Beach)(City commissioners have scaled back their contract )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... City commissioners have scaled back their contract with Jacksonville-based Langston Associates after learning they'd paid more in fees over three years than the additional grant money brought in by the firm, which writes grant applications.

Budget cuts.(Fort Lauderdale)(calls for 86 layoffs and the elimination of 100 jobs )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The city is taking steps to trim back an already austere budget with $12 million in budget cuts. A budget plan approved in December calls for 86 layoffs and the elimination of 100 jobs throughout the city.

Donald Trump.(Fort Lauderdale)(contracts to build a hotel and condo tower)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Developer Donald Trump reportedly has entered into a deal to build a hotel and condo tower on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

1-cent sales tax increase.(Martin County)(country commissioners plans to purchase the rights to preserve agricultural land from development)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... County commissioners may ask voters to approve a 1-cent sales tax increase to fund the purchase of property and development rights to preserve agricultural land from development.

Wastewater disposal.(Pembroke Pines)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Under the terms of a tentative settlement over a 2001 lawsuit alleging Hollywood overcharged Pembroke Pines for wastewater disposal, Hollywood will pay $3.1 million and waive $295,000 in outstanding payment obligations.

Point Blank Body Armor.(Pompano Beach)(opening of third production facility in Broward Country)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Bulletproof vest maker Point Blank Body Armor is opening its third production facility in Broward County.

Sewage treatment plant.(Port St. Lucie)(City officials plans to provide 408 acres for the construction)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... City officials are moving forward with plans to annex 408 acres for the construction of a sewage treatment plant despite challenges by nearby residents.

Redevelopment plan.(Riviera Beach)(plans to build a $180-million condominium, marina and restaurant complex)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Broward developer Michael Swerdlow will partner with two local developers to build a $180-million condominium, marina and restaurant complex to anchor the city's redevelopment plan.

Downtown nightclub owners.(West Palm Beach)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The city gave preliminary approval to a plan that would require downtown nightclub owners to pay a share of police overtime costs.

Convention center.(West Palm Beach)(planning a deal to bring a hotel to the recently opened $83-million convention center)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The county is still trying to put together a deal to bring a hotel to the recently opened $83-million convention center. County administrator Bob Weisman wants to select a developer this month.

New college's new age: the small liberal arts college is settling into its post-independence era.(Education)(interview)(Interview)
February 1, 2004... New College of Florida has faced some jarring changes over the past 2 1/2 years. In mid-2001, the Legislature forced the 650-student public liberal arts school in Sarasota to break its 26-year ties with the University of South Florida. But it...

PCB Bancorp.(Clearwater)(mergers)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Clearwater-based PCB Bancorp has merged with Montgomery, Ala.-based Colonial BancGroup. The deal is worth about $141 million, with 75% stock and 25% cash. PCB has 16 offices in Florida, most of them in Pinellas County, and has $664 million in...

Pasco Beverage Group.(Dade City)(has decided to sell its chilled juice operation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Pasco Beverage Group plans to lay off 250 workers by March and has decided to sell its chilled juice operation to Flemington, N.J.-based Johanna Foods. Pasco Beverage will still employ 350 workers, who will continue to produce concentrate.

Patricia G. Bean.(Hillsborough County)(the first female county administrator)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Patricia G. Bean has been named Hillsborough County's first female county administrator. Bean has been deputy county administrator since 1988 and replaces Dan Kleman, who resigned last year.

Tourist taxes.(Pinellas County)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... For five years an unnamed out-of-state rental management company sent tourist taxes collected on Pinellas County condo rentals to Hillsborough County by mistake. Hillsborough County has returned $250,000 to Pinellas but may have to return more...

Wi-Fi.(St. Petersburg)(finances to get wireless fidelity services)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... St. Petersburg will not be getting the Wi-Fi, or wireless fidelity, zone that the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership was working on securing. The Wi-Fi zone would enable wireless connections to the internet, but the partnership could not find...

Bay Pines V.A. Medical Center.(St. Petersburg)(cases against officials)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The chief of medicine at St. Petersburg's Bay Pines V.A. Medical Center has been reassigned following a federal investigation on charges that he misused money and sexually harassed employees. Dr. Harold L. Kennedy has been reassigned to...

St. Petersburg College.(St. Petersburg)(St. Petersburg College is hoping to buy Largo's Coliseum nightclub for $1.55 million)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... St. Petersburg College is hoping to buy Largo's Coliseum nightclub for $1.55 million. The college says it needs the nightclub property so it can grow.

University of South Florida's College of Business Administration.(Tampa)(the first new construction at the college in nearly 30 years has started)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The University of South Florida's College of Business Administration broke ground on a 45,000-sq.-ft. addition to Chester H. Ferguson Hall, the first new construction at the college in nearly 30 years. The $10-million expansion will include an...

Atlanta-based construction companies Aviation Constructors and ACI Commercial, a division of Aviation Constructors that builds educational and commercial projects, are moving their headquarters to Tampa this month.(Tampa)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Atlanta-based construction companies Aviation Constructors and ACI Commercial, a division of Aviation Constructors that builds educational and commercial projects, are moving their headquarters to Tampa this month. ACI, with $156 million in...

University of South Florida.(Tampa)(financing options for Research Experience for Teachers program)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The National Science Foundation has given the University of South Florida a $446,593 grant to continue training teachers in engineering sciences. The program, Research Experience for Teachers, was developed to help teachers get more students...

Kforce.(Tampa)(mergers)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Staffing company Kforce (Nasdaq-KFRC) bought Novato, Calif.-based Hall, Kinion & Associates for $65 million. Hall, Kinion had revenue of $120 million in 2002 and about 300 employees. Kforce employs about 1,100 and will now operate in 45 U.S....

Tropicana moves.(Agriculture)(Pepsico, is moving the juice maker's headquarters to Chicago)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... BRADENTON -- Tropicana Products' parent company, Pepsico, is moving the juice maker's headquarters to Chicago. Tropicana had been based in Bradenton for 56 years. About 275 people will be laid off because of the reorganization, though some will...

A matter of intent: hotels can't claim agricultural exemptions on land they plan to develop, says Orange's property appraiser.(Property Rights)
February 1, 2004... Owners of some high-profile vacant Orange County land are learning the end may be near for a time-honored way to cut their property taxes. Several large hotel companies have lost battles to have undeveloped tracts on which they someday plan...

Daytona Beach Community College.(Daytona Beach)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Daytona Beach Community College is eyeing the property Halifax Medical Center is vacating near the college. The 37-acre parcel could fetch $60 million or more, leaving DBCC leaders scrambling to raise money during the five to 10 years it will...

Adam's Mark Hotel.(Daytona Beach)(on the verge of being sold)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The 746-room Adam's Mark Hotel is on the verge of being sold, according to reports in the St. Louis Business Journal. The hotel's owner, HBE Corp., has been trying to sell more than a dozen of its Adam's Mark hotels for several months.

Increased population density.(Groveland)(government plans)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The city now agrees with the Florida Department of Community Affairs about how 2,600 acres just north of Groveland should be developed. The plan calls for allowing increased population density near any public facility, including schools,...

Kissimmee Utility Authority.(Kissimmee)(service expansion)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The Kissimmee Utility Authority plans to offer phone service in Osceola, Orange and Polk counties beginning this month. KUA will partner with Sparks Communications, a division of the New Smyrna Beach Utilities Commission, which already offers...

Interchange.(Leesburg)(construction has started)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Construction has begun on an interchange between Florida's Turnpike and County Road 470, opening up 3,000 acres owned by the city for the development of a commercial area or business park.

Leesburg Regional Airport.(Leesburg)(change of name)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Leesburg officials changed the name of Leesburg Regional Airport to Leesburg Regional Airport at Henry Pringle Field to honor Pringle, who donated the land in 1948.

Regal Cinemas.(Orange County)(building plans)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Regal Cinemas plans to build a 16-screen complex at The Loop, an open-air shopping center planned at the intersection of John Young Parkway and Osceola Parkway.

Vivendi Universal.(Orange County)(selling of land)
February 1, 2004... Vivendi Universal sold a 1,800-acre tract on which it once planned to build a third theme park to Georgia developer Thomas Enterprises Inc. Universal bought the Sand Lake Road tract in 1998 from Lockheed Martin.

Sheraton Four Points Hotel Orlando.(Orlando)(management)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The Sheraton Four Points Hotel Orlando has been bought by Atlanta developer David Eichenblatt, who will turn the downtown landmark into a 128-unit condominium named Metropolitan at Lake Eola. Prices will range from the low $100,000s to the low...

Central Florida News 13.(Orlando)(operation information)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Bright House Networks has taken over complete operation of Central Florida News 13, a 24-hour local news station broadcast on the Bright House cable network. Since the channel's launch in 1997, Bright House and the Orlando Sentinel had been...

Royal Palm Homes and Historic Creations of Orlando have closed on $42 million in financing that will allow construction of The Sanctuary.(Orlando)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Royal Palm Homes and Historic Creations of Orlando have closed on $42 million in financing that will allow construction of The Sanctuary, a 173-unit high-rise condo project near Lake Eola that will include penthouse units that boast 4,800...

Homebuilders Association of Metro Orlando.(Orlando)(contract cancellation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The Homebuilders Association of Metro Orlando canceled its agreement with the Orlando Sentinel to publish its annual Parade of Homes guidebook after the newspaper and WESH-TV teamed up on an investigation into shoddy homebuilding practices. The...

Florida Hospital and Aetna have resolved a contract dispute that had prevented Aetna's 130,000 central Florida customers.(Orlando)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Florida Hospital and Aetna have resolved a contract dispute that had prevented Aetna's 130,000 central Florida customers from using Florida Hospital facilities.

Convergence Film and Television.(Orlando)(merger with Techno-media Solutions)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Convergence Film and Television, a producer of IV commercials, infomercials and sales videos, has merged with Techno-media Solutions, a designer and builder of private video networks. The merged company will be called Entertainment...

Florida Splendid China.(Orlando)(theme park has closed)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Florida Splendid China, the 10-year-old Chinese-owned theme park known for its miniature replicas of Chinese landmarks, closed.

County commissioners raised the hotel tax from 5% to 6%.(Osceola County)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... County commissioners raised the hotel tax from 5% to 6%, earmarking the additional funds toward the development of a county convention center and adjacent 800-room hotel.

Central Florida YMCA.(Osceola County)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Central Florida YMCA plans to build two child-care centers at Walt Disney World. Enrollment will be open to the public, but preference will be given to Disney employees. The two centers will accommodate about 650 children.

Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority.(Tavares)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Lake County commissioners withdrew their support for a plan by the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority to extend S.R. 429 as a toll road east of Mount Dora.

The Villages.(The Villages)(Obituary)
February 1, 2004... Harold Schwartz, founder of The Villages retirement community, died Dec. 22 at his home in The Villages. He was 93. Though not active in running The Villages for several years, Schwartz and his son, Gary Morse, began developing the community in...