Florida Trend articles from February 2006

Florida Trend archives from February 2006

Know-how: not just knowledge.(Corner Office)
February 1, 2006... Corporate recruiters often complain that today's MBA graduates sorely lack writing and public speaking skills. But after having had the opportunity recently to see what two business schools in Florida are doing to prepare their graduates in...

Coral Gables.(Readers)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... "Balancing Act" [November, FloridaTrend. com] accurately reflected the challenges facing Coral Gables, a midsized sophisticated city in the middle of a major urban mass. We appreciate the fact that FLORIDA TREND addresses the major and...

Eminent domain.(Readers)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... I think that Neil Skene is a confused receptacle of double-think ["A State of Discontent," December, FloridaTrend.com]. How is Clarence Thomas a "judicial activist" for aligning his position to the Constitution, limiting eminent domain...

Indexing success.(Readers)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... I was taken aback by your December editorial "Indexing Success." Jacksonville's pioneering work in community indicators was dismissed in three words. The Jacksonville Community Council's (JCCI) Quality of Life Progress Report, first created in...

Correction.(Readers)(Correction Notice)
February 1, 2006... The photo that ran with a Miami-Dade item about Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina was of state Rep. Julio Robaina, not Hialeah's new mayor.

Part-time poet.(Executive Lifestyles Public People, Private Passions)
February 1, 2006... As president of Orlando-based Amazon Hose & Rubber, Summer Rodman oversees an industrial distribution company with three offices in Florida that does $11 million in sales annually. She also helps run a poetry press, is a published poet herself...

Horseplay.(executive lifestyles public people, private passions)(of Tom Equels)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Miami litigation attorney Tom Equels, who helped recover millions of dollars hidden throughout the world by former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, follows more pastoral pursuits when he gets away to Mystic Oaks, his Ocala ranch. He breeds...

Road hog.(Executive Lifestyles Public People, Private Passions)
February 1, 2006... As a managing director for United Airlines' Latin American market, Ben Barrocas spends 50% of his time flying. When he's home in Broward County, he likes to stay grounded. His favorite ride? A Harley-Davidson Superglide. "I'm in a challenging...

Beat player.(executive lifestyles public people, private passions)(Jan Reese, drummer)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Jan Reese was the founder and lead drummer of the Jan Reese Quartet, which played a regular gig at the Flagler Inn in Gainesville when he was a college student. But he turned down a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston for a degree...

Making a grilling.(executive lifestyles public people, private passions)(yacht captain Daryl Junck)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Plantation-based yacht broker and yacht captain Daryl Junck turned a passion for outdoor grilling into a way to feed the neighborhood after Hurricane Wilma hit south Florida last October. Without water or power for 15 days, Junck grilled...

Growing new cells: will gene and cell transplant therapies improve the quality of life for heart patients?(Executive Lifestyles: Health: Heart Health)
February 1, 2006... About 1.2 million Americans are expected to have heart attacks this year. Two clinical trials at the University of Florida's Shands Jacksonville Medical Center offer new hope for heart patients who've tried every option short of a transplant....

Hidden arterial disease.(guidelines for detecting the disease)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Healthcare professionals have new guidelines to help them determine whether patients might be suffering from unsuspected symptoms of peripheral arterial disease, which the medical community calls an "alarmingly common condition" that affects 12...

Warning signs of a heart attack.
February 1, 2006... * Chest Discomfort. Pain, fullness, pressure or squeezing in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back. * Upper Body Symptoms. Pain or discomfort in one or both arms or in the back, neck, jaw or...

Stats.(of deaths caused due to cardiovascular disease)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... 71.3 million Number of adults in U.S. with cardiovascular disease, including 27.4 million ages 65+ Source: American Heart Association 37.3% Deaths in the United States caused by cardiovascular disease in 2003, or one in every...

The best from the best: when the managers of Florida's finest resorts hit the road, where do they stay?(executive lifestyles: travel: favorite luxury resorts)
February 1, 2006... STEVE CONTOS General Manager, J.W. Marriott Grande Lakes Orlando grandelakes.com Resort Features: 100,800 square feet of meeting space, a lazy river outdoor heated pool, the Primo restaurant run by chef Melissa Kelly and access to the...

In the groove.(Mattison's Steakhouse, Mattison's City Grille and Mattison's Siesta Grille)(Restaurant Review)
February 1, 2006... * Mattison's Steakhouse at the Plaza 525 Bay Isles Parkway, Longboat Key 941/387-2700; mattisons.com * Mattison's City Grille 1 N. Lemon Ave., Downtown Sarasota 941/330-0440; mattisons.com * Mattison's Siesta Grille 1256 Old Stickney...

Wine & spirits.(Marquis de Riscal Rioja, Eyrie Pinot Gris)(restaurants)
February 1, 2006... RED Marquis de Riscal Rioja Spain $15-$20 Spanish wines are our third-largest European wine import, and there's been an explosion of new and better bottles, but the reserved and wired wines of Marques de Riscal Rioja, aged 23...

Willie Gary: attorney, 58.(Icon)(Interview)
February 1, 2006... Some people are winners. They just refuse to give up. They just refuse to quit. I think sometimes you're born with it. You just got to get a feel for a good case, and that happens over time. You've got to take your lumps. I haven't won...

Sand and spam.(Trendsetters: IT Software & Networking)
February 1, 2006... Tired of California commutes, longing for balmy Florida weather and a bit flush from the sale of a software company where he was executive vice president, Alex Eckelberry moved here in 1999. He bought a "ridiculously cheap" waterfront house and...

Elizabeth Smith.(Other Notables)
February 1, 2006... * Elizabeth Smith, president of Technology Services Group in Tallahassee, a network integration firm, is a founding member of the new Venture Boosters, an incubator "without walls" to provide professional services to startups commercializing...

India natives Ren Mohan and Usha Mohan founded 32-employee Intelligenxia in Jacksonville.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... * India natives Ren Mohan and Usha Mohan founded 32-employee Intelligenxia in Jacksonville. Ren, chief technology officer, and Usha, chief architect, have the technology to mine e-mails, search engines and feedback forms and extract interesting...

Growing again.(Susan Kidwell of Avenue A / Razorfish Inc.)
February 1, 2006... Susan Kidwell joined IBM after college and expected to spend her career there. But then the red hot dot-com market beckoned, and in 2000 she left for web development consulting company Xcelerate in Fort Lauderdale. She started April 10 as a...

Rob Wright.(of Channel Intelligence)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Channel Intelligence CEO Celebration "Your average executive who visits Florida leaves thinking, what an incredible place. Imagine if we as a state were to tap into that resource. We spend an enormous amount of time talking about...

Tuning up.(trendsetters: IT software & networking)(Carlo Franzblau developed Carry-A-Tune music learning software)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Carlo Franzblau Carry-A-Tune Technologies President Tampa At 13, Carlo Franzblau got the role of Elvis-like pop sensation Conrad Birdie in a summer camp production of "Bye Bye Birdie." The problem was Franzblau couldn't carry...

The source.(Special Advertising Report)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... More than 80 million vacationers from and the world came to Florida in 2004 and spent $57 billion while visiting our state. Florida is indeed fortunate to have the amenities admired and desired by so many visitors. We, the residents of Florida,...

School blues.(case against Pinellas County school system for failing to provide necessary facilities)
February 1, 2006... The future of Florida's schools is playing out as much in the courtroom as in the classroom. In one case, school administrators around the state are eyeing a lawsuit against the Pinellas County school system that alleges the district has failed...

Governing.(Governing magazine selected Paula Dockery as the public officials of the year for 2005)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Governing magazine has selected state Sen. Paula Dockery as one of its eight public officials of the year for 2005. The magazine--a sister publication of FLORIDA TREND--cited Dockery's strong leadership and ability to generate bipartisan...

Florida Department of State.(Sue M. Cobb replaced Glenda Hood)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Gov. Jeb Bush has appointed Sue M. Cobb secretary of the Florida Department of State, replacing Glenda Hood, who resigned. Cobb, a longtime Bush family friend and major Republican donor, is a lawyer and has recently served as U.S. ambassador to...

J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.(Players)
February 1, 2006... Tallahassee attorney and lobbyist Steve Uhlfelder will serve a third term as chairman of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. President Bush first appointed Uhlfelder to the Fulbright board in 2001. Uhlfelder is one of 15 members...

Politically popular.(Florida cities)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Members of Congress took more than $19-million worth of free trips between 2000 and 2005, many of them to Florida. Eight Florida cities were among the top 25 U.S. destinations for lawmakers traveling on the dime of private organizations. ...

Florida facts.(Statewide)
February 1, 2006... 44,000 number of farms in Florida--22nd in the U.S.--with an average per-acre value of $3,100--No. 11 nationwide. 1.74 million head of cattle roam Florida farmlands--No. 17 nationwide. 91.3 million chickens in Florida--15th in the U.S....

Leading the nation.(Jobs)
February 1, 2006... LEADING THE NATION -- Florida led the nation in job creation through October, with 253,000 new jobs. Job growth of 3.3% more than doubled the national average of 1.4%. Miami/Fort Lauderdale led the state with 64,000 new jobs. Orlando created...

Birding.(Tourism)
February 1, 2006... BIRDING -- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission last month unveiled the south Florida section of the Great Florida Birding Trail. The 2,000-mile trail offers bird watchers 446 sites. The south Florida leg, the final leg, has...

Welcoming environment.(Entrepreneurs)
February 1, 2006... WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT -- Florida provided the sixth-best environment for entrepreneurship last year, according to the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council's 2005 Small Business Survival Index. In Florida's favor: No personal income tax, no...

Drive updates.(Transportation)
February 1, 2006... DRIVE UPDATES -- The Florida Department of Transportation has expanded its free 511 real-time 24 hour-a-day traffic information phone service. It now covers 15 central Florida regional highways in addition to all interstates in Florida and...

A paucity of parks.(public space)(impact fee on residential development projects)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... By any measure, Miami's park system is the nation's skimpiest, ranking last among major cities in parkland per capita and in the percentage of land devoted to parks. Civic groups blame a long record of poor management and a pro-development...

Resident background.(population density of Florida)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... More than half of Miami-Dade residents were born outside the U.S. Hialeah, the state's fifth-most populous city, leads the way. Residents Hialeah Miami-Dade Florida Foreign-born residents 72.1% 50.9% ...

Codina Group.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... CORAL GABLES -- St. Augustine-based Florida East Coast Industries is buying south Florida real estate company Codina Group for $270 million. Codina Group CEO Armando Codina will join FECI'S management team. Codina Group has built more than 11...

Orange Bowl.(Orange Bowl renovation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... MIAMI -- City officials say they will follow through on a $100-million plan to renovate the Orange Bowl, home to the University of Miami's football team. The stadium, built in 1937, sustained extensive damage during Hurricane Wilma, prompting...

Zed.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... Spain-based Zed, the world's second-largest mobile content distributor, has launched a U.S. base of operations in Miami.

Modesto "Mitch" Maidique.(Florida International University Faculty Senate ordered reassessment of his leadership)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The Florida International University Faculty Senate has called on the school's board of trustees to reassess the leadership and administration of President Modesto "Mitch" Maidique. The request comes in response to an internal report that...

Lennar Corp.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... Miami-based Lennar Corp. (NYSE-LEN), one of the nation's largest homebuilders, reported record earnings of $1.34 billion in 2005 on revenue of $13.87 billion. It is the first time the 51-year-old company has broken the $1-billion mark in...

Condo construction.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... Condo construction remains at a frenzy, city officials say in a 2005 year-end report, with 15,000 condo units under construction and 67,000 more approved or in the permitting phase.

Miami Dade College.(Players)
February 1, 2006... Miami Dade College's second-ranking administrator, Provost for Operations Kathie Sigler, has retired after 35 years with the school. Sigler is credited with helping grow Miami Dade College into one of the nation's largest community colleges.

Barbara Carey-Shuler.(Players)
February 1, 2006... Miami-Dade Commissioner Barbara Carey-Shuler, citing the need to spend more time with ill family members, abruptly resigned after more than two decades serving predominately black neighborhoods.

Miami-Dade School Board.(Players)
February 1, 2006... Agustin Barrera has been elected chairman of the Miami-Dade School Board, replacing the controversial Frank J. Bolanos.

Louis J. Hector.(Players)
February 1, 2006... Louis J. Hector, who helped build Steel Hector & Davis into one of the Florida's largest law firms, died of heart failure at age 89.

Freedom donation.(Pedro Martin of the Terra Group)(Freedom Tower to Miami-Dade Community College)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Developer Pedro Martin of the Terra Group has donated downtown Miami's landmark Freedom Tower to Miami Dade College, ending years of uncertainty over the 80-year-old building Built to house the former Miami Daily News, the tower became a...

Price jump.(consumer price index)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... While the nation's consumer price index rose only slightly in 2005, skyrocketing real estate prices and the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma pushed consumer prices up sharply in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area. 12-Month Change in...

A surprise raise.(POLITICS)
February 1, 2006... Despite earning praise for his efforts to clean up city government and restore fiscal stability, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz is under fire for accepting a surprise salary increase from the five-member city commission. The raise--from $97,000 to...

$7-million settlement to a class-action lawsuit.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... The city commission and Mayor Manny Diaz are weathering public outrage over a controversial $7-million settlement to a class-action lawsuit filed by homeowners who challenged a city-imposed fire-rescue fee. The city quietly agreed to pay...

In what executives call a cost-cutting move, the Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald will no longer publish a state editione.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... In what executives call a cost-cutting move, the Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald will no longer publish a state edition and will end single-copy sales outside Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties.

Florida Marlins and city and county leaders have struck out in their latest bid to build a baseball-only stadium adjacent to the Orange Bowl, prompting team executives to announce the possibility of moving out of south Florida.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... Florida Marlins and city and county leaders have struck out in their latest bid to build a baseball-only stadium adjacent to the Orange Bowl, prompting team executives to announce the possibility of moving out of south Florida. The Marlins had...

University of Miami.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... The University of Miami and the Technische Universat Munchen recently signed a strategic alliance in engineering and information technology intended to foster joint research projects, including research faculty and student exchanges.

Urban Development Boundary.(veto of Carlos Alvarez)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... MIAMI-DADE -- The Miami-Dade County Commission has overridden a veto from Mayor Carlos Alvarez, clearing the way for state regulators to review a host of proposed developments on the county's western fringes by extending the Urban Development...

High & dry.(MARINE INDUSTRY)
February 1, 2006... In Broward County, boating is king. The county's marine industry is Florida's largest, generating 109,000 jobs and accounting for 29% of all statewide sales. But what good is a boat without a place to dock it? Throughout Broward and other...

American dream.(REAL ESTATE)
February 1, 2006... Despite high real estate prices, south Florida's homeownership rates remain near or above the state average. The exception: Miami-Dade, with a large low-wage population of recent foreign immigrants. Homeownership County ...

MoreVisibility.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... BOCA RATON -- More Visibility, a firm that helps companies optimize their use of search engines, has been named to the 2005 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private firms in the U.S. From 2001 to 2004, More Visibility's revenue grew 315%.

Miami Herald.(Miami Broward County edition)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... BROWARD -- In an effort to leverage its reputation as a nationally known daily newspaper, the Miami Herald will return "Miami" to the title of its Broward County edition. The Knight Ridder publication has been marketed as "The Herald" since...

Chiquita Brands International.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... Disappointing economic development officials throughout south Florida, Cincinnati-based Chiquita Brands International has announced it won't relocate its headquarters. Broward was considered a front-runner to land the fresh fruit distributor's...

Most expensive single-family home sale.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... FORT LAUDERDALE -- The $16.25-million sale of a two-story, Mediterranean-style home in Fort Lauderdale's upscale Harbor Beach neighborhood set a record for the most expensive single-family home sale in the county. The sale comes on the heels of...

Adam Kidan, the New York-based buyer of Fort Lauderdale's SunCruz Casinos, has pleaded guilty to charges of defrauding lenders when he and Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff purchased the company five years ago.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... Adam Kidan, the New York-based buyer of Fort Lauderdale's SunCruz Casinos, has pleaded guilty to charges of defrauding lenders when he and Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff purchased the company five years ago. Shortly after the safe, SunCruz...

Centre City Development Corporation.(Players)
February 1, 2006... Former West Palm Beach Mayor Nancy Graham is leaving Florida to become president and chief operating officer of the non-profit Centre City Development Corporation, the development and permitting agency for downtown San Diego. She will be...

Broward County.(Players)
February 1, 2006... Roger Desjarlais, who stepped down from his post as Broward County administrator last fall, is now the lobbyist for the city of Hollywood in its bid to grab a piece of the slot machine action approved by voters last year.

Roadhouse Grill.(Players)
February 1, 2006... Roadhouse Grill President and CEO Ayman Sabi has announced he will leave the company upon completion of its acquisition by San Diego-based Steakhouse Partners early this year. Roadhouse Grill has been operating under bankruptcy protection since...

Playing the slots.(local gambling political aspects)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Nine months after Broward voters approved a referendum permitting Las Vegas-style slot machines at four pari-mutuel locations, state lawmakers crafted a bill regulating the industry. The county will be allowed 6,000 slots operating up to 16...

Danger ahead.(government spending on safety programs)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Florida led the nation in bicycle fatalities with 122 in 2004. Despite one of the highest rates of pedestrian and bicycle deaths in the state, south Florida communities are among the state's stingiest in spending on safety programs. ...

For the sake of money.(school boards of Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties partnering )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Putting aside regional differences, the school boards of Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties are uniting to lobby state lawmakers for more funding. Board members say they will ask parents and local officials to flood legislators with...

Hutchinson Island--a year after selling the Boca Raton Resort & Club and four other hotels, H. Wayne Huizenga has purchased the 176-room Holiday Inn Oceanside.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... HUTCHINSON ISLAND -- A year after selling the Boca Raton Resort & Club and four other hotels, H. Wayne Huizenga has purchased the 176-room Holiday Inn Oceanside on Hutchinson Island through an affiliate of his Fort Lauderdale-based Huizenga...

FPL Group.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... JUNO BEACH -- FPL Group (NYSE-FPL) and Baltimore-based Constellation Energy have agreed to merge in an $11-billion stock-swap deal that creates one of the nation's largest electric utilities. FPL's CEO Lewis Hay III will head the combined...

Bankrate Inc.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... NORTH PALM BEACH -- Underscoring a dramatic turnaround from near collapse a few years ago, online banking site Bankrate Inc. (Nasdaq-RATE) has reached an agreement to acquire rivals Illinois-based MMIS/Interest. com and San Francisco-based...

Palm Beach County Bank.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... PALM BEACH -- New Jersey-based Commerce Bancorp (NYSE-CBH) has purchased seven-branch Palm Beach County Bank for $100 million in stock as a foundation for an expansion throughout southeast Florida. Commerce plans 150 branches in Palm Beach,...

Sony Style stores.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... Sony Electronics has opened Sony Style stores in Boca Raton and Palm Beach Gardens, doubling its number of locations statewide.

Stuart--Stuart's Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... STUART -- Stuart's Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida (Nasdaq-SBCF) is merging with Okeechobee-based community bank Big Lake HB.

Countrywide Financial Corp.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... SUNRISE -- Countrywide Financial Corp., one of the nation's largest mortgage lenders, will lay off about 100 at its Sunrise loan-processing unit. The move is in response to an industrywide slowdown in loan applications.

Low clearance.(PORT OF TAMPA)
February 1, 2006... In 1998, Carnival Cruise Lines had to modify its 2,600-passenger ship, the Sensation, to squeeze under the Sunshine Skyway bridge and reach the Port of Tampa. Today, as cruise lines race to build bigger ships, the 187-foot-high bridge is...

Hitting the road.(Circus Sarasota)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Circus Sarasota, an organization founded in 1997 to promote the legacy of the American circus, is taking its show on the road starting in February 2007. CEO Pedro Reis says a statewide tour will keep Circus Sarasota "in the black" and hopefully...

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute.(Players)
February 1, 2006... Retired U.S. ambassador and developer Mel Sembler and Home Shopping Network President Marty Nealon have joined the board of advisers of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute.

Association of Metropolitan Planning Organization.(Players)
February 1, 2006... Lucie Ayer, executive director of the Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization and a member of the American Institute for Certified Planners, will serve on the national Association of Metropolitan Planning Organization's board of...

Association of Science-Technology Centers.(Players)
February 1, 2006... Wit Ostrenko, president of Tampa's Museum of Science & Industry, was elected president of the Association of Science-Technology Centers board of directors.

University of South Florida St. Petersburg.(Players)
February 1, 2006... Blaine Brownell, former president of Ball State University, was named interim dean of the College of Business at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.

Renters paradise.(survey of top livable cities according to renters)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Sarasota ranked higher than and other Florida city in a recent survey of 95 "livable cities" for renters, based on satisfaction, affordability and vacancy. Sarasota/ Bradenton ranked eighth in the nation. Gainesville came in at 34;...

Prudential Tropical Realty.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... BRANDON -- Prudential Tropical Realty recently expanded its Brandon/Valrico office to accommodate 50 employees and a training facility.

Market Street Mortgage.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
February 1, 2006... CLEARWATER -- Market Street Mortgage has launched a national builder division in Atlanta to offer mortgage programs to new construction builders in more than 40 states.