Florida Trend articles from January 2007

Florida Trend archives from January 2007

"Good ideas don't just happen. They're published.".(Corner Office)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Above--and on page 91 of this issue--this message introduces our company's first branding campaign in quite a few years. As Florida Trend approaches its 50th anniversary--we're 49 this year--we want to raise...

Magnolia Bay.(Readers)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... It is not the intent of the Magnolia Bay Marina & Resort development team to generate widespread coastal development along the Nature Coast ["Reasoning Animals" August, FloridaTrend.com]. Much of the Taylor County coastline is state-protected....

Insurance.(Readers)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... As an insurance professional of many years, I enjoyed your column ["Premium Solutions," November, FloridaTrend.com]. It is true; rates are likely to go up more before competition causes them to be reduced. Rates charged by Citizens should...

Banks vs. credit unions.(Readers)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... The banking industry does not want credit unions to go away ["The Battle for Your Money" September 2006, FloridaTrend.com]. It simply wants a level playing field for the billion-dollar credit unions that do everything that banks do, except pay...

Charlotte County.(Readers)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... From your magazine, and especially from your Restaurant Guide, the conclusion could easily be drawn that Charlotte County doesn't exist! Why do I see so little news about Port Charlotte? I must say I am very disappointed! Bill Sturdevant...

Clarification.(Readers)(Correction notice)
January 1, 2007... Our July Dining and Spirits feature said Stags' Leap Winery beat the best of the Bordeaux in a wine tasting. It was actually Stag's Leap Wine Cellars that beat the Bordeaux.

Game phase.(Executive Lifestyles: Outdoor Sports)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LPGA player Carolyn Hill says the golf courses at the Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando are some of her favorites in Florida. They're beautifully designed with oak trees and lots of water. Great guest villas line the...

Swing set.(Executive Lifestyles: Outdoor Sports)
January 1, 2007... Fort Walton Beach-based Edwin Watts Golf opened its 27th Florida location in November in Brandon. The store offers amenities new to the Edwin Watts chain, such as a Callaway OptiFit system--the latest technology in club fitting--and an "About...

Rock 'n' roll.(Executive Lifestyles: Outdoor Sports)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Florida's Harley-Davidson megadealer, Bruce Rossmeyer, will soon unveil a custom bike sure to rock the world of Hog riders. The new motorcycle is a collaboration between Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Rossmeyer's...

Rossmeger's ride.(Executive Lifestyles: Outdoor Sports)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Managing a business empire that includes 13 Harley-Davidson dealerships, a Hog museum and several restaurants leaves Bruce Rossmeyer little time to ride. But his all-time favorite bike is a Harley Road Glide built...

Custom diets: metabolic typing relies on a personal approach.(Executive Lifestyles: Health: Weight Management)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] People who've tried one-size-fits-all diets are turning to a growing trend in weight management: Highly customized nutrition plans developed through a process called metabolic typing. Nutritionists design a...

Flying a new flag.(Executive Lifestyles: Travel: Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center & Spa)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The former Bonaventure Resort & Spa, built in the 1980s in Weston near Fort Lauderdale, has undergone a $100-million renovation and now is known as the Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center & Spa. ...

Travel aid.(Executive Lifestyles: Travel: Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center & Spa)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] TurboCharge Price: $24.85 Website: magellans.com About the size of a tube of lipstick, the TurboCharge powers cell phones for up to two hours of talk time or 40 hours of standby. It comes with 10...

Visit Florida.
January 1, 2007... Florida counted 516,000 fewer visitors in the third quarter of 2006--a decrease of 2.4% compared with the same period for 2005, according to Visit Florida, the state's official tourism marketing agency. Hotel occupancy was down 3.9% for January...

Ocanos Resort & Marina.
January 1, 2007... Billed as the only five-star property in the Florida Keys, Ocanos Resort & Marina is planned for the site of the former Holiday Isle Resort in Islamorada. CSC Holiday Land is developing the condo/hotel, expected to open in 2008 with 151 suites...

La Borgata.
January 1, 2007... Country music star Alan Jackson and developer Ronnie Gilley Properties have broken ground on La Borgata, a town home and condominium resort community between Destin and Panama City Beach. Construction is set to be completed by late 2008.

Sage Resort.
January 1, 2007... >> Construction is under way on the Sage Resort condo/hotel near Disney World. Set to open in late 2008, the 10-story tower will include 260 units priced at $469,000 to $1.2 million.

Anna Maria Island.
January 1, 2007... Anna Maria Island has been named the hottest U.S. destination for 2007 based on user activity at TripAdvisor.com. Siesta Key, the only other Florida location on the top 10 list, ranks fourth.

Grand Bohemian Hotel.
January 1, 2007... Downtown Orlando's Grand Bohemian Hotel, part of the growing Kessler Collection, has ended its franchise agreement with the Westin chain in an effort to emphasize the Kessler brand.

Beefing up.(Executive Lifestyle: Dining and Spirits)(Ulysses' Prime Steakhouse)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] > Ulysses' Prime Steakhouse 234 Brevard Ave., Cocoa 321/639-3922; ulyssesprimesteakhouse.com Does Florida really need another steakhouse? Are we not oversupplied with beef, beef, beef? Morton's, Palm, Ruth's...

Wine & spirits.(Executive Lifestyle: Dining and Spirits)
January 1, 2007... RED Monies Reserve Malbec Chile $10 Chile is graduating from the ranks of bargain quaffing wines to more refined company of noble grape groupies, inspiring Concha y Toro and winemaker Aurelio Montes, whose 2005 Montes Reserve Malbec is...

Tolf's picks.(Executive Lifestyle: Dining and Spirits)
January 1, 2007... ORLANDO Ming Court 9188 International Drive 407/351-9988 ming-court.com The ultimate Chinese temple serving anything you've ever seen on a non-stop Chinese bill of fare, but also a delightful selection of dim sum, sushi and sashimi. Lunch...

Opening doors.(Trendsetters: Real Estate)
January 1, 2007... Alicia Cervera Lamadrid put in three years of work toward a doctorate in clinical psychology before joining her mother's real estate firm full time. There, she got another education. Her mother, she says, "always thinks out of the box." ...

Upscale plans.(Trendsetters: Real Estate)
January 1, 2007... How to understand going forward with a luxury condo/ hotel project in Lake Buena Vista in a slow real estate market? Shamanand K. "Sham" Maharaj says it's a matter of keeping the emphasis on the hotel side and the traditional measures of hotel...

Notables in Naples.(Trendsetters: Real Estate)(D'Jamoos Group developes Sao Grato, a 23 acre, $100-million mixed-use project )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Betsy D'Jamoos, 46, is chief operating officer, and Andy D'Jamoos, 43, is sales and marketing vice president at The D'Jamoos Group, founded by their father, Joseph, in Naples. The firm is developing the Brazilian-styled Sao Grato, a 23-acre,...

Tower power.(Trendsetters: Real Estate)
January 1, 2007... For fun, Brian Street drove in a Nevada road rally in November and went on to Baja for a 24-hour desert race. "Twenty-four hours of non-stop hell," Street says. "It takes three or four months to figure out whether you enjoyed it or not." ...

The art of being unique.(Trendsetters: Real Estate)
January 1, 2007... Years ago in Seattle, developer Jimmy Aviram helped an artist renovate a building for use as a studio. Aviram took some of the artist's work as compensation--and remained his friend. The artist was Dale Chihuly. Aviram thought of Chihuly...

An anti-AIDS blitz: local groups innovate to expand the number getting tested.(Around the State: Statewide News)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In his State of the Union address a year ago, President Bush called for a nationwide effort to tackle the HIV/AIDS crisis. Part of Bush's message mentioned "working closely with African-American churches and...

Minority gains.(BUYING POWER)(growth in income of African-Americans in Florida)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... MINORITY GAINS--Disposable income among Florida's African-Americans hit $52.7 billion last year, up 226% from 1990 compared with a 151% gain nationwide over the same period, according to a University of Georgia report. Among Florida Hispanics,...

Minority lending.(REAL ESTATE)(growth of home loans in Ocala)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... MINORITY LENDING--Ocala had the largest increase in home loans to African-Americans statewide in 2004-05, at 90.4%, according to a study of mortgage data. The study, conducted by GenWorth Financial a mortgage insurance company, and...

Teaming up.(AEROSPACE)
January 1, 2007... TEAMING UP--Florida State University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Florida Institute of Technology have signed an agreement to work as a team on aerospace research and technology projects. The three are forming an institute to work...

Star power.(ARCHITECTURE)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A slew of new public buildings, a crowded real estate market with developers seeking an edge for projects and the city's growing reputation as an international center of art and design are attracting a wave of...

George Foyo.(players)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] George Foyo, Blue Cross and Blue Shield's market president for south Florida, was named 2006 Executive of the Year by the Latin Chamber of Commerce of the United States.

Miriam Alonso.(players)
January 1, 2007... Former Miami-Dade Commissioner Miriam Alonso, once among the most powerful figures in county politics, will serve 41/2 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges of stealing more than $100,000 from campaign funds.

Seabourn Cruise Line.(players)
January 1, 2007... Pamela C. Conover has been named president and CEO of Seabourn Cruise Line.

Batanga.com.(CORAL GABLES)
January 1, 2007... CORAL GABLES--Hispanic streaming media website Batanga.com has acquired Hispanic LatCom Communications, a marketing company focusing on Latino high school and college students. With the acquisition, Coral Gables-based Batanga.com becomes one of...

Crosswinds residential development.(MIAMI)
January 1, 2007... MIAMI--Despite vocal opposition from some low-income residents, the Miami City Commission approved plans for the $200-million Crosswinds residential development in Miami's impoverished Overtown area. Opponents say the project's 1,050 condo...

Miami International Airport's expansion.(MIAMI DADE)
January 1, 2007... MIAMI-DADE--The cost of Miami International Airport's expansion will grow by more than $1 billion to $6.2 billion, prompting Wall Street to downgrade bond ratings at what is already one of the nation's most expensive airports to operate.

Miami Metrozoo.(MIAMI DADE)
January 1, 2007... Voters have approved a plan that allows restaurants, shops, a water theme park and other private development on 69 acres adjacent to the county-owned Miami Metrozoo. County leaders say the development is needed to boost attendance at the park.

Tunnel in downtown Miami.(MIAMI DADE)
January 1, 2007... The county commission has given the green light to a $1.2-billion plan to build a tunnel in downtown Miami connecting 1-395 to the Port of Miami. A funding source for the county's portion, about half the cost, is unclear.

Institute of Human Genomics.(MIAMI DADE)
January 1, 2007... Two of the world's leaders in genetics research--Margaret Pericak-Vance and Jeffery Vance--have joined the University of Miami, where they will lead the newly formed Institute of Human Genomics. The pair headed a similar research center at Duke...

Changing appearances.(REDEVELOPMENT)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The small oceanfront town of Hallandale Beach, sandwiched between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, largely missed out on the development frenzy that blew through southeast Florida in the last decade. The...

Metropolitan Health Networks.(players)
January 1, 2007... Metropolitan Health Networks has named Robert Sabo CFO, replacing David Gartner. Sabo had been CFO at Hospital Partners of America in North Carolina.

Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau.(players)
January 1, 2007... Warren "Mac" McLaughlin has resigned as president and CEO of the Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau amid a $1.55-million embezzlement scandal involving the bureau's controller. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Patriot Rail Corp.(BOCA RATON)
January 1, 2007... BOCA RATON--Co-founder and former chairman, president and CEO of railroad operator RailAmerica, Gary Marino has launched a new company: Patriot Rail Corp. Patriot's first acquisition is the 118-mile Tennessee Southern Railroad. Meanwhile,...

Office Depot.(BOCA RATON)
January 1, 2007... Delray Beach-based Office Depot (NYSE-ODP) broke ground on its new global headquarters. The company could get up to $16.7 million in incentives for the 28-acre campus at the Arvida Park of Commerce.

Former Muvico Entertainment IT director Joseph Harlen Snook.(FORT LAUDERDALE)
January 1, 2007... FORT LAUDERDALE--Prosecutors have charged former Muvico Entertainment IT director Joseph Harlen Snook with intentionally causing damage to the company's computer system. Snook allegedly injected a virus that cost the company about $100,000 in...

Dyadic International.(JUPITER)
January 1, 2007... JUPITER--Abengoa Bioenergy has invested $10 million in Dyadic International. Dyadic will use the money to further develop its technology for converting renewable biomass (urban, agricultural and forestry waste) into fermentable sugars that can...

Natural gas storage plant.(STUART)
January 1, 2007... STUART--Woodlands, Texas-based Florida Natural Gas Storage wants to build a $225-million natural gas storage plant, the state's first, at a vacant Superfund site in Indiantown by 2011.

BioCatalyst International.(WEST PALM BEACH)
January 1, 2007... WEST PALM BEACH--BioCatalyst International is moving its headquarters from Virginia. The company, which provides seed capital and management expertise to biotech firms, will employ 10.

Cut its tax rate for downtown property owners.(WEST PALM BEACH)
January 1, 2007... The West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority plans to cut its tax rate for downtown property owners by 50%.

New heights.(LAND USE)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 2005, St. Pete Beach adopted a land-use plan that increased the height limit for hotels from five to 15 stories and increased the density to 90 units per acre. City officials said that the changes were needed to...

Tampa Bay Partnership.(Players)
January 1, 2007... University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft has been named chairwoman of the Tampa Bay Partnership, a seven-county economic development organization. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Amscot Financial.(Players)
January 1, 2007... Patricia Yanovitch, director of accounting at Amscot Financial, was promoted to CFO at the Tampa-based financial services provider.

Hudson Sun-River.(CHARLOTTE COUNTY)
January 1, 2007... CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- Hudson Sun-River, a partnership of McCann Development, Steven Feldman and Old Bridge Park Property Investments, will build Florida Gulf Coast University's new satellite campus in Charlotte County. Hudson Sun-River is...

First Street Village.(FORT MYERS)
January 1, 2007... FORT MYERS -- Cameratta Properties has broken ground on First Street Village, a mixed-use development downtown.

Bonita Bay Group.(LEE COUNTY)
January 1, 2007... LEE COUNTY -- The Bonita Bay Group has purchased 60 affordable condominiums in Osprey Cove in south Lee County that it is selling at below-market rates to school employees and other "essential workers." The condos cost around $175,000 to...

Bank of Venice.(NAPLES)
January 1, 2007... NAPLES -- TIB Financial Corp. is purchasing Bank of Venice for $16 million.

Private Client Technologies.(SARASOTA)
January 1, 2007... SARASOTA -- Private Client Technologies, an IT outsourcing services company, has moved its headquarters from Boston to Sarasota.

General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems.(ST. PETERSBURG)
January 1, 2007... ST. PETERSBURG -- General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems was awarded a $6.1-million contract to produce 9,000 "disposable fire sets" to assist troops in destroying explosives and clearing unexploded ordnance.

Employ Florida Banner Center for Manufacturing.(TAMPA)
January 1, 2007... TAMPA -- A consortium of five community colleges led by Hillsborough Community College received $500,000 from Workforce Florida to launch the Employ Florida Banner Center for Manufacturing, part of a statewide initiative to improve the skills...

In the driver's seat.(EDUCATION)(Seminole Community College)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Seminole Community College opens the doors this month to its Professional Automotive Training Center, a $6.5-million facility that's been 10 years in the making. The Sanford/Lake Mary campus has long housed an...

Helman Hurley Charvat Peacock/Architects.(Players)
January 1, 2007... Michael Chatham has been named president of Helman Hurley Charvat Peacock/Architects. He replaces founding partner Alan Helman, who will remain chairman. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Schenck Co.(Players)
January 1, 2007... Beverage distributor Schenck Co. has appointed Kelley Mossburg president and corporate general manager. Mossburg formerly was COO at CNL Financial Group.

Myregion.org's "How Shall We Grow?" town meetings.(CENTRAL FLORIDA)
January 1, 2007... CENTRAL FLORIDA -- About 8,000 residents have given feedback in Myregion.org's "How Shall We Grow?" town meetings. Five scenarios for central Florida's development have emerged, focusing on themes such as sensitive land preservation, compact...

Harris Corp.(MELBOURNE)
January 1, 2007... MELBOURNE -- Harris Corp. (NYSE-HRS) has received a one-year, $42-million contract from the Department of State to continue providing technical support services to more than 230 U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide. Harris also has been...

Bidchaser.(ORLANDO)
January 1, 2007... ORLANDO -- Atlanta-based Integrated Media Holdings has bought privately held online auction and e-commerce company Bidchaser.

The University of Central Florida and Florida Hospital have formed an alliance to study lifestyle medicine and produce the peer-reviewed American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.(ORLANDO)
January 1, 2007... The University of Central Florida and Florida Hospital have formed an alliance to study lifestyle medicine and produce the peer-reviewed American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. Their goal is to not only treat diseases but prevent them.

Fuel tank farm.(PORT CANAVERAL)
January 1, 2007... PORT CANAVERAL -- Vitol S.A. has signed a 30-year lease with Port Canaveral, where it plans to build a fuel tank farm. The port's cargo revenue is expected to jump from $7.3 million last year to nearly $18 million. Annual revenue has exceeded...

Anchors away.(CECIL FIELD)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cecil Field, on Jacksonville's west side, hasn't operated as a military facility since the Navy shuttered it a decade ago. The city took over the site and began marketing it as an industrial park. But during the most...

St. Joe Co.(Players)
January 1, 2007... St. Joe Co. named Michael N. Regan CFO. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Jacksonville & the Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau.(Players)
January 1, 2007... Dennis Pate, executive director of the Jacksonville Zoo, is the new chairman of the Jacksonville & the Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau.

CB Richard Ellis.(Players)
January 1, 2007... CB Richard Ellis named Bruce Jackson first vice president of its Jacksonville office.

Toll Brothers.(Players)
January 1, 2007... Bruce Lingerfelt was named senior vice president of Toll Brothers' Jacksonville office.

EverBank.(Players)
January 1, 2007... EverBank named Patrick McElhaney senior vice president and commercial operations director.

A $84-million facility housing.(ALACHUA COUNTY)
January 1, 2007... ALACHUA COUNTY -- A $84-million facility housing the UF Shands Cancer Center, the UF Genetics Institute, the Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research and the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory has opened at the University of...

Ordinance limiting new commercial buildings.(ATLANTIC BEACH)
January 1, 2007... ATLANTIC BEACH -- The city commission is considering an ordinance limiting new commercial buildings to 60,000 square feet. Neighboring Neptune Beach enacted a similar ban.

Duval County school system.(DUVAL COUNTY)
January 1, 2007... DUVAL COUNTY -- The Duval County school system is scrambling to find classroom space in a effort to meet the requirements of Florida's class size amendment. School officials are facing about $4 million in penalties because of class size...

Firehouse Subs.(JACKSONVILLE)
January 1, 2007... JACKSONVILLE -- Jacksonville-based Firehouse Subs plans to open 35 stores in the Baltimore area over the next seven years.

Duval County Tourist Development Council.(JACKSONVILLE)
January 1, 2007... The Duval County Tourist Development Council approved $150,000 to fund a 40-member task force to determine if the city needs a new convention center.

Mental health court system.(NASSAU COUNTY)
January 1, 2007... NASSAU COUNTY -- Circuit Court Judge Brian Davis is leading an effort to establish a mental health court system in Nassau County. The change would allow the justice system to help mentally ill people who commit minor crimes get treatment...

Global Axcess.(PONTE VEDRA BEACH)
January 1, 2007... PONTE VEDRA BEACH -- Global Axcess (OTC-GAXC) CEO Michael Dodak and President David Fann resigned after the company reported a loss of $722,000. George A. McQuain was named CEO.

Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass.(PONTE VEDRA BEACH)
January 1, 2007... A $40-million renovation at the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass will be ready for The Players Championship in May.

Impact fees.(PUTNAM COUNTY)
January 1, 2007... PUTNAM COUNTY -- The county approved five categories of impact fees--school, transportation, fire department, emergency medical service and parks and recreation--effective Feb. 1.