Florida Trend articles from July 2009

Florida Trend archives from July 2009

Physical education.(FloridaTrend.com: THE WEBSITE OF FLORIDA BUSINESS)
July 1, 2009... FLORIDA TREND Associate Editor Amy Keller tests her physical limits at the National Training Center's Human Performance Lab in Clermont. Find out how this 37-year-old desk jockey fared in an endurance test that pushes an individual to the point...

Arts and the environment.(FloridaTrend.com: THE WEBSITE OF FLORIDA BUSINESS)
July 1, 2009... The non-profit South Florida Environmental Art Project is aiming to make south Florida a leading center for ecoart--a practice that weds art with science, engineering and community engagement to address environmental problems. Learn more about...

Hear Olympic hurdler Damu Cherry, who trains at the Clermont facility, describe her daily training regimen, talk about what it was like to compete in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.(FloridaTrend.com: THE WEBSITE OF FLORIDA BUSINESS)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Hear Olympic hurdler Damu Cherry, who trains at the Clermont facility, describe her daily training regimen, talk about what it was like to compete in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and explain why she wasn't...

Getting away.(Readers)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2009... As one who has worked with Orlando International Airport to attract international airlines with direct flights to Orlando, I find Chris Sherman's article offensive ["Connect the Spots," June, FloridaTrend.com]. I would suggest that driving to...

Agriculture's role.(Readers)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2009... Absent from the discussion in Mark Howard's April column "A Quiet Hum" was agriculture, an important component of the so-called "three-legged stool" of Florida's economy. Just as it helped sustain Florida during the sharp dropoff in tourism...

Royal Palm Hotel.(Readers)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2009... I am an avid reader of FLORIDA TREND magazine and was especially excited when I saw the business brief in the May issue about the Royal Palm Hotel in Miami Beach. However, you described R. Donahue Peebles as the "original developer" of the...

Correction.(Readers)(Correction notice)
July 1, 2009... A. Duda & Sons employs 699.

Wine & spirits.(Florida Life)
July 1, 2009... RED Mulflerbosch cabernet sauvignon rose South Africa $15 Afraid of pink? Get over it. This fine Stellenbosch wine farm takes the dry Provencal style to make a lively, bold crisper. It's good for beach or patio barbecue, like...

Executive musicians.(Lifestyle)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lessons in Music Bob Meyer is looking for a new gig. He moved to Miami a year ago from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, where he was lead guitarist in Brand Inequity, a band with three...

Fast boats galore.(Getaways)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This Fourth of July weekend more than a dozen drivers and their million-dollar boats--and 50,000 speed fans--will head to the Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix Festival off Lido Key, where Florida launched its first...

Fueling worries: four ethanol crops under consideration in Florida are very thirsty.(NATURAL RESOURCES)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] From agricultural and energy company boardrooms to university laboratories, excitement is building over the potential for large-scale biofuel production in Florida. But a new study by forestry researchers at the...

University of Miami.(CORAL GABLES)
July 1, 2009... The University of Miami signed a development deal with Hanover, Md.-based Wexford Science and Technology to build the first phase of its life science park. The 211,000-sq.-ft, first phase should break ground this month.

University of Miami.
July 1, 2009... Miami businessman Carlos M. de la Cruz donated an undisclosed amount to establish the University of Miami School of Law's de la Cruz-Mentschikoff Endowed Chair in Law and Economics. UM's School of Education also received its first endowed...

JPMorgan Chase.(DORAL)
July 1, 2009... In connection with its acquisition of Washington Mutual, JPMorgan Chase plans to lay off 55 at a check-processing unit.

Southern Automotive.(HOMESTEAD)
July 1, 2009... Southern Automotive Dealership purchased the Blake Cadillac & Chevrolet dealership for an undisclosed amount.

"Major City of the Future".(MIAMI)
July 1, 2009... The city was ranked the No. 5 "Major City of the Future" by fDi Magazine, a Financial Times publication about foreign direct investment. The magazine also named the city in the top five for business friendliness, foreign direct investment...

Royal Caribbean Cruises.(MIAMI)
July 1, 2009... Royal Caribbean Cruises secured $1.05 billion in financing for its under-construction Oasis of the Seas, which wilt be the world's largest cruise ship when it sets sail this December. The loan is 95% guaranteed by the Finnish government's...

$640-million mixed-use project on Watson Island.(MIAMI)
July 1, 2009... The city granted developer Flagstone Property Group's request to develop a $640-million mixed-use project on Watson Island in phases, beginning with a 50-slip megayacht marina. This is the fourth extension granted to the developer, which cited...

Southeast Banking Corp.(MIAMI)
July 1, 2009... Southeast Banking Corp. failed to come out of its 18-year bankruptcy when a Merrill Lynch subsidiary decided not to close on a deal to invest in the financial institution. Merrill Lynch is looking for a third-party investor for a new purchase...

Related Group.(MIAMI)
July 1, 2009... Miami-based real estate developer Related Group purchased half of Lighthouse Point, a 900-acre peninsula on Eleuthera Island, Bahamas.

Staples.(MIAMI)
July 1, 2009... A year-old Staples at 2121 Biscayne Blvd. became the city's first retail store with U.S. Green Building Council LEED gold certification. The store includes a rainwater-collection cistern that fills its toilets and provides water for...

Miami law firm Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod and real estate entrepreneur Mitchell A. Feldman formed Bilzin subsidiary.(MIAMI)
July 1, 2009... Miami law firm Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod and real estate entrepreneur Mitchell A. Feldman formed Bilzin subsidiary FBS Property Tax Abatement to assist clients with property values, overassessments and other property tax issues.

MIA at Biscayne.(MIAMI)
July 1, 2009... The 14,000-sq.-ft. MIA at Biscayne restaurant and nightclub is slated to open this summer in downtown Miami, at the corner of Flagler Street and Biscayne Boulevard.

Harbour Key apartment building.(MIAMI DADE)
July 1, 2009... Tomas Cabrerizo of Cabrerizo Family Holdings and investor Sheldon Lowe paid $22.9 million for the 300-unit Harbour Key apartment building--south Florida's first substantial multifamily sale of the year. The seller was Kendall Courtyards, whose...

"Energy Smart Miami".(MIAMI DADE)
July 1, 2009... Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and executives from Florida Power & Light, General Electric, Cisco Systems and Silver Spring Networks proposed an "Energy Smart Miami" project that the partners hope will get federal funding. The project will put more...

Allstate.(MIAMI DADE)
July 1, 2009... Allstate announced it would close a claims office and lay off 66.

Equity again.(HOMES)
July 1, 2009... Fewer homeowners in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties owe more on their homes than the homes are worth. % of homes with Purchase year negative equity 2004 43.5%...

Florida International University.(Miami Dade: Players)
July 1, 2009... Mark B. Rosenberg takes over as president of Florida International University, replacing the retiring Modesto "Mitch" Maidique. Rosenberg was Florida's chancellor of higher education from 2005 until February and was provost of FIU before...

MTV Networks.(Miami Dade: Players)
July 1, 2009... MTV Networks CFO Juan Carlos Acosta was named senior vice president.

Aztec Group.(Miami Dade: Players)
July 1, 2009... Howard Taft became senior managing director of the Aztec Group real estate investment firm. He had been managing director of Cohen Financial's Miami office.

Molina Healthcare of Florida.(Miami Dade: Players)
July 1, 2009... David Pollack was named COO of Molina Healthcare of Florida. He was a vice president at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Rebuilding Together Broward.(Southeast: Players)
July 1, 2009... Sandra Veszi was named executive director of Rebuilding Together Broward, the local branch of the national non-profit focused on improving low-income housing for the elderly, disabled and those with children at home. Veszi was in marketing with...

Luxury Resorts International.(Southeast: Players)
July 1, 2009... Luxury Resorts International appointed Jon McGuann general manager of the Atlantic Hotel, a 124-room boutique property in Fort Lauderdale.

High earners.(INCOME)
July 1, 2009... Three of the region's counties were among six in Florida to make the top 50 nationally for highest per-capita income, according to an Associated Press study of Bureau of Economic Analysis 2007 data, the most recent released. Highest...

Wireless Solutions International.(BOCA RATON)
July 1, 2009... Wireless Solutions International, a provider of global wireless roaming services, was acquired by Tampa-based telecom industry company Syniverse Technologies (NYSE-SVR).

Georgeson Group.(BOCA RATON)
July 1, 2009... International interior design and engineering firm Georgeson Group opened a regional headquarters.

Atlantic Village Hotel & Marina.(DANIA BEACH)
July 1, 2009... Developer Atlantic Village began construction of the $150-million Atlantic Village Hotel & Marina. Completion is scheduled for 2011.

Gulfstream International Airlines.(FORT LAUDERDALE)
July 1, 2009... Regional carrier Gulfstream International Airlines faces a $1.3-million fine from the FAA for allegedly violating regulations on crew scheduling, leading to overscheduled crews, and installing unapproved air-conditioning compressors and...

General Motors notified AutoNation (NYSE-AN) that it won't renew contracts for six AutoNation dealerships, effectively closing them, as part of its closing of 1,100 nationally.(FORT LAUDERDALE)
July 1, 2009... General Motors notified AutoNation (NYSE-AN) that it won't renew contracts for six AutoNation dealerships, effectively closing them, as part of its closing of 1,100 nationally. Chrysler also said it would close seven AutoNation dealerships,...

CDG Management.(FORT LAUDERDALE)
July 1, 2009... New Jersey-based telemarketer CDG Management plans to lay off 99 when it shuts its Fort Lauderdale call center.

Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and Heart Institute.(FORT PIERCE)
July 1, 2009... HCA says its Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and Heart Institute in Fort Pierce opened the first trauma center between West Palm Beach and Melbourne, one of the few privately funded trauma centers in Florida.

Leinco Technologies.(PALM BEACH GARDENS)
July 1, 2009... Biotech company Leinco Technologies is relocating its headquarters to Palm Beach Gardens from St. Louis. Leinco received $700,000 in loans from the town of Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens in exchange for promising to create 15 jobs in its first...

Mednax.(SUNRISE)
July 1, 2009... Mednax (NYSE-MD) acquired a 12-physician practice group that provides neonatal intensive care and well-baby care at five Houston hospitals. Separately, Mednax acquired a five-doctor group in Jacksonville, Regional Obstetric Consultants.

10-story, 350-room hotel and office tower project.(SUNRISE)
July 1, 2009... Developer Sawgrass Investors won city approval of a zoning change that will allow construction of a 10-story, 350-room hotel and office tower project on 22 acres west of the Sawgrass Expressway and on the edge of the Everglades.

Florida Panthers.(SUNRISE)
July 1, 2009... Published reports say the owners of the NHL's Florida Panthers are in talks to merge the team, along with its contract with show-venue BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise where the team plays, and associated assets, into Sports Properties...

Ineos New Planet Bioenergy.(VERO BEACH)
July 1, 2009... The Indian River Chamber of Commerce's economic development unit is working with an alternative energy company Ineos New Planet Bioenergy that's looking at bringing 125 jobs to the county. A cosmetics distribution company, meanwhile, is...

Pending regulatory and shareholder approval, Southeast Acquisition Holding Corp. of Miami, an investment group led by Aztec Group.(WEST PALM BEACH)
July 1, 2009... Pending regulatory and shareholder approval, Southeast Acquisition Holding Corp. of Miami, an investment group led by Aztec Group CEO Ezra Katz, will acquire a majority stake in First Bank of the Palm Beaches.

Electronic Rx.(HEALTHCARE)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Doctors have been slow to give up their prescription pads, even though electronic prescriptions could prevent many of the mistakes that wind up killing 7,000 people in the U.S. every year. An initiative called...

Collier County home sales.(REAL ESTATE)
July 1, 2009... 7,088 homes for sale listed at $300,000 or more, April 2008 5,905 homes for sale listed at $300,000 or more, April 2009 Source: Naples Area Board of Realtors

Manatee County's Economic Development Council.(Southwest: Players)
July 1, 2009... Eric Basinger, former executive director of the Elmore County Economic Development Authority in Alabama, has been appointed executive director of Manatee County's Economic Development Council. He replaces Nancy Engel, who stepped down after 25...

Freedom Bank of America.(Southwest: Players)
July 1, 2009... G. Andrew Williams has been named president and CEO of St. Petersburg-based Freedom Bank of America. He replaces Robert Blakley, the bank's founder, who will remain a bank shareholder.

Glazer Children's Museum.(Southwest: Players)
July 1, 2009... Downtown Tampa's $21-million Glazer Children's Museum, expected to open by spring 2010, has hired Kristen Nieves as director of administration and Phil Manget as director of exhibits and design.

OSI Restaurant.(Southwest: Players)
July 1, 2009... Paul Avery, COO of OSI Restaurant Partners has retired. OSI owns Outback, Carrabba's and Bonefish Grill.

Academic Village.(CAPE CORAL)
July 1, 2009... Texas-based National Swimming Center Corp. is proposing to develop an aquatic center, tennis courts and a hotel on the site of the city's Academic Village. The developer is proposing that Lee County pay $10 million and the city more than $5...

Achieva Credit Union, headquartered in Clearwater, is in talks to merge.(CLEARWATER)
July 1, 2009... Achieva Credit Union, headquartered in Clearwater, is in talks to merge with Sarasota Coastal Credit Union.

Tech Data.(CLEARWATER)
July 1, 2009... Tech Data (Nasdaq-TECD) has launched an "economic stimulus watch," an initiative to help track the "billions of dollars" of IT spending the company expects to result from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Gartner.(FORT MYERS)
July 1, 2009... Gartner, an information technology research company, will expand its Lee County operations after getting $1.8 million in incentives from the county and state. The company, which employs 346 in Fort Myers, plans to add 200 jobs over the next...

90-year-old school building.(LAKE WALES)
July 1, 2009... After spending $3 million over the last 10 years, the city has decided to give up on plans to convert a 90-year-old school building into a performing arts center.

Port Manatee.(MANATEE COUNTY)
July 1, 2009... Port Manatee signed a two-year alliance with the Panama Canal Authority designed to increase trade between the two ports by soliciting shippers worldwide through joint marketing and information sharing.

Sand-mining operation.(PASCO/HERNANDO COUNTIES)
July 1, 2009... Avalon Park Group plans to build a sand-mining operation on 130 acres near the border of Pasco and Hernando counties and eventually place a lakeside residential community there.

National Register of Historic Places.(SARASOTA)
July 1, 2009... A 12-block stretch of downtown, including the Five Points area, has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Significant buildings within the district include the Kress Building on Main Street and the Sarasota Opera House on...

Siesta Beach parking lots and concession areas.(SARASOTA)
July 1, 2009... Proposed improvements to Siesta Beach parking lots and concession areas could cost taxpayers $4 million.

One Poly Place.(SEBRING)
July 1, 2009... The University of South Florida Polytechnic, formerly USF-Lakeland, has opened One Poly Place in Sebring, where local high school students and their parents can learn more about educational opportunities, including applying for colleges or...

Raymond James Financial.(ST. PETERSBURG)
July 1, 2009... Raymond James Financial (NYSE-RJF) has reversed an earlier decision to seek federal TARP funds.

WellCare Health Plans.(TAMPA)
July 1, 2009... More than a year after being raided by federal agents, WellCare Health Plans admitted it defrauded the state's Medicaid system and agreed to pay $80 million to Medicaid and the Florida Healthy Kids program. The company will also pay a $10...

OSI Restaurant Partners.(TAMPA)
July 1, 2009... OSI Restaurant Partners, operator of Outback Steakhouse and other restaurant chains, has agreed to sell its 36-location Cheeseburger in Paradise chain for $2 million to a company owned by Steve Overholt, the cheeseburger chain's president.

Continental Airlines.(TAMPA)
July 1, 2009... Continental Airlines is closing its Tampa reservations center, putting 100 out of work. Another 600 workers were given the option of working from home for less pay, transferring to a reservation center in Houston or Salt Lake City or taking a...

Odyssey Marine Exploration.(TAMPA)
July 1, 2009... A federal judge last month recommended that Tampa-based Odyssey Marine Exploration hand over 17 tons of "Black Swan" treasure to Spain.

Tennis stadium.(WESLEY CHAPEL)
July 1, 2009... A seven-year effort to build a tennis stadium has ended. The $7.9-million facility had been proposed as a joint effort between Pasco County and Saddlebrook Resort.

WMFE.(Central: Players)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WMFE has promoted Sherry Alexander to CFO from vice president for administration and finance for its public television and radio stations.

Freedom of the Seas.(BREVARD COUNTY)
July 1, 2009... Royal Caribbean's new Freedom of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship with the capacity to carry more than 5,700 people, started sailing out of Port Canaveral in early May.

Future development along County Roads 561 and 455.(LAKE COUNTY)
July 1, 2009... The county and the town of Astatula have been soliciting comments from residents about future development along County Roads 561 and 455.

Colony Plaza Hotel.(OCOEE)
July 1, 2009... Demolition teams razed an Ocoee landmark in mid-May, the seven-story pink Colony Plaza Hotel, which was built in the 1960s to accommodate Walt Disney World visitors and had been vacant for years.

Frank Amadeo.(ORANGE COUNTY)
July 1, 2009... Former Mirabilis Ventures principal and founder Frank Amadeo, convicted of $181 million in tax fraud, was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison.

Hilton Orlando.(ORLANDO)
July 1, 2009... Executives with Hilton Orlando have announced the 1,400-room hotel is on track to open in September, when it will become the first facility accessible to the Orange County Convention Center by a covered open-air walkway.

Online education program.(ORLANDO)
July 1, 2009... To boost travel agents' interest in central Florida, the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau has launched a six-week online education program at OrlandoTravelAcademy.com. Agents who complete the program receive continuing...

Top destination for deal-seeking travelers.(ORLANDO)
July 1, 2009... Travel site hotwire.com has named Orlando the "Top Destination for Deal-Seeking Travelers" in its 2009 Travel Value Index, which evaluates 50 U.S. markets.

Health and performance of astronauts.(ORLANDO)
July 1, 2009... Working with a three-year, $1.2-million NASA grant, three University of Central Florida professors will research the health and performance of astronauts working as a team in space, and their findings will be used on a Mars mission planned for...

Plaza Cinema Cafe.(ORLANDO)
July 1, 2009... Downtown Orlando now has a movie theater with the long-awaited opening of the Plaza Cinema Cafe in the Plaza tower on Orange Avenue between Pine and Church streets.

Burnham Institute for Medical Research.(ORLANDO)
July 1, 2009... The Burnham Institute for Medical Research opened its $80-million campus in Lake Nona's future "medical city."

Orlando Ballet.(ORLANDO)
July 1, 2009... Just weeks after the Orlando Opera folded, citing the economic downturn, the 35-year-old Orlando Ballet shortened its 2010 season and dismissed several dancers to cut costs.

Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.(ORLANDO)
July 1, 2009... The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which operates Orlando International Airport, has cut its staff this fiscal year by more than 80, or about 12%.

New gasifier plant.(SEMINOLE COUNTY)
July 1, 2009... Sanford has opened its new gasifier plant, operated by MaxWest Environmental Systems. The project converts solid waste to energy that is used to power the facility's equipment and is expected to save the city $9 million over time.

Orlando Sanford International Airport.(SEMINOLE COUNTY)
July 1, 2009... Orlando Sanford International Airport added $4.7 million in new and expanded shops this spring.