Florida Trend articles from June 2004

Florida Trend archives from June 2004

Cookin' on all burners.(corner office)
June 1, 2004... Early last month, I spent two days in northeast Florida. While there I spoke at the Clay County Economic Development Council's quarterly lunch in Orange Park and realized what a wise decision the council made in hiring Kellie Jo Kilberg as its...

Downtown Tampa.(readers)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2004... Ms. Amy Welch Brill writes that more than 200,000 cars drive the I-4/I-275 interchange every day, but "despite all the traffic, nobody's taking the off-ramp to downtown Tampa after dark" ["Signs of Growth," April, Florida-Trend.com]. Ms. Brill...

Correction.(readers)(Correction Notice)
June 1, 2004... Harris "Whit" Hudson's Quail Creek Plantation, featured in May's Executive Lifestyles, is 2,700 acres. How to Reach Florida Trend LETTERS TO FLORIDA TREND Mail: FLORIDA TREND, P.O. BOX 611, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 Fax:...

Saving face.(Executive lifestyles: cosmetic surgery: not just for women)
June 1, 2004... Richard Rakowski remembers stating into the mirror the day he turned 50. Inside he felt 16, but the face staring back at him was his father's. He calls it a "biological dysfunctional moment," which sent him to a plastic surgeon for an eyelift....

Word of mouth.(Executive lifestyles: cosmetic surgery: not just for women)
June 1, 2004... Dr. Jeff Ganeles' pioneering work in dental implants landed him on the reality TV show "Extreme Makeover" recently. The Boca Raton dentist says his prime patients are businessmen in their 50s to 70s. "We're seeing more and more executives...

Popular demand.(Executive lifestyles: cosmetic surgery: not just for women)
June 1, 2004... According to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, "Men are more likely than women to say they want facial cosmetic surgery for work-related reasons." Here are the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures men seek:...

Disappearing act.(Executive lifestyles: cosmetic surgery: not just for women)
June 1, 2004... Hair transplants have long been the domain of men. Dr. Richard Greene, a dermatologist and internationally renowned hair transplant specialist who practices in Plantation and Hallandale, estimates he's completed hair transplants in more than...

Change of heart: SoLapharm.(Trendsetters[TM]: Biomedical)
June 1, 2004... In 1990, consulting for Miami-based drug maker Ivax, Dr. Lawrence Solomon made as much in stock options as he did in his full-time Miami Beach cardiology practice. He was hooked. He kept up his practice but continued in drug development...

Fighting tooth and nail: NovaMin technology.(Trendsetters[TM]: Biomedical)
June 1, 2004... Out of college, marketer Randy Scott joined Procter & Gamble to work on the Folgers coffee brand. Then he marketed for LensCrafters and later for Easy Spirit. If all goes as he hopes, his latest charge, NovaMin, will be a household name...

Fungus among us: Dyadic International.(Trendsetters[TM]: Biomedical)
June 1, 2004... Mark Emalfarb wrestled in college in Iowa in the 150-pound class. His speech, however, is peppered with analogies to a host of sports: "We hit doubles, singles and triples all day long, but we're swinging for the fences." And he has...

Carter Belcourt & Atkinson.(Accounting)
June 1, 2004... ACCOUNTING--Deborah Garringer has been named president and CEO of Lakeland-based accounting firm Carter Belcourt & Atkinson. Garringer takes over from Ron Atkinson, one of the company's founders. Atkinson will remain chairman.

Achieve-Global.(Business Consulting)
June 1, 2004... BUSINESS CONSULTING--Tampa-based Achieve-Global, a sales and leadership consulting business, has tapped Sharon Daniels as CEO. Daniels moved to Achieve-Global from Communispond, a corporate communications company in New York, and replaces Horst...

Codina Group.(Development)
June 1, 2004... DEVELOPMENT--Coral Gables-based Codina Group has promoted Jose M. Hevia to president of its Codina Development Corp. Hevia, who has worked at the company for 17 years, replaces Forrest Robinson, who left to take a job at Cousins Properties in...

Florida State University.(Education)
June 1, 2004... EDUCATION--Florida State University has named W. Barry Adams president of the FSU Alumni Association. Adams, who leaves the College of William and Mary Alumni Association as executive vice president to take the job, replaces Jim Melton, who...

Northern Michigan University.(Education)
June 1, 2004... James H. Scheiner, dean of Cisler College of Business at Northern Michigan University, has been named dean of the School of Business Administration at Stetson University in DeLand. Scheiner replaces Paul E. Dascher, who is retiring after 11...

The Florida Department of Citrus.(Government)
June 1, 2004... GOVERNMENT--The Florida Department of Citrus has tapped Dan Gunter as executive director. Gunter, who has been an economic and market consultant for the department for the last four months, replaces Bob Crawford, who resigned.

Walter Industries.(Home Building)
June 1, 2004... HOME BUILDING--Brad Kitterman, president of Walter Industries subsidiary U.S. Pipe & Foundry, has resigned after 15 months in the position. Tampa-based Walter Industries' senior vice president, Charles Cauthen, has been named acting president...

Northwest Florida Daily News.(Publishing)
June 1, 2004... PUBLISHING--Patrick Rice has been named editor of the Northwest Florida Daily News in Fort Walton Beach. Rice was previously an editor with the East Valley Tribune in Mesa, Ariz., and replaces Ralph Routon.

Florida State Fair Authority.(Recreation)
June 1, 2004... RECREATION--Rick Vymlatil, executive director of the Florida State Fair Authority in Tampa, has resigned. Vymlatil is credited with cleaning up the fair's money problems and for bringing a 20,O00-seat amphitheater, which opens next month, to...

Carnival Corp.(Travel)
June 1, 2004... TRAVEL--Miami-based Carnival Corp. has named Doug Lewis senior vice president and chief information officer, a new position. Lewis had been CIO at several companies, including AT&T/Lucent and Pratt & Whitney, before joining the cruise operator....

Condo power: Latin buyers are fueling much of Miami's condo mania.(Residential Development)
June 1, 2004... From Coral Gables to Kendall, along the coastline and throughout Miami-Dade, condo towers are rising at a rate that would have shocked the land barons who sold homes here to speculators and transplants swarming down from the north early in the...

University of Miami's Dante B. Fascell North-South Center.(Coral Gables)
June 1, 2004... CORAL GABLES -- Despite the loss of $2 million in federal funding, the University of Miami's Dante B. Fascell North-South Center expects to reopen under an agreement with the Rand Corp., a California-based think tank. The 20-year-old...

Monroe County Mayor Jack London.(Kay West)
June 1, 2004... KEY WEST -- The FBI arrested former Monroe County Mayor Jack London for allegedly lying to federal agents investigating a vote-selling scheme involving a controversial development in Marathon. London was arrested at Key West International...

U.S. Conference of Mayors.(Miami)
June 1, 2004... MIAMI -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors has selected Miami for its 2008 annual meeting. The June event, which is expected to attract about 1,500 visitors, will be held at the Hotel Intercontinental in downtown Miami.

MTV Video Music Awards.(Miami)
June 1, 2004... Downtown Miami's AmericanAirlines Arena will be the site of the 20th MTV Video Music Awards this August. MTV executives say the event will be telecast to a global audience of close to 1 billion. Meanwhile, county officials say that the Latin...

American Sales and Management.(Miami-Dade)
June 1, 2004... MIAMI-DADE -- American Sales and Management, a company that provides ground support services to the airline industry, has announced it will expand its Miami operation, adding 300 employees to its present workforce of more than 900. The...

Applica.(Miami-Dade)
June 1, 2004... Appliance-maker Applica (NYSE-APN), which cut its global workforce 25% last fall, will move its headquartrs from Miami Lakes to Miramar in south Broward County in what executives describe as a cost-cutting measure. The move should be complete...

FISPAL Food.(Miami-Dade)
June 1, 2004... Responding to the growing Hispanic consumer market in the U.S., Latin America's largest food expo--FISPAL Food--will come to Florida for the first time next year. FISPAL Miami, featuring more than 300 Latin American exhibitors, will take place...

Ferguson Senior High School.(Miami-Dade)
June 1, 2004... Miami-Dade has opened its newest school, the $57-million Ferguson Senior High School, in the fast-growing southwestern edges of the county. The school's planned capacity is 2,800, but some fear it may one day hold well more than 4,000, as do...

Cigarette Racing Team.(Opa-Locka)
June 1, 2004... OPA-LOCKA -- Powerboat maker Cigarette Racing Team, founded in Miami more than 30 years ago, will move its manufacturing facility from the famed "Thunderboat Row" area of northwest Miami-Dade to the site of the former Mako Marine plant here....

Conversion.(Mayfair Hotel)
June 1, 2004... MIAMI -- Chicago-based Falor Cos. plans to buy Coconut Grove's Mayfair Hotel and convert its 179 rooms into condo/hotel units. When it opened in 1984, the Mayfair Hotel was unrivaled as the accommodation of choice for visiting celebrities and...

Lingering worries: do 15 counties with touch-screen machines need a paper trail?(Election)
June 1, 2004... Nearly four years have passed, a fancy new electronic voting system is in place and the expression "hanging chad" has fallen out of circulation. But as Palm Beach County residents contemplate going back to the polls to choose a president in...

City commission candidates.(Belle Glade)
June 1, 2004... BELLE GLADE -- Two losing city commission candidates are suing the city and the county, alleging that the March 9 election results were tainted by votes cast by felons, non-residents and unregistered voters.

Downtown development.(Hollywood)
June 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- City officials want a limit on downtown development relaxed, saying a provision that restricts the number of new residences to 1,044 threatens their redevelopment plans. The limit is contained in a 1990 downtown plan approved by...

Growth plan changes.(Martin County)
June 1, 2004... MARTIN COUNTY -- A divided county commission narrowly rejected a proposal that would have given voters the power to determine whether major growth plan changes could take effect.

Eastern Financial Florida Credit Union.(Miramar)
June 1, 2004... MIRAMAR -- A $500,000 contribution and a new school board policy will put Eastern Financial Florida Credit Union's name on a 3,500-seat high school football stadium expected to open in the fall. The city and the Broward school district will...

Impact fees.(Miramar)
June 1, 2004... City commissioners have approved increases of up to 45% in the impact fees paid by developers to help pay for parks and recreation in the booming city. The fees will rise from $865 to $1,225 on a four-bedroom home.

Budget shortfall.(Palm Beach County)
June 1, 2004... PALM BEACH COUNTY -- A $21-million budget shortfall has Palm Beach County school board members considering a proposal to rent out the sides of its 618 school buses to advertisers targeting school-age consumers. Under the proposal, the district...

Tradition.(Port St. Lucie)
June 1, 2004... PORT ST. LUCIE -- Developers of the 5,000-acre residential community Tradition have agreed to sell 118 acres to the city for a regional park.

City council members have voted to pursue an agreement to annex 5,000 acres owned by G.L. Homes of Florida and Ansca Homes in exchange for the two companies covering the more than $50-million cost of widening and improving adjoining Becker Road.(Port St. Lucie)
June 1, 2004... City council members have voted to pursue an agreement to annex 5,000 acres owned by G.L. Homes of Florida and Ansca Homes in exchange for the two companies covering the more than $50-million cost of widening and improving adjoining Becker...

Campus Vision.(Scripps)
June 1, 2004... PALM BEACH COUNTY -- County officials have unveiled a vision of the 100-acre Scripps campus that includes a mile-long mall linking the biotechnology research park to a new high school. The plan also includes space for other biotech and drug...

Boca Raton developer Harold Dubner.(Weston)
June 1, 2004... WESTON -- South Florida Water Management District officials entered into a $19-million settlement to purchase a 112-acre parcel from Boca Raton developer Harold Dubner that they want to convert to a water reservoir. The reservoir is part of a...

Palm Beach Atlantic University.(West Palm Beach)
June 1, 2004... WEST PALM BEACH -- Palm Beach Atlantic University is moving forward with plans to construct a $20-million, 80,000-sq.-ft. library. The building's completion is scheduled for 2007.

Downtown waterfront park.(West Palm Beach)
June 1, 2004... A 10-member selection committee is scheduled to make its recommendation this month from among a dozen architectural and planning firms that have submitted bids for a proposed downtown waterfront park. Mayor Lois Frankel wants to demolish a city...

Convention center.(West Palm Beach)
June 1, 2004... The county's 6-month-old, $83-million convention center is struggling to hold its losses at $1.5 million a year as plans for its adjoining hotel remained stalled at the county commission, according to a Palm Beach Post report. The commission...

A neighborly approach: a Palm Harbor non-profit sells pharmaceuticals to seniors at cost.(Healthcare)
June 1, 2004... As CEO of Neighborly Care Network, a non-profit in Pinellas County that helps the elderly via programs like Meals on Wheels, Debra Shade saw firsthand how rising drug prices affected her clients. Some, she says, were choosing pills over food...

City Commissioner James Singleton.(La Belle)
June 1, 2004... LA BELLE -- City Commissioner James Singleton suffered a heart attack and died while apparently trying to break up a fight, the Hendry County Sheriff's Office says.

Florida Department of Citrus.(Lakeland)
June 1, 2004... LAKELAND -- To help bring back consumers who may be avoiding orange juice while on low-carb diets, the Florida Department of Citrus has launched an advertising campaign focusing on how orange juice can help prevent heart disease, cancer,...

Pinellas County Jail.(Largo)
June 1, 2004... LARGO -- The Pinellas County Jail is adding a $30-million, 160,000-sq.-ft. medical facility to its 49th Street location. The four-story facility will have 432 beds, up from the current 44. Construction is scheduled to be completed by late 2005....

Overpass at Golden Gate Parkway and Airport-Pulling Road.(Naples)
June 1, 2004... NAPLES -- City and Collier County officials may be headed to court because of a decision by city commissioners to reject the county's plan for an overpass at Golden Gate Parkway and Airport-Pulling Road. The city has said the overpass would...

Habitat for Humanity.(Palmetto)
June 1, 2004... PALMETTO -- Manatee County's Habitat for Humanity is planning a 34-home subdivision on 5.7 acres, which will be built for low-income families. Palmetto contributed $460,000 for the land, while Manatee's Habitat for Humanity paid $390,000. The...

Infinium Labs.(Sarasota)
June 1, 2004... SARASOTA -- Infinium Labs (OTC-IFLB), which developed the Phantom gaming system similar to Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation, announced a four-for-one stock split in May. The company says it wants to make more shares available, hoping to...

Better Business Bureau of West Florida.(Southwest Florida)
June 1, 2004... SOUTHWEST FLORIDA -- For the first time in its history, the Better Business Bureau of West Florida will allow certain members to include the BBB logo in their companies' print and broadcast advertising. Current members have to be in good...

Palms of Pasadena Hospital.(St. Petersburg)
June 1, 2004... ST. PETERSBURG -- The Palms of Pasadena Hospital in south St. Petersburg has begun a $23.5-million, 39,000-sq.-ft, expansion and renovation project that will double its emergency room, add two patient floors and expand surgery areas....

Tampa Electric Co.(Tampa)
June 1, 2004... TAMPA -- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued two citations against Tampa Electric Co. (NYSE-TE) after a job candidate died at a training center in Tampa last November. TECO is contesting the citations, saying it was in full...

Museum of Science & Industry.(Tampa)
June 1, 2004... Tampa's Museum of Science & Industry broke ground recently on one of the largest children's science centers in the country. The 45,000-sq.-ft., $13-million center, called "Kids In Charge!", will emphasize hands-on learning. The center is...

State Farm Insurance.(Winter Haven)
June 1, 2004... WINTER HAVEN -- State Farm Insurance, the state's largest auto and home insurer, is closing its Winter Haven office, affecting 67 workers. The office has lost 298 jobs in the past year because of cuts and transfers.

School mentors.(Education)
June 1, 2004... ST. PETERSBURG -- Fifty-six companies have become sponsors for St. Petersburg's 44 public schools, Mayor Rick Baker has announced. Through the "Mayor's Mentors & More" program, corporations, including Verizon, Catalina Marketing and the Home...

Water solution: governments in three central Florida counties are changing their approach to water.(Environment)
June 1, 2004... Local governments in Volusia, Lake and Seminole counties are beginning to take decidedly non-local approaches to solving some of the water-supply issues that threaten many areas of the state. Already 14 of the 17 governments that comprise...

Seaside parking garage.(Daytona Beach)
June 1, 2004... DAYTONA BEACH -- Volusia County has dropped plans to build a second seaside parking garage north of the Main Street Redevelopment Area, opting instead for a parking lot. The site is adjacent to the Ocean Center, which is about to undergo a...

Brown & Brown.(Daytona Beach)
June 1, 2004... Brown & Brown (NYSE-BRO) may borrow up to $200 million this summer to finance more acquisitions of small insurance agencies. The insurer has stated its long-term goal is $1 billion per year in revenue with a pretax profit of $400 million. Last...

Hayes Brothers Furniture Co.(Daytona Beach)
June 1, 2004... Hayes Brothers Furniture Co. bought a 100,000-sq.-ft. warehouse on Fentress Boulevard for $2.3 million from Metecno AlumaShield, which is moving operations to DeLand. The furniture chain has seven stores in Volusia and Orange counties.

BP International.(Deland)
June 1, 2004... DELAND -- BP International has signed a distribution agreement with Rep Services Inc. of Longwood in which the playground equipment distributor will represent BP's line of shade structures.

Tupperware Corp.(Kissimmee)
June 1, 2004... KISSIMMEE -- Tupperware Corp. (NYSE-TUP) cut 45 jobs at its central Florida call center. The company said it moved those positions to its new Philippines center.

Stromberg LLC.(Lake Mary)
June 1, 2004... LAKE MARY -- Paychex Inc., the nation's second-largest payroll accounting company, has acquired Stromberg LLC, a software company that specializes in attendance and work-hour products. Terms of the deal were not released.

Aluria Software's Spyware Eliminator.(Lake Mary)
June 1, 2004... America Online has chosen Aluria Software's Spyware Eliminator program to bundle into the next version of its software. The licensing agreement may enable Aluria to grow from 20 employees to 50 by the end of the year.

HQ Global Workplaces.(Maitland)
June 1, 2004... MAITLAND -- HQ Global Workplaces, which spent most of 2003 in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, has expanded its Maitland Center facility by 50%. The Dallas-based office suites provider operates a second facility in south Orlando.

MeshNetworks.(Maitland)
June 1, 2004... The Beijing Olympics in 2008 will feature technology developed by MeshNetworks Inc., which will provide wireless communications technology for 5,000 interactive kiosks. The sites will give users up-to-the-minute information about the games.

Florida Hospital.(Orlando)
June 1, 2004... ORLANDO -- Florida Hospital introduced what it calls its "VIP Concierge Service" to provide quicker referrals and appointments with affiliated doctors as well as shorter wait times for certain outpatient services. The service, free for at least...

Hughes Supply.(Orlando)
June 1, 2004... Hughes Supply (NYSE-HUG) sold its new $25-million headquarters building in Parramore but retained a 20-year lease on three-fourths of the property.

CNL Financial Group.(Orlando)
June 1, 2004... CNL Financial Group started construction on its second downtown office tower when law firm Akerman Senterfitt committed to lease 80,000 square feet on the top four floors. CNL will use about 85,000 square feet itself, leaving the 12-story...

Adelphia Communications.(Orlando)
June 1, 2004... Adelphia Communications has hired 200 people at its new south Orlando call center, with plans to have 450 workers on board by the end of July.

Open for business.(Baldwin Park)
June 1, 2004... ORLANDO -- The first stores at the Village Center of Baldwin Park, downtown Orlando's newest neotraditional neighborhood, have opened. A Publix grocery was the first to open, followed by nearly two dozen more shops in the weeks that followed.

Reunion Resort & Club.(Osceola County)
June 1, 2004... OSCEOLA COUNTY -- The Reunion Resort & Club says it sold 790 homesites worth $170 million during a six-hour kickoff in March. Plans call for the $2-billion resort to have more than 7,000 residences, 1,200 hotel rooms and 2.1 million square feet...

Fleet Reserve Lehigh Development Corp.(Sumterville)
June 1, 2004... SUMTERVILLE -- Fleet Reserve Lehigh Development Corp. will build a three-building, 80-unit veterans' retirement community.

Lake Region Packing Association.(Tavares)
June 1, 2004... TAVARES -- Lake Region Packing Association closed its 10-acre citrus packing plant, idling 120 workers. The association, which represents about 85 growers with 1,800 acres of citrus, will continue to exist, but the dwindling acreage did not...

Crash course in finance: trustees oust Jacksonville University's president amid a financial meltdown.(Education)
June 1, 2004... In the staid world of higher academics, it's not often that a university president is abruptly shown the door. So when Jacksonville University's board of trustees asked President David Harlow to leave in February, the move put an exclamation...

15-acre residential/commercial development.(Alachua County)
June 1, 2004... ALACHUA COUNTY -- The County Commission approved a comp-plan change to accommodate a 15-acre residential/commercial development at Tower Road and SW 24th Avenue. Developers say the "new urbanist" mix would encourage people to walk between homes...

AmeriCredit.(Clay County)
June 1, 2004... CLAY COUNTY -- Fort Worth, Texas-based AmeriCredit will close its office in the Fleming Island Plantation business park, costing 225 employees their jobs. The office opened in 2001 with the help of county incentives.

980-home development.(Clay County)
June 1, 2004... County planners gave initial approval to a 980-home development in the rural Lake Asbury area. The Bradley Creek Planned Unit Development includes an 18-hole golf course, two parks, an elementary school and ballfields.

Waterfront condominiums.(Green Cove Springs)
June 1, 2004... GREEN COVE SPRINGS -- An Orange Park developer plans to build waterfront condominiums on the site of the old J-M Manufacturing Co. pipe making plant. The company was one of Clay County's largest employers before the plant closed in 2000.

Winn-Dixie.(Jacksonville)
June 1, 2004... JACKSONVILLE -- Winn-Dixie (NYSE-WIN) plans to cut 10,000 jobs, close 45 stores and sell 111 others. The grocery chain also plans to close or sell three distribution centers--one in Sarasota and two out of state--and several manufacturing...

Wonderwood Connector.(Jacksonville)
June 1, 2004... The Jacksonville Transportation Authority must raise an additional $30 million to complete the final stretch of the much-delayed Wonderwood Connector. The price of the expressway linking Mayport and Arlington has risen 26% to $144 million.

CSX Transportation.(Jacksonville)
June 1, 2004... The safety and reliability of railroad crossings in New York owned by CSX Transportation is the subject of an investigation by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. The review follows several accidents involving CSX-owned crossings,...