Florida Trend articles from May 2008

Florida Trend archives from May 2008

Basking in the sunshine.(Corner Office)
May 1, 2008... From March 16-22, Florida celebrated Sunshine Week, and it had nothing to do with the weather. Instead, the week commemorated Florida's dedication to making government accessible to the public through its Sunshine Laws. These laws are not...

Mike Jackson.(Readers)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... I read with great interest your interview with Mike Jackson ["Accelerator." March. FloridaTrend.com]. While I agree with most of his comments. I must share that there is a huge difference between Europe and the U.S. Europe actually has an...

Ethanol.(Readers)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... Your article on ethanol in Florida was informative ["Fuel Gauge," March, FloridaTrend. com], but you neglected to mention the feedstock source for ethanol production that will truly provide America with energy independence. That is the...

Prescription drugs.(Readers)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... I am the founder of a group called Parents Against Prescription Drug Addition. We are working non-stop to contact our representatives and senators regarding these bills ["Pain, No Gain," April, FloridaTrend.com]. My son is "oxy" clean for...

Florida on TV.(Readers)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... I found your article "Florida on TV" [March, FloridaTrend.com] interesting, but I was disappointed in the film shots. One issue is that you have "The Golden Girls" listed as Orlando. The exterior shot of the house was in Orlando, on the...

Clarification.(Readers)(Correction notice)
May 1, 2008... Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground--not the Wilderness Lodge--offers horseback riding.

A cut above.(Executive Lifestyles: Office Furniture)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "In our business, sometimes you just have to sit and think with a legal pad in your hand," says Will Ketchum, founder and principal of Burclette Ketchum, a marketing and communications firm in Jacksonville. For that...

Form and function.(Executive Lifestyles: Office Furniture)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Elizabeth Dvorak has had the same office furniture for almost 10 years--a surprise given her business. She is owner and CEO of Workscapes, an office furnishings company with locations in Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and...

Thrifty approach.(Executive Lifestyles: Office Furniture)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Kathy Peterson works from her Tequesta home. A TV producer and writer, as well as published author, Peterson's latest venture is as a guest host on a recently launched Lifetime TV show called "The Balancing Act"...

A stand-up office.(Executive Lifestyles: Office Furniture)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Back surgery in the early '90s left Michael Sullivan, managing shareholder of law firm Greenberg Traurig's Orlando office, unable to sit for extended periods, so he stands a lot. For a desk, he uses a chest-high work...

No cure yet: for now, sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome struggle to ease the symptoms.(Executive Lifestyles: Health: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)(Disease/Disorder overview)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sometimes it hits with flulike symptoms: Sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, muscle pain, a headache and a fuzzy feeling in the brain that makes concentration impossible. Instead of going away in a few days or a week,...

A fetching prospect.(Executive Lifestyles: Getaways: Pet-Friendly Resorts)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The accommodations are posh--a fluffy bed, a pink bow, a custom-made menu and a massage. The bed is a little small, rarely more than three feet across, but the special menu choices are appealing--salmon, beef or...

Perusing Peru.(Executive Lifestyles: Dining and Spirits)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Florida's hottest flavor these days has a Spanish accent of a different sort: Peruvian. You taste it in martini glasses of ceviche--seafood pickled in lime juice, sparked with peppers and tickled with cilantro....

Joseph Woodrow Hatchett: former Florida Supreme Court justice, chief judge 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, judge 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. magistrate, civil rights lawyer, current chairman of Akerman Senterfitt's appellate practice group, age 76.(Icon)(Viewpoint essay)
May 1, 2008... > My mother was a maid. My father was a fruit picker, and I had three brothers and one sister--all older. Of that number, three had gone to college before I came to college. > I grew up [in Clearwater] knowing that downtown I should not go...

Inn culture.(Trendsetters: Tourism/Travel)(Elizabeth Pointe Lodge)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Elizabeth Pointe Lodge, owners Fernandina Beach Caples' rule: Success is one-third owed to the building, locale and amenities and two-thirds owed to the culture of service created by the owners and emulated by...

A wrath to remember: the housing downturn is forcing home builders to change the way they do business.(HOME BUILDERS)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Depressing facts are a growth industry for Florida's publicly traded home builders. Miami-based Lennar's 2007 loss all but canceled out its profit from 2005 and 2006. Tousa, the Hollywood company that builds under...

Targeting jobs.(INCENTIVES)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With the slumping housing market, fears of recession and a higher unemployment rate, Miami-Dade County is going all out to retain jobs through tax incentives and other perks. In fact, county tax incentives have...

Ocean Bank.(Players)
May 1, 2008... Ocean Bank promoted Terry J. Curry to COO. He replaces A. Alfonso Macedo, who was executive vice president and COO before becoming president and CEO in January. Curry was executive vice president and chief credit officer. You can reach...

Hialeah Hospital.(Players)
May 1, 2008... Steven Burghart, previously a corporate director of operations excellence for Tenet Healthcare and regional team leader, has been appointed COO of Hialeah Hospital, which is part of Tenet's hospital network. You can reach Sharon Harvey...

Compuquip Technologies.(Players)
May 1, 2008... Rene Carrasco has been named CFO of Compuquip Technologies, a Miami-based information technology company. Carrasco was previously president of World Investment and TransWorld Financing, Miami Lakes-based finance companies. You can reach...

355 Alhambra Circle.(CORAL GABLES)
May 1, 2008... CORAL GABLES -- 355 Alhambra Circle, a landmark office tower in Coral Gables, is for sale for the first time in the building's history. Kraft Foods, Merrill Lynch and Washington Mutual Bank are among the tenants in the Class A office tower,...

Carnival Corp.(MIAMI)
May 1, 2008... MIAMI -- Under an agreement with the Florida Attorney General's Office, Miami-based Carnival Corp. (NYSE-CCL) will refund about $40 million in fuel surcharge fees charged to customers after they booked their trips. The agreement applies to...

Hotel room occupancy.(MIAMI)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... With a February hotel room occupancy of 83.4% (up 0.3% year-over-year), Greater Miami/Miami Beach ranked No. 2 in the national lodging industry index. Based on the average daily room rate, the region placed among the top 25 hotel markets in the...

Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod, a Miami law firm, has created KBS Strategies Group.(MIAMI)
May 1, 2008... Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod, a Miami law firm, has created KBS Strategies Group, a new government relations consulting firm. In addition to lobbying politicians and policy-makers, the firm will help clients draft legislation and...

Biscayne Helicopters.(MIAMI)
May 1, 2008... Biscayne Helicopters, an aerial charter and service company, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. You can reach Sharon Harvey Rosenberg at rosenbergtrend@yahoo.com

CSA Group.(MIAMI)(CSA Group opens its headquarters in USA)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... CSA Group, the largest Hispanic-owned architectural, engineering, planning and environmental services firm in the U.S., opened its international headquarters in Miami. The firm is consolidating all of its Miami offices into the new...

Miami Children's Hospital Foundation.(MIAMI)
May 1, 2008... Miami Children's Hospital Foundation recently received $2.7 million from an anonymous local donor. The donor left money to the foundation and Miami Children's Hospital in her estate. You can reach Sharon Harvey Rosenberg at...

Miami Dolpins.(MIAMI)
May 1, 2008... The National Football League has approved Wayne Huizenga's proposed sale of a 50% stake in the Miami Dolphins to Stephen Ross, a New York developer. You can reach Sharon Harvey Rosenberg at rosenbergtrend@yahoo.com

World Fuel Services.(MIAMI)
May 1, 2008... World Fuel Services, a Miami-based energy products and services company, will buy select assets of Texor Petroleum Co., based in Riverside, Ill., for about $104 million. You can reach Sharon Harvey Rosenberg at rosenbergtrend@yahoo.com

Related Group.(MIAMI)
May 1, 2008... Related Group, a Miami-based developer, has received a letter from the New York Attorney General's Office requesting the release of New York buyers from contracts involving about 50 Related condos, according to the South Florida Business...

Equity One.(NORTH MIAMI BEACH)(Equity One Inc. plans to sell its properties)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... NORTH MIAMI BEACH -- Equity One, which develops, owns and operates shopping centers, plans to sell seven properties for $197 million to a joint venture with Global Retail Investors. Equity One owns 10% of the joint venture and will use $130...

Heavy traffic.(TRANSPORTATION)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Even as mainstream airlines consolidate, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport traffic continues to grow rapidly, thanks to a surge in low-cost carriers and international traffic. Domestic travel in January...

Alan Levan, chairman of BankAtlantic, has filed a proxy challenge to Office Depot, seeking to unseat its CEO, Steve Odland, and two members of its board and replace them with two former Office Depot executives.(BOCA RATON)
May 1, 2008... BOCA RATON -- Alan Levan, chairman of BankAtlantic, has filed a proxy challenge to Office Depot, seeking to unseat its CEO, Steve Odland, and two members of its board and replace them with two former Office Depot executives. The office supply...

RailAmerica.(BOCA RATON)
May 1, 2008... RailAmerica, a short line and regional rail service provider based in Boca Raton, plans to lay off 95 as a result of a planned merger with Florida East Coast Industries. Boca operations will be relocated to Jacksonville. You can reach...

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.(Players)
May 1, 2008... Philip Madow was named president of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. Madow was most recently senior vice president and general manager of California's Pala Casino Spa and Resort.

Howard J. Leonhardt, founder of Sunrise-based Bioheart, will step down from running day-to-day operations to become chairman.(Players)
May 1, 2008... Howard J. Leonhardt, founder of Sunrise-based Bioheart, will step down from running day-to-day operations to become chairman. William M, Pinon, president and CEO, will head operations.

Sun-Sentinel Co.'s Forum Publishing Group.(Players)
May 1, 2008... Justo Rey was named president of the Sun-Sentinel Co.'s Forum Publishing Group, which publishes community and special interest weekly newspapers.

Broward Health.(Players)
May 1, 2008... Frank Nask has been named interim president/CEO of Broward Health. Nask, formerly CFO, replaces Alan Levine.

Carl DeSantis.(Players)
May 1, 2008... Carl DeSantis, founder and former CEO of Rexail Sundown has become co-chairman of Integrated BioPharma, a Boca Raton-based liquid nutrition and vitamin business.

Richard Houghten, CEO of Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies.(Players)
May 1, 2008... Richard Houghten, CEO of Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, and Peter Policastro, senior director of business development at Scripps Florida, have joined the advisory board of venture capital Tim Sunrock Ventures.

Greater Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.(Players)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Barry Kay, owner of Hollywood Eyes, was named president of the Greater Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

New, old digs.(ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... The Palm Beach County History Museum opened recently in a renovated 1916 courthouse in downtown West Palm Beach. The restoration project cost $18.5 million. The 8,000-sq.-ft. space is the area's first countywide history museum. Housed in the...

Penthouse Media Group.(BOCA RATON)
May 1, 2008... Penthouse Media Group plans an initial public offering of about $250 million in stock.

Medical Staffing Network Holdings.(BOCA RATON)
May 1, 2008... Losses at Medical Staffing Network Holdings eased in the fourth quarter to $1 million from $24.8 million a year ago.

Verizon Wireless.(BROWARD COUNTY)
May 1, 2008... BROWARD COUNTY -- Verizon Wireless has begun construction of a 45,000-sq.-ft., $50-million call-processing center in the southwest part of the county to serve as the main hub for the company's wireless traffic from Key West to Broward.

Ediets.com lost $4.21 million in the fourth quarter on revenue of $6.9 million.(FORT LAUDERDALE)
May 1, 2008... FORT LAUDERDALE -- Ediets.com lost $4.21 million in the fourth quarter on revenue of $6.9 million. A year earlier, the online diet company had revenue of $9.5 million. The company also hired a new CFO, Thomas Hoyer.

Certified Services.(FORT LAUDERDALE)
May 1, 2008... The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed civil charges against five former principals of employee leasing firm Certified Services, accusing them of siphoning $30 million from the company and misstating financial results.

The operations of Miami television station WSFL-CW39 will be merged into the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.(FORT LAUDERDALE)
May 1, 2008... The operations of Miami television station WSFL-W39 will be merged into the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Both are Tribune Co. properties. Howard Greenberg, publisher of the Sun-Sentinel and sister publication the Orlando Sentinel, will become...

Stiles Landscape Co.(FORT LAUDERDALE)
May 1, 2008... Stiles Landscape Co., a division of Stiles Corp., has been sold to the Brickman Group, a commercial landscaping firm in Gaithersburg, Md.

Hans Kraaz, owner of Intercoastal Finance Group.(FORT PIERCE)
May 1, 2008... FORT PIERCE -- Hans Kraaz, owner of Intercoastal Finance Group, has put a 75,200-sq.-ft. portfolio of nine buildings on the market for $12.8 million.

Tousa Inc.(HOLLYWOOD)
May 1, 2008... HOLLYWOOD -- Tousa Inc. won court approval to sell its interest in a $16.3-million promissory note for $13.5 million, giving it $13 million in net proceeds to allow the company to avoid foreclosure proceedings.

Scripps Florida.(JUPITER)
May 1, 2008... JUPITER -- Scripps Florida has received a $7.6-million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to develop medication to treat Parkinson's disease. The project will be led by Philip LoGrasso, associate professor...

PRC.(PLANTATION)
May 1, 2008... PLANTATION -- PRC, operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, will close four Midwest call centers and cut back at a fifth, reducing its staff by about 850. South Florida operations will not be affected.

Pilgrim's Pride.(POMPANO BEACH)
May 1, 2008... POMPANO BEACH -- Pilgrim's Pride, a Pit-Lsburg, Texas-based chicken processor, will close its distribution center in Pompano Beach and five others because of soaring feed costs and an oversupply of chicken.

Civic center.(PORT ST. LUCIE)
May 1, 2008... PORT ST. LUCIE -- In spite of an overall hiring freeze, the city has started advertising for 19 full- and part-time positions for its 100,000-sq.-ft, civic center, a $25-million facility expected to anchor the city's planned downtown when it...

Fantasma Productions'.(WEST PALM BEACH)
May 1, 2008... WEST PALM BEACH -- Los Angeles-based Live Nation has purchased the majority of concert promoter Fantasma Productions' assets. Fantasma's founder, Jon Stoll, died in January.

Sunland Homes.(WEST PALM BEACH)
May 1, 2008... The majority owner of Sunland Homes, the Frank E. Young Family Partnership, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing the weak housing market.

Sikorsky Aircraft.(WEST PALM BEACH)
May 1, 2008... Sikorsky Aircraft has added the 89,000-sq.-ft. Florida Assembly and Flight Operations facility to its Aircraft Developmental Flight Center on the United Technologies campus, bringing 150 new jobs.

Wafer World.(WEST PALM BEACH)
May 1, 2008... Wafer World, a specialized silicon wafer and optics design company, will expand its operations and add more than 30 employees over the next three years.

Palm Beach Capital.(WEST PALM BEACH)
May 1, 2008... Palm Beach Capital has bought North American Substation Services, an Altamonte Springs-based provider of maintenance for electrical substations, for an undisclosed amount.

Trauma in the ER.(HEALTHCARE)(shortage of neurosurgeons)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] During separate periods--a total of 10 days between mid-February and early March--St. Petersburg's Bayfront Medical Center had to stop taking trauma patients because it didn't have a neurosurgeon available. The...

May's fair.(ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... For a quarter of a century, the Polk Museum of Arc has purchased pieces at Lakeland's annual Mayfaire-by-the-Lake art festival. Now, the museum is showing off its purchases at a new show called "Volvo Mayfaire-by-the-Lake Purchase Awards: 25...

Flanders Corp.(BARTOW)
May 1, 2008... BARTOW-- Filter maker Flanders Corp. plans to replace its fire-destroyed plant with a larger, 265,000-sq.-ft. facility. The new plant will employ 350.

Neal Communities.(BRADENTON)
May 1, 2008... BRADENTON -- Neal Communities announced a deal to build 45 homes in the Mandalay residential community. The homes, ranging from 2,479 to 3,300 square feet will be priced from the low $200,000s.

Job growth.(CAPE CORAL)
May 1, 2008... CAPE CORAL -- Considering factors such as the cost of labor and the education level of the local workforce, Forbes.com ranked the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area as the top region in the nation for job growth in 2007.

The two counties have been awarded $2 million in federal money to help pay for affordable housing projects.(DE SOTO AND HARDEE COUNTIES)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... DE SOTO AND HARDEE COUNTIES -- The two counties have been awarded $2 million in federal money to help pay for affordable housing projects. The De Soto Homeless Coalition was granted $500,000 to built 17 rental units in Arcadia; the Hardee...

Forum at Fort Myers.(FORT MYERS)
May 1, 2008... FORT MYERS -- The Forum at Fort Myers, a 480,000-sq.-ft. retail center at Interstate 75 and Colonial Boulevard, will open this summer featuring a lineup of national retailers, including Home Depot and Target.

Madden Research Loop.(FORT MYERS)
May 1, 2008... The Madden Research Loop, a bioscience and technology research facility to be built near the Southwest International AirporL, expects to break ground later this year.

Proposed smoking ban.(NAPLES)
May 1, 2008... NAPLES -- By a 4-3 vote, the Naples City Council rejected a proposed smoking ban on public beaches and city parks.

Big Cypress Market Place.(NAPLES)
May 1, 2008... Big Cypress Market Place, an air-conditioned flea market on East Tamiami Trail, is scheduled to open this summer with 140 retail vendors, a winery and eight restaurants.

Citing the residential and economic slowdown, Kitson & Partners has withdrawn plans to develop Murdock Village.(PORT CHARLOTTE)
May 1, 2008... PORT CHARLOTTE -- Citing the residential and economic slowdown, Kitson & Partners has withdrawn plans to develop Murdock Village, a major project proposed to bring homes, shops and offices downtown.

Sarasota Opera House.(SARASOTA)
May 1, 2008... SARASOTA -- The Sarasota Opera House has reopened after undergoing a $20-million renovation.

Diane and Bob Roskamp announced a $1-million gift to the Ringling College of Art and Design.(SARASOTA)
May 1, 2008... Diane and Bob Roskamp announced a $1-million gift to the Ringling College of Art and Design to help fund an expansion of the college's facilities.

Proscenium.(SARASOTA)
May 1, 2008... Developers of downtown's Proscenium project say they have a deal to add a Waldorf-Astoria hotel to the project's mix of retail, restaurant and entertainment space.

Tropicana Field.(ST. PETERSBURG)
May 1, 2008... ST. PETERSBURG -- Three developers, including one working with DeBartolo Holdings of Tampa, met the deadline for submitting bids to buy Tropicana Field and replace the Tampa Bay Rays' stadium with homes, stores, restaurants and offices. The...

Museum of Fine Arts.(ST. PETERSBURG)
May 1, 2008... The Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg has unveiled its $21.2-million Hazel Hough Wing.

The Loews Don CeSar Beach Resort has opened an $11-million spa.(ST. PETE BEACH)
May 1, 2008... ST. PETE BEACH -- The Loews Don CeSar Beach Resort has opened an $11-million spa, called Spa Oceana.

Creative Recycling will remarket and recycle an estimated 29,000 touch-screen voting machines.(TAMPA)
May 1, 2008... TAMPA -- Creative Recycling will remarket and recycle an estimated 29,000 touch-screen voting machines from 18 Florida counties as part a deal with the Secretary of State's office.

The University of South Florida has received an anonymous $10-million gift to fund scholarships and academic programs.(TAMPA)
May 1, 2008... The University of South Florida has received an anonymous $10-million gift to fund scholarships and academic programs. USF has also broken ground on a $2.1-million search-and-rescue research facility.

U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base is eliminating 1,100 positions.(TAMPA)
May 1, 2008... U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base is eliminating 1,100 positions. Also, Central Command's chief, Adm. William Fallon, has stepped down. Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey is acting commander.

The Epicurean Hotel, a luxury food-oriented condo/hotel project proposed by David Laxer of Bern's Steak House.(TAMPA)
May 1, 2008... The Epicurean Hotel, a luxury food-oriented condo/hotel project proposed by David Laxer of Bern's Steak House, has been put on hold.

News Chief.(WINTER HAVEN)
May 1, 2008... WINTER HAVEN -- The New York Times Co., owner of the Ledger newspaper in Lake]and, has purchased the News Chief, a Winter Haven daily. The News Chief will continue to publish, and its news staff and editorial board will still operate...

WellCare.(Players)
May 1, 2008... Heath Schiesser has been named president and CEO of WellCare, replacing Todd Farha, who resigned two months after the FBI raided the firm's Tampa headquarters.

Ad Partners.(Players)
May 1, 2008... Darlene Levi has been named executive vice president and managing director of Ad Partners, a Tampa advertising agency. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]