Florida Trend articles from October 2004

Florida Trend archives from October 2004

Focus on Florida.(corner office)
October 1, 2004... Charley, Frances and Ivan put Florida squarely in the national news focus over the past few weeks, and as I write this column, the end of hurricane season seems a long way off. Along with those of you who suffered wind and water damage and so...

Land lord.(readers)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... Thank you for your informative article on Florida's land conservation efforts ["Uncertain Legacy," August, FloridaTrend.com]. Florida TaxWatch has followed the state's land- and water-management initiatives for more than two decades,...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
October 1, 2004... Rulon Co. relocated from Brunswick, Ga., to the World Commerce Center in St. Johns County.

Hog wild.(Executive Leathers)
October 1, 2004... Swedish-born Bit Grubbstrom jokes that her purchase of a Harley Davidson motorcycle 4 1/2 years ago was her midlife-crisis gift to herself. The owner of AdBit's Advertising and PR in Fort Lauderdale says she never rides without her black...

Leather gifts.(Executive Leathers)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Off the Cuff: HomeBanc South Florida gives its senior executives $1,000 white gold cuff links with the bank's logo. So when the marketing department went shopping for an executive gift recently, the $200 leather cufflink travel case by Prada...

Back in the saddle.(Executive Leathers)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Doyle Conner Jr., a sixth-generation Florida cowboy, has a passion for Florida Cracker history. But what really "trips his trigger," he says, are antique leather saddles. He's acquired a reputation nationally for his careful restorations. His...

A rare startup.(Coral Gables Trust)
October 1, 2004... Dean Klevan knows a thing or two about startups. After spending 12 years with Citibank in Ireland, Argentina and Uruguay, he opened Citibank's first trust bank office in Japan in 1985. Last year, he opened a rarer bird--a startup...

A bonding experience.(Merrill Lynch)
October 1, 2004... Lisa and Shannon Glor met while working at Disney World. They got married at the Disney wedding chapel in 1997. But aside from frequent trips to Disney, their only tie to the Mouse these days is financial planning for former colleagues. ...

Newly chartered trusts.(Citizens First/Investors' Security)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Gary W. Davis, 53 Citizens First Trust Co. (proposed) The Villages Gary Davis spent 17 years with a Bank of America predecessor and the last 11 in charge of charitable planned giving for All Children's Hospital Foundation in St....

Signature Bank.(Banking)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Ann R. Worthington has been named CFO of St. Petersburg-based Signature Bank. Worthington was senior vice president of mergers and acquisitions for South Trust Bank in Birmingham, Ala. She replaces Carlos Fernandez, who left to start his own...

Peebles Atlantic Development Corp.(Development)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Coral Gables-based Peebles Atlantic Development Corp. has named Judith Gaskell CFO, a new position. Gaskell has worked in the industry for more than 12 years.

John Winn, a former Putnam County elementary school teacher, was appointed state education commissioner, succeeding former Clay County state Sen. Jim Horne.(Education)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... John Winn, a former Putnam County elementary school teacher, was appointed state education commissioner, succeeding former Clay County state Sen. Jim Home. Winn is a 20-year agency veteran who served as Home's chief of staff.

Weiss Ratings.(Financial Services)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Former president and CEO of Thomson First Call, Bruce R. Fador has been tapped as president and CEO of Palm Beach Gardens-based Weiss Ratings, an independent rating agency of stocks, insurers, banks and mutual funds. Fador replaces Harold L....

Department of Children & Families.(Government)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Department of Children & Families Secretary Jerry Regier has resigned after two years at DCF saying he cannot be effective amid criticism. Regier's resignation comes just months after the state's inspector general's office discovered Regier and...

AM-PM House-Calls.(Healthcare)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Michael Furcht, a Miami Beach hotelier, has been named director of operations, a new position, at Miami-based AM-PM House-Calls, a provider of emergency and primary care medical house calls.

Clairson Industries.(Manufacturing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Ocala-based Clairson Industries, a custom plastics injection molding company, has named Cloteen Ross-Kilkelly president. Ross-Kilkelly had been vice president of administration for Clairson Industries, a division of Emerson Electric, which...

St. Petersburg Times.(Publishing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... St. Petersburg Times Managing Editor Nell Brown has been promoted to executive editor, and Executive Vice President Marty Petty has been promoted to publisher. Brown had been managing editor for nine years. Petty joined the Times in 2000. The...

Gazette.(Publishing)(Naples Daily News )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Bob Burdick, publisher of the Naples Daily News since 2002, is leaving to become publisher of the Gazette in Colorado Springs, Colo. The search for a new publisher is under way.

Darden Restaurants.(Restaurants)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Orlando-based Darden Restaurants has promoted Clarence Otis Jr. to CEO, replacing Joe Lee, who retires in December. Otis had been president of Darden's Smokey Bones division and CFO. Also, Drew Madsen has been promoted to president and COO of...

No in-between: the gap between Miami-Dade's haves and have-nots is widening at an alarming rate.(Socioeconomics)
October 1, 2004... Miami-Dade's middle class is disappearing. That's the conclusion of a report released in June by the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution. The report--"Growing the Middle Class: Connecting M1Miami-Dade Residents to Economic...

Brightstar Corp.(Miami)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Brightstar Corp., the largest distributor of cellular phones and accessories in Latin America, plans to go public. The 7-year-old Miami company, with 2003 revenue of $1.2 billion, ranked 154 last year on Inc. magazine's list of fastest-growing...

Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.(Miami)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Miami's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute has been named the best eye-care center in the nation in U.S. News & World Report's annual hospital rankings. Bascom Palmer, the University of Miami's department of ophthalmology, is the only south Florida...

MasTec.(Miami)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Three prominent board members of telecom infrastructure contractor MasTec (NYSE-MTZ) have resigned following a dispute over corporate governance. Out: Joseph R Kennedy II, Deutsche Bank Managing Director William N. Shiebler and famed economist...

The Tides.(Miami-Dade)(Falor Co)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Chicago-based hospitality firm Falor Co. continued its hotel-buying spree in south Florida with the acquisition of The Tides, one of South Beach's most recognizable properties. Like its other acquisitions--Coconut Grove's Mayfair House and...

The Florida International University athletic department has received a $1-million gift--the department's largest in school history--from Pharmed Group founders Jorge and Carlos de Cespedes.(Miami-Dade)(Pharmed Group Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Florida International University athletic department has received a $1-million gift--the department's largest in school history--from Pharmed Group founders Jorge and Carlos de Cespedes. FIU's Golden Panther Arena will be renamed Pharmed...

The Falls.(Miami-Dade)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Mills Corp. has acquired a 50% stake in south Miami-Dade's upscale shopping mall The Falls. The Arlington, Va.-based company, which also owns and operates Broward County's massive Sawgrass Mills outlet, will take over management and leasing...

CB Richard Ellis Investors.(Miami-Dade)(America's Capital Partners )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Highlighting its continued Florida expansion, Los Angeles-based real estate investment management firm CB Richard Ellis Investors has announced a joint venture agreement with the Miami investment firm America's Capital Partners to acquire a...

Watson Pharmaceuticals.(Miami Lakes)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Corona, Calif.-based Watson Pharmaceuticals has announced it will close its Miami Lakes manufacturing facility by the end of the year. About 150 workers will be laid off. The decision is a blow to Miami-Dade's biomedical industry, which...

U.S. 1 connecting the Florida Keys to the mainland.(Monroe County)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Army Corps of Engineers has given the green light to a controversial plan to widen an 18-mile stretch of U.S. 1 connecting the Florida Keys to the mainland. Officials say the project will speed up hurricane evacuation and improve safety on...

Opa-locka Mayor Myra Taylor.(Opa-Locka)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Gov. Jeb Bush has suspended Opa-locka Mayor Myra Taylor following her indictment on tax-fraud charges. Taylor is accused of misusing more than $100,000 in funds from a charter school she operates. Opa-locka is one of Miami-Dade's poorest...

Grand jury calls for oversight authority.(Miami International Airport)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... MIAMI-DADE -- In the latest tug-of-war between county commissioners and business leaders, a Miami-Dade grand jury has issued a report calling for an independent authority to oversee scandal-plagued Miami International Airport. Commissioners...

Annexation battle: Port St. Lucie has a fight on its hands as it tries to annex 9,500 acres.(Growth)
October 1, 2004... Port St. Lucie is a city on the brink. On that much Mayor Bob Minsky and Republican state Sen. Ken Pruitt agree. But where Minsky sees a bright future wrapped in 26,000 new rooftops and a whole bunch of new taxpayers, Pruitt sees a disaster in...

Florida Atlantic University President Frank Brogan.(Boca Raton)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Florida Atlantic University President Frank Brogan wants state university officials to review universities' practice of offering off-site degree programs in areas already served by another state university. The University of Florida is offering...

Touch-screen voting machines.(Broward County)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Tests conducted on a sample of the county's touch-screen voting machines in early August showed they were 100% accurate, a fact that Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes says should boost voter confidence.

Skanska USA Building Inc.(Dania Beach)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Skanska USA Building Inc. has opened an office in Dania Beach to serve Broward, Dade and Palm Beach counties. The Tampa-based design-build company has $1.1 billion in work under contract in Florida.

Nova Southeastern University.(Davie)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Scientists at Nova Southeastern University are experimenting with a process to use adult dental stem cells to produce laboratory-grown teeth. The project has received a $26,000 grant from the American Association of Endodontics.

Florida Association of Realtors.(Fort Lauderdale)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The median sales price of a home in Fort Lauderdale topped $300,000 for the first time in July. The $301,900 median price was up 28% from a year earlier, according to the Florida Association of Realtors. The West Palm Beach-Boca Raton area...

US Airways.(Fort Lauderdale)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... US Airways plans to create an international hub at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport starting in February, eventually tripling its number of flights. Passenger counts have hit record numbers, thanks largely to low-cost carriers. A...

Elections Supervisor Theresa LePore.(Palm Beach County)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Voters sent Elections Supervisor Theresa LePore packing, replacing her with former school board member Arthur Anderson. LePore was at the center of the 2000 presidential election controversy. She will remain supervisor through this year. LePore...

Wastewater treatment costs.(Pembroke Pines)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Pembroke Pines officials are threatening legal action against Hollywood, saying they were overcharged for their share of wastewater treatment costs at a Hollywood-owned plant. Pines officials also want Hollywood to give up its sole control of...

Cruise passengers.(Port Everglades)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Port officials say the number of cruise passengers has already broken the port's previous annual record with three months remaining in the fiscal year. Between October 2003 and June 2004, the port hosted 3.41 million passengers, compared with...

Two competing non-profit hospice groups, Hospice of the Treasure Coast and Hospice of St. Martin & St. Lucie.(Stuart)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Two competing non-profit hospice groups, Hospice of the Treasure Coast and Hospice of St. Martin & St. Lucie, are merging to reduce costs.

Defibrillators.(Weston)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... City commissioners are considering requiring offices, gyms and restaurants to have defibrillators available for emergency use. The devices, designed so that they can be used safely without specialized training, dramatically improve survival...

Tax-exempt organizations.(West Palm Beach)(Costs of services )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... City commissioners plan to explore the possibility of seeking some type of contribution from tax-exempt organizations to defray the costs of services like police and fire protection. The city is home to nearly 400 such organizations, ranging...

Related Group of Florida.(West Palm Beach)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Miami developer Related Group of Florida, which just sold out its 264-unit CityPlace condominium in downtown West Palm Beach, is quickly dominating the downtown West Palm condo market. The company has sold 930 units in five separate...

Half-cent sales tax.(West Palm Beach)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... A coalition of business and community groups has received pledges of more than $250,000 toward its goal of getting voters to approve a referendum in November to impose a half-cent sales tax for school construction.

Scripps Research Institute.(West Palm Beach)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Economic development officials say plans to develop a "biotech village" of homes, offices and retail space on the Vavrus ranch property will go forward regardless of whether the Scripps Research Institute develops the adjacent Mecca Farms...

Rematch: Democrat Jan Schneider is hoping her second run against Katherine Harris is a charm.(Politics)
October 1, 2004... From an image standpoint, "I'm not a very good candidate," jokes Jan Schneider shortly before she won the Democratic primary and the chance to again run against Republican Rep. Katherine Harris to represent District 13 in Congress. She...

Summit National Consolidation Group.(Clearwater)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Summit National Consolidation Group (OTCBB-SMNC), which designs organic fingernail polish remover, makeup remover, sneaker cleaner wipes and instant shoeshine wipes, has changed its name to Superwipes Inc.

Southwest Florida International Airport Mitigation Park.(Fort Myers)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Southwest Florida International Airport Mitigation Park is one of two airport projects nationwide to win the 2004 Airports Council International-North America Environmental Achievement Award. The 7,000-acre mitigation park was created to...

Stellar Technologies (OTCBB-SLLR), an employee internet management provider, has acquired CompuSven.(Naples)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Stellar Technologies (OTCBB-SLLR), an employee internet management provider, has acquired CompuSven, an e-mail data manager, also based in Naples, for $889,985 and 43,353 shares of stock.

Florida State University.(Sarasota)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Florida State University will open a regional medical campus in Sarasota next year. Dr. Bruce Berg, who has practiced pulmonary medicine in Sarasota for 19 years, will head the satellite campus.

Medical Education Technologies.(Sarasota)(Simulation & Training Technology Center)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Medical Education Technologies, the creator of human patient simulators, has won a contract from the Simulation & Training Technology Center in Orlando to develop the world's first standalone interactive medical mannequin. The Stand-Alone...

Information Technology Department.(Sarasota)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The county's Information Technology Department will set up a Wi-Fi network at Selby Public Library adjacent to Five Points Park. The technology allows anyone with a wireless handheld or laptop equipped with a wireless card to access the...

Beach closings and advisories.(Southwest)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Beach closings and advisories throughout Florida more than doubled last year from the year before, according to the National Resources Defense Council. In southwest Florida, beaches were closed or advisories were issued a total of 1,092 days,...

Valpak.(St. Petersburg)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Coupon provider Valpak will move its operations from Largo and Elm City, N.C., to St. Petersburg's Gateway area, bringing 530 jobs. Its new, 500,000-sq.-ft. production facility should be fully operational by 2007. The move will cost Valpak's...

Catalina Marketing Corp.(St. Petersburg)(Credit line)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Catalina Marketing Corp. (NYSE-POS) recently received a five-year, $125-million credit line and will seek additional financing to purchase its St. Petersburg headquarters building in Carillon.

EarthFirst Technologies (OTCBB-EFTI), which converts waste into fuel, has acquired Electric Machinery Enterprises.(Tampa)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... EarthFirst Technologies (OTCBB-EFTI), which converts waste into fuel, has acquired Electric Machinery Enterprises, an electrical contract company also based in Tampa, for an undisclosed price.

Clean Energy Research Center.(Tampa)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The University of South Florida's Clean Energy Research Center has received a $2.5-million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to continue researching the development of hydrogen as a fuel.

Pinnacle Place Development Partners.(Tampa)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Pinnacle Place Development Partners has bought six acres near Tampa's Channelside district for $14.5 million. It plans to build two 40-story condominium towers with 170 condos each, ranging from $300,000 to more than $2 million a unit....

National Summit on Cuba.(Tampa)(Trade opportunities )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The National Summit on Cuba will be held this month at the University of Tampa, focusing on U.S.-Cuba relations. Trade opportunities between Florida and Cuba will also be discussed.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers.(Tampa)(Brighthouse Networks)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have established a 24-hour cable "IV channel available through Brighthouse Networks to digital cable subscribers in Tampa Bay and Orlando. Details were not disclosed.

An $80-million effort.(University Of Tampa)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... TAMPA -- In its first fundraising effort in its 73-year history, the University of Tampa has raised more than $80 million since 2000, including $28 million from call-center operator John H. Sykes and his wife, Susan. The money will be used to...

Conventional wisdom: Central Florida governments are chasing convention center deals in a big way--despite uncertain benefits.(Tourism)
October 1, 2004... Just last year, the Orange County Convention Center opened a $750-million expansion, adding to what was already one of the largest centers in the world. That facility's heft hasn't deterred nearby counties from trying to build or expand their...

Altamonte Town Center.(Altamonte Springs)(Altamonte Springs Investments )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Construction has begun on the $200-million Altamonte Town Center, a 25-acre mixed-use development by Altamonte Springs Investments that will include 324 apartments as well as restaurant and retail space.

Raydon Corp.(Daytona Beach)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Raydon Corp. has delivered its first "virtual combat convoy trainers" to the Army. The simulators give soldiers the opportunity to train as drivers or gunners in Humvees acting as convoy escorts. The programs challenge them with various...

A federal judge in Orlando ruled construction of a performing arts center could proceed, despite a pending lawsuit involving the News-Journal Corp., the center's owner.(Daytona Beach)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... A federal judge in Orlando ruled construction of a performing arts center could proceed, despite a pending lawsuit involving the News-Journal Corp., the center's owner. Cox Enterprises of Atlanta, which owns 47.5% of the News-Journal Corp., had...

Priority Healthcare Corp.(Lake Mary)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Priority Healthcare Corp. (Nasdaq-PHCC) accepted a $2-million incentives package from Seminole County to stay put and add 450 employees at its current location. The company had considered relocating in order to expand.

J.P. Morgan Chase Co.(Maitland)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... J.P. Morgan Chase Co. will close its mortgage processing division in Maitland and eliminate the 150 jobs there in a cost-cutting move. The company says the closing was a result of declines in mortgage refinancing and the company's July merger...

Summerbrooke.(Mount Dora)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The City Council approved a 571-unit residential subdivision off Highway 441. The Summerbrooke planned-unit development will include 381 patio homes, 144 townhouses and 46 estate lots.

MetroWest's first movie theater.(Orange County)(Phoenix Theaters )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Knoxville, Tenn.-based Phoenix Theaters plans to build MetroWest's first movie theater, a 20-screen complex to be built in the 1.6-million-sq.-ft. Veranda Park mixed-use development now under construction.

Agricultural exemptions.(Orlando)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... A Circuit Court judge has sided both with and against Orange County Property Appraiser Bill Donegan's attempts to rein in agricultural exemptions claimed by property owners along International Drive. Judge Jay Cohen said Thomas Enterprises may...

Pointe Orlando.(Orlando)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Pointe Orlando says the former FAO Schwarz toy store, along with its signature giant teddy bear and spinning top, will be torn down and replaced with three restaurants as part of the shopping center's $10-million renovation. The FAO Schwarz...

CNL Hotels & Resorts postponed its initial public offering--expected to raise about $700 million--citing market conditions.(Orlando)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... CNL Hotels & Resorts postponed its initial public offering--expected to raise about $700 million--citing market conditions. However, a national hotel union says the delay validated its concerns over the company's plan to spend $300 million to...

Cecropia Inc.(Orlando)(Animation artists )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Cecropia Inc. of Lexington, Mass., has opened an animation studio, hiring seven former Disney animation artists with plans to hire 20 more artists by the end of the year. The company is a startup firm developing a family-friendly interactive...

Lou Pearlman's model-scouting company.(Orlando)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... After two years, the state Attorney General's Office discontinued its probe into music impresario Lou Pearlman's model-scouting company. About 2,000 people complained about the company, which operated under the names eModels Inc., Options...

University of Central Florida.(Orlando)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Al Burnett, a former auto dealer, and his wife, Nancy, donated $10 million to the University of Central Florida to build a biomedical college. The donation may be eligible for matching state funds, allowing UCF to build a 100,000-sq.-ft,...

Impact fees.(Tavares)(Lake County School Board)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Lake County School Board backed a plan to triple school impact fees on new houses, making them the highest in Florida at $10,775.

Playing catch-up: two beach communities set their sights on the prosperity that's largely passed them by.(Development)
October 1, 2004... Though located at opposite ends of a 30-mile stretch of barrier beachfront, Mayport and Vilano Beach have much in common--a rich history, colorful locals and some hard economic realities. While most northeast Florida coastal communities...

Clerk of Court Operations Director Jimmy Ricks.(Clay County)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Clerk of Court Operations Director Jimmy Ricks resigned amid a hotly contested election involving his boss, Clerk of Court Jimmy Jett. Wayne Spivey, Jett's opponent, accused Ricks of coercing clerk's office employees into donating to Jett's...

University of Florida.(Gainesville)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... A recent survey of faculty attitudes at the University of Florida concludes professors generally don't trust or respect senior administrators. The study, commissioned by President Bernie Machen, shows most teachers believe the administration...

Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport Authority.(Gainesville)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport Authority signed agreements with two new air carriers. Northwest will offer two daily roundtrip flights to its Memphis hub, while Gulfstream International Airlines (operating under the Continental...

McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity.(Gainesville)(Butterfly rainforest )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The University of Florida opened a $12-million butterfly rainforest at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity. The screened exhibit boasts one of the largest collections of moths and butterflies in the world.

$500-million mixed-use project.(Jacksonville)(Riverwalk Hotels )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Miami-based Riverwalk Hotels plans to build a $500-million mixed-use project on the city's Southbank. The proposal includes five 35- to 40-story towers, 90,000 square feet of retail space, a 200-room hotel, a 300-slip marina and a two-acre...