Florida Trend articles from September 2004

Florida Trend archives from September 2004

Van's the man.(corner office)
September 1, 2004... It wasn't a big surprise when I heard that my longtime friend Van Poole had agreed to be the "entree" at an upcoming roast. I've known Van for 30 years, and he's the type of guy who can stand up to a good ribbing from his friends. And the...

Big, hairy, audacious goals.(readers)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... A column by my friend Neil Skene questioning the presence of BHAGs (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals) in the Jeb Bush administration deserves rejoinder ["Vision-Impaired," July, Florida Trend.com]. As a Florida historian (semi-pro), I submit...

Blood banks.(readers)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I enjoyed the interesting article on blood banks in Florida ["Running Dry," August, Florida Trend.com]. One reason the Florida blood banks have such a problem is they have forgotten the basic rules of supply and demand and marketing. The...

Hats off to Tolf.(readers)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... Kudos to Dining with Tolf ["Attention-Getters," July, FloridaTrend.com]. My in-laws live in Lake Placid, and we have driven by the Watering Hole many times chuckling to ourselves about the alligator. Due to Mr. Tolf's recommendation, we...

Correction.(readers)(Correction Notice)
September 1, 2004... The name of Dee Thomas' New Port Richey company is Ewing and Thomas.

The loft world.(City Living)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Developer Man Hooper's vision for a work-live community sits in the middle of an economically neglected neighborhood on the northern edge of downtown Fort Lauderdale. His project, Avenue Lofts, is part of Flagler Village, the former warehouse...

New look.(City Living)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Houston-based developer Larry Davis, founder of Urban Lofts Townhomes, is shopping for land near downtown St. Petersburg. He says the city is a great fit for his corrugated sheet-metal constructed, mid-priced and vividly colored loft-style town...

Fort Lauderdale.(Around Florida)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Fort Lauderdale is about to see an influx of residents downtown as the first luxury residential high-rise there, Las Olas River House, opens this month. Developer Richard Zipes says he faced a lot of naysayers when he first proposed the...

Miami.(Around Florida)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Miami has more than 5,000 residential units coming on line in downtown alone over the next two years.

St. Petersburg.(Around Florida)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... may not be as far along as other Florida cities, and its price point is lower, but it's definitely on the radar as far as an emerging urban living environment. Downtown resident and architect Tim Clemmons has been a major player in the...

A remodeling niche.(City Living)(Cindy Ray Interiors)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Upscale and built-out communities like Boca Raton and Palm Beach aren't seeing many new oceanfront condos, but there's still plenty of demand for rejuvenating older properties. Cindy West Ray, president of Cindy Ray Interiors of Lantana Point,...

Teaching as an art form.(Miami-Dade College)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Alberto Meza is short on interview time. He jokes: "See, even a cow gets in the way of talking seriously about my being the 'Florida Professor of the Year.'" Meza indeed is Florida's Professor of the Year, honored by the Carnegie...

A technical matter.(Atlantic Technical Center)(Biography)
September 1, 2004... In 2006, Atlantic Technical Center in Broward County will graduate its first magnet technical high school seniors, a milestone for them and for Director Bob Crawford. A Pennsylvania native who graduated from high school in Satellite Beach...

He's got game.(UCF School Of Film And Digital Media)
September 1, 2004... For the acting director of the state's fledgling electronic games school, Mike Moshell is by his own admission not much of a game player. "I watch the people who play the games," he explains. Moshell will be watching lots of people design...

Boca Raton company.(Communications)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Richard Lyew, corporate controller at marketing firm Access Worldwide Communications, has been promoted to CFO of the Boca Raton company. Lyew takes over from John Hamerski.

Coastal Construction Group.(Construction)(appointments)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Miami-based Coastal Construction Group has promoted Sean Murphy, vice president of Coastal Homes, to vice president of operations for the group, a new position.

Scott M. Skidelsky, general manager of Turner Construction's Orlando unit, has been tapped as vice president of Florida for the New York-based construction firm.(Construction)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Scott M. Skidelsky, general manager of Turner Construction's Orlando unit, has been tapped as vice president of Florida for the New York-based construction firm. Skidelsky began his career at Turner in 1996 and replaces Michael B. Smith, who...

Jacksonville University.(Education)(appointments )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Kerry D. Romesburg, former president of Nevada State College, has been tapped as president of Jacksonville University. Romesburg takes over from David Harlow, who abruptly resigned in February over a report that revealed the school was $2.3...

Galaxy Nutritional Foods.(Food Services)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Orlando-based Galaxy Nutritional Foods, a producer of dairy alternatives, has named Michael E. Broll CEO. Broll has been a director of the company since December and replaces Christopher J. New, who resigned.

Nanobac Life Sciences.(Research)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... John Stanton has been named CEO of Tampa-based Nanobac Life Sciences, a company that researches degenerative diseases. Stanton, also chairman of Nanobac, replaces Alexander Edwards, who will remain a consultant to the company.

Scripps Research Institute.(Research)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Will Ray, director of external affairs for Scripps Florida in Palm Beach County, has been named vice president of external affairs for the entire Scripps Research Institute based in La Jolla, Calif., and Palm Beach.

Burger King.(Restaurants)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Miami-based Burger King has tapped Greg Brenneman as its ninth CEO in 11 years. Brenneman replaces Brad Blum, who resigned after just a year and a half, citing strategic differences with the board of directors of the struggling fast-food chain....

Seabourn Cruise Line.(Travel)(appointments )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Deborah L. Natansohn has been named president of Seabourn Cruise Line, the luxury unit of Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines. Natansohn had been senior vice president of sales and marketing for Cunard Line, another Carnival unit, and replaces...

TECO Energy.(Utilities)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Sherrill Hudson, who retired from Deloitte & Touche in 2002, has been named CEO of Tampa-based TECO Energy. Hudson will take over from Robert Fagan, who is retiring.

Restaurant CEO scores big: TEC smoothes transition from big corporation to entrepreneur.(Sponsored Advertising Report)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... Chuck Winship had worked for a large restaurant corporation before becoming a partner of a fast-paced start-up that developed 30 Chili's Restaurants in 13 years. "I was used to the dynamics of a Fortune 500 company," Winship says. "In a...

Culture shock: building a world-class performing arts center is proving to be more difficult than expected.(Arts/Entertainment)
September 1, 2004... County officials announced earlier this summer that Miami-Dade's $411-million Performing Arts Center will open in mid-2006. But nobody's holding his breath. Envisioned as a world-class complex, rivaling Carnegie Hall's acoustical quality and...

Miami River.(Miami)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Under a deal approved by county commissioners, the Army Corps of Engineers will begin dredging the Miami River next month. Brett Bibeau, Miami River Commission managing director, says the river has accumulated so much silt that cargo ships must...

Immigrant population.(Miami)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Miami has the highest percentage of foreign-born residents of any large city in the world, according to a recent U.N. report. With an immigrant population of 59%, Miami tops Toronto, with 44%, and Los Angeles, with 41%.

Mobis Parts America.(Miami)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Mobis Parts America, a subsidiary of Korean automaker Hyundai, has selected Miami for its new Latin American headquarters. Mobis, Korea's largest auto parts manufacturer, will create 30 jobs locally within the next three years.

Iberia airlines.(Miami)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Faced with mounting losses and complaints about security-screening delays at Miami International Airport, Spain's Iberia airlines has announced it will close its Miami hub. Passenger volume will be cut in half to about 200,000 a year. The...

Arrow Air.(Miami)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Cargo carrier Arrow Air has emerged from bankruptcy with a group of new owners that includes the Miami leveraged buyout firm Trivest Inc. Arrow Air is the dominant carrier in the Miami-Latin America cargo market, employing about 500.

Nihon Kohden.(Miami)(plans to move to Miami)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Nihon Kohden, a Japanese maker of electric medical equipment, plans to move its North American headquarters to Miami.

Downtown Miami.(Miami)(Shaya Boymelgreen partnered with Africa-Israel Investments )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... New York developer Shaya Boymelgreen and Tel Aviv-based Africa-Israel Investments have announced a partnership to develop six projects in downtown Miami, much of it within the Performing Arts Center district. The $1.2-billion plan includes a...

Department of Elections.(Miami-Dade)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Concerns about MiamiDade's ability to pull off a smooth election resurfaced in July after the county's Department of Elections first reported that two computer crashes last year wiped out recent election records then said the audits were later...

Kendall Town Center.(Miami-Dade)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... County commissioners gave the go-ahead for construction of Kendall Town Center, a 160-acre project by the Rouse Co. that supporters say will provide a commercial focus to the sprawling West Kendall area of Miami-Dade. The project will include a...

Jackson Memorial Hospital.(Maimi-Dade)(outpatient charges)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... An internal audit has revealed that Jackson Memorial Hospital wrote off $50 million in outpatient charges last year as a result of administrative errors related to billing. The figure represents about 10% of all outpatient charges at...

Boston Scientific.(Miami-Dade)(expansion plans)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Boston Scientific, which makes stents and other medical devices, has announced plans for an $11.6-million expansion to its west Miami-Dade manufacturing facility. The expansion will allow the firm to add about 120 to its current workforce of...

FedEx.(Miami-Dade)(Miami Gateway Hub opened)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... FedEx's new $50-million, 23-acre Miami Gateway Hub has opened at Miami International Airport, allowing the Memphis, Tenn.-based shipper to double the number of packages it processes to about 40,000 per day. The expansion created 300 jobs.

Gift-giving.(donations for Florida International University )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... MIAMI -- Florida International University has announced two major gifts. Former American Bankers Insurance Group CEO R. Kirk Landon has pledged $5 million to the College of Business Administration, and board member Herbert A. Wertheim, founder...

Crisis mode: under fire, two south Florida elected officials respond differently.(Government)
September 1, 2004... There's nothing simple about overhauling a massive government agency with high-profile responsibilities. Things can go wrong. Sometimes, say Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne and suspended elections Supervisor Miriam Oliphant, things go wrong...

Seisint Inc.(Boca Raton)(bought by Reed Elsevier Group)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Reed Elsevier Group, owner of the LexisNexis legal data business, is buying Seisint Inc. for $775 million. Seisint's main software product, Accurint, provides online access and analysis of public records to help customers with due diligence,...

Bond issue.(Boynton Beach)(redevelopment)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The city can pay for its ambitious downtown plans, including land purchases, redevelopment and the creation of a trolley service, with a bond issue despite a projected deficit of more than $4 million next year, says Redevelopment Agency...

South Florida Water Management District.(Everglades)(representatives hired)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The South Florida Water Management District hired state Rep. Joe Spratt, R-LaBelle, as a liaison between the agency and growers.

Arne Soreide.(Fort Lauderdale)(cases, Accutel Communications )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Arne Soreide, accused of using his Pompano Beach-based Accutel Communications company to lure long-distance customers with promises of discount service then bilking them with phony charges, was convicted on 68 counts, including fraud, money...

Lion County Safari.(Loxahatchee)(renovation plans)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Climbing attendance and a planned $6-million face lift have executives at Lion County Safari predicting a robust future for the attraction, which had suffered from plummeting attendance in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

City Hall.(Miramar)(final phase of construction)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Workers are putting final touches on a new three-story, $16-million City Hall in the first phase of a planned town center that will eventually include a cultural arts center, a business and retail development, townhouses and apartments.

Nader Salour.(Palm Beach County)(appointed to advise the development of the Scripps Research Institute )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The county has hired Abacoa Development Co. President Nader Salour to advise it during its property search for the development of the Scripps Research Institute technology park....

CB Richard Ellis.(Palm Beach Gardens)(technology park)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Multinational real estate firm CB Richard Ellis has been hired as the technology park's real estate broker and consultant.

28 retail and office buildings.(Palm Beach Gardens)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... St. Petersburg-based Sembler Co. will build 28 retail and office buildings across from The Gardens Mall under a proposal approved by City Council members.

Port revenue.(Port Everglades)(financial results)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Port revenue for the first six months of the year from cruise, cargo and petroleum shipping is up by $9 million over year-earlier revenue of $48.9 million. The biggest jump was in cruise business. Cruise revenue jumped 26.5%, with 2.5 million...

A plan to annex.(Port St. Lucie)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Sen. Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, has advised City Council members not to pursue a plan to annex 9,500 acres, saying that unbridled growth would strain state and local resources.

Golf-cource community.(Port St. Lucie)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Planning and zoning board members have recommended approving a golf-course community planned by Wayne Huizenga on 120 acres that had been set aside for conservation. Huizenga has agreed to set aside another 120 acres of his property for...

Downtown Business Association.(Stuart)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The Downtown Business Association is supporting a suggestion to tap downtown business owners to create a downtown improvement budget--up to a point. The group's board agreed to a budget of $12,500, about $38,000 less than suggested by the city...

Historic district.(Stuart)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... City commissioners are considering a proposal to protect the city's historic district from being homogenized by chain stores and restaurants by limiting businesses to 2,000 square feet.

Looking for budget relief.(Property Taxes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... FORT LAUDERDALE -- City commissioners are mulling a proposed budget that calls for the largest tax increases in more than a decade. Under the preliminary budget released in mid-summer, residents would see property tax hikes of 24% as part of...

Charter move: five Lake Wales schools break off from the school district to form their own charter system.(Education)
September 1, 2004... A charter school experiment in Lake Wales is attracting the attention of communities statewide. In July, five schools in Lake Wales--a town of 12,000 nestled among rolling hills, citrus groves and pastures in central Florida--withdrew from...

CCS Medical.(Clearwater)(American Capital Strategies Ltd., investments)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... American Capital Strategies Ltd. of Bethesda, Md., has invested $33 million in CCS Medical, a provider of diabetes and medical supplies.

Florida Gulf Coast University.(Fort Myers)(National Collegiate Athletic Association)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The NCAA Division II committee has granted Florida Gulf Coast University full Division II status, allowing the university's athletic teams to compete for national titles and awards. Also, FGCU announced it will develop a college of engineering...

Publix.(Lakeland)(finance)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The National Retail Federation has ranked Publix 16th among the nation's top 100 retailers based on 2003 revenue. The chain rang up $16.8 billion in sales, up 5.8% from 2002.

First National Banchares of Florida.(Naples)(bought by Fifth Third Bancorp )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Cincinnati's Fifth Third Bancorp is buying Naples' First National Banchares of Florida for $1.6 billion in stock. First National, the largest bank headquartered on Florida's west coast, has $5.3 billion in assets and 77 branches. Fifth Third...

Wal-Mart Supercenter.(Pasco County)(planning)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Pasco County's development review committee has rejected plans for a Wal-Mart Supercenter in New Port Richey off Beacon Woods Drive, agreeing with county planners that the store's placement would make the road too dangerous. Wal-Mart is...

Residential building.(Pasco County)(statistics)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Residential building continues to outpace last year's numbers for the first part of the year. Home builders pulled more than 3,690 permits for single-family homes from January to May, a 26% increase over the same time last year. The county's...

Global Signal.(Sarasota)(Tower Ventures III LLC)(Telecommunications towers)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Global Signal (NYSE-GSL) of Sarasota acquired Tower Ventures III LLC for $52 million in cash plus fees. Tower Ventures owned 97 wireless communications towers in Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri and Arkansas. Global Signal, which owns and...

Full-service post office.(St. Petersburg)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... After trying for more than a decade, city officials secured a full-service post office for the Midtown neighborhood, one of the city's poorest areas. The Postal Service refused to use its own money and agreed to expand the facility only after...

WellCare Health Plans.(Tampa)(initial public offering )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... WellCare Health Plans has completed an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, selling 8.43 million shares at an initial price of $17 a share. WellCare's stock symbol is WCG.

U.S./Panama Free Trade Negotiations.(Tampa)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce hosted the U.S./Panama Free Trade Negotiations in August. Local business leaders met with representatives from Panama companies over five days to discuss trade opportunities and possible business ventures.

Capital One.(Tampa)(lay offs and faciliy closures)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Credit card company Capital One of McLean, Va., will shut down its Tampa call center, laying off 1,100 employees by next spring. About 350 finance collection employees will remain at the site.

Vacation season.(Tampa Bay)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Tampa Bay area hotels, airports and attractions say this spring/ summer has been the best vacation season in years. In Pinellas County, the number of overnight visitors in May increased 9% from a year earlier to 375,000. At Tampa International...

Taking a gamble.(Entertainment)(Ocean Jewel)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... ST. PETERSBURG -- The Ocean Jewel cruise ship opened for business at the Port of St. Petersburg in August. The 450-foot, eight-story ship is the largest in the state to feature Las Vegas-style gambling and entertainment.

Sand settlement: Brevard's beachfront property owners collect $3 million in their suit against the government.(Environment)
September 1, 2004... Hundreds of owners of Brevard County beachfront property finally are being compensated for a miscalculation by federal engineers half a century ago. After 12 years of litigation, 317 parties got checks from the federal government to help...

AJT & Associates and research/engineering company SAIC unveiled their self-contained mobile isolation unit and medical lab.(Cape Canaveral)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... AJT & Associates and research/engineering company SAIC unveiled their self-contained mobile isolation unit and medical lab. The Mobilis Systems units are designed to quarantine victims of such diseases as tuberculosis, SARS and anthrax. The...

$27.9-million entertainment venue.(Clermont)(C-Squared Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Developer Carl Coccaro announced plans for a $27.9-million entertainment venue that would include a 14-screen movie theater, a two-thirds scale replica of Yankee Stadium with batting cages, miniature golf course, go-cart track, water park,...

Halifax Medical Center and Bert Fish Medical Center have ended a seven-year partnership that merged some of their business functions.(Daytona Beach)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Halifax Medical Center and Bert Fish Medical Center have ended a seven-year partnership that merged some of their business functions. A management agreement was signed by Halifax executives in 1999 but was never signed by Bert Fish executives....

Riverside Presbyterian Church.(Daytona Beach)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Ormond Beach developer Paul Holub plans to buy Riverside Presbyterian Church on the Halifax River for $1.4 million, demolish it and build a five-story, 25-unit luxury condominium. Units will range from $600,000 to about $1 million. The property...

AuthenTec Inc.(Melbourne)(finance)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Biometric company AuthenTec Inc. says it secured $15 million from private investors led by the Carlyle Group. The group includes Advantage Capital, Harris Corp., Knickerbocker LLC, Sierra Ventures, Stonehenge Capital Partners and Texas...

Dixie Stampede.(Orange County)(trade shows)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede began offering beer and wine during dinner shows and malt-based tropical drinks before the show. None of the entertainer's three other venues sells alcohol. The attraction also raised ticket prices from $44 to $47...

WestJet.(Orlando)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... WestJet, a low-fare Canadian carrier, will begin service next month between Orlando and Toronto and Orlando and Calgary.

New kids on the block.(Startups)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
September 1, 2004... Business services companies accounted for the bulk of central Florida startups last year. The breakdown for four counties: CENTRAL FLORIDA STARTUPS Sector Orange Seminole Lake Osceola Business Services 8,573 ...

International Corporate Park.(Orlando)(has bought International Corporate Park)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Gross Pointe Development Co. of Fort Myers has bought International Corporate Park, a 2,400-acre site on the Bee Line Expressway, for $41.5 million. Gross Pointe is teaming with Bouwfonds Property Finance and Dutch developer Rapenburch to...

Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control.(Orlando)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control has won a subcontract from Raytheon Corp. to develop target recognition sensors for the Army's Future Combat Systems program. The deal is part of Raytheon's $375-million development program.

Safemark Systems.(Orlando)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... American Capital Strategies has acquired 75% of Safemark Systems, which supplies hotels with in-room safes, for $31 million. The remainder of the company is owned by management. American Capital is a publicly traded buyout and investment fund.

Universal Orlando President Bob Gault.(Orlando)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Universal Orlando President Bob Gault sent hundreds of letters to companies doing business with the resort asking executives for help in repealing the High Speed Rail Act. Gault's letter calls the plan "a bad idea" but does not specifically...

Ajax Orlando.(Orlando)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Ajax Orlando, the U.S. affiliate of the Amsterdam soccer club AFC Ajax, has opened an online store for merchandise at ajaxorlando.us. Ajax Orlando was founded in 2003 to scout and recruit top soccer talent in the U.S.

The Shoppes of Tymber Creek.(Ormond Beach)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The Jaffe Co. announced plans to build The Shoppes of Tymber Creek, a 250,000-sq.-ft. shopping center at State Road 40 and Tymber Creek Road.