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Coffee Talk (Sara/Mana)
Is this moratorium a building moratorium?
Sarasota County Commissioner Jon Thaxton may have suggested a method for controlling growth in a recent county meeting, but he says he never suggested a building moratorium as the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange had suggested. During an evaluation meeting of the county's new comprehensive plan, Thaxton suggested what he calls "a temporary moratorium on additional capacity in the comprehensive plan where the government is responsible for adding infrastructure." In short, this would freeze infrastructure construction to places already identified in the comp plan, with an exemption for affordable housing projects.
"We are faced with an unsolvable budget crisis with roads; very serious issues with water supply; and funding challenges for schools and parks," Thaxton says. "In times like this ... we should not be considering additional development capacity within the comp plan. Especially when the county cumulative comp plan we already considered would double the number of residents."
Jay Brady, executive director of the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange, concedes that Thaxton may not have suggested a traditional building moratorium, which would halt the issuance of new building permits and rezones. But Brady suggests that such an infrastructure limit would severely limit development densities and would further drive up land prices.
"In light of our continuing problem of affordable and worker housing, this is the exact opposite of what is required," Brady says. "Most of the infrastructure problems in the county are the state's responsibility - U.S. 301, 41, Business 41. Almost that entire school problem has to do with the class-size amendment. The state just approved $1.5 billion in new non-school infrastructure funding; $700 million of that is recurring funding per year. The county should let this money have time to take effect."
There's room for more in Collier County
Who says Collier County is getting overcrowded?
The county's population is now about 312,000, but Collier County Planning Manager David Weeks says there's room for 1 million people. At the rate the county is growing now, the county will reach that mark in 20 years, he told a gathering of real estate brokers in Naples recently.
Still, Weeks said it's unrealistic to think Collier's population will grow that fast. Instead, he expects the county to reach 1 million residents in about 50 years.
Where are all these people going to live? While most Collier residents live west of Collier Boulevard today, he said over half the population will eventually live east of that road.
"That's a big shift," Weeks says.
Growing ranks of female 'Cs'
Slow to change in many social respects, Manatee-Sarasota has shifted from an all-male hospital CEO market to one becoming dominated by female 'Cs' - as in chief executive officers and chief operating officers.
Linda Lemon-Steiner, 52, was the latest to join the ranks. Last month, Lemon-Steiner was promoted to chief operating officer at Doctors Hospital of Sarasota, where she had served as chief nursing officer since 2001.
"I think the gender issues are blurring," Lemon-Steiner says. "I think we're seeing it both in the executive ranks and also in the medical staff with physicians. We're seeing more and more females going into physician practice than we did before. In fact, there are more women entering medicine now than men, and that's a very different trend. We're also seeing more men entering nursing than ever before."
Earlier this year, Melody Trimble, 46, was named CEO of Venice Regional Medical Center; Gwen MacKenzie, 50, became president and CEO of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System; and Wendy Brandon was named CEO of Englewood Community Hospital.
On the male side, Dan Friedrich is CEO of Blake Hospital in Bradenton; Brian Flynn is CEO of Manatee Memorial Hospital; and Lynn Mergen is managing director of Lakewood Ranch Regional Medical Center; and Bob Meade is CEO of Doctors Hospital.
"I think it's just a matter of maturing the social expectations that go along with that," says Lemon-Steiner. "Women are being promoted into executive roles because they've prepared themselves well. I think the ability of women to manage so much at home helps them learn and develop the skills that will serve those executive needs."
While pursuing her master's degree of public health in 1987 at the University of South Florida, Lemon-Steiner began working full-time in her first chief nursing officer role - as a single parent of two preschoolers.
"With graduate school and managing my first CNO job all at the same time, you've got to get organized, you've got to be able to set priorities, you've got to be able to multi-task," Lemon-Steiner says. "I think women have a strong history and a strong capacity to multi-task."
Wild for Wal-Mart
In 2002, Barry Seidel, president of American Property Group of Sarasota Inc., and his wife Leslye purchased 1.7 acres of OPI (office professional or institutional) land at 310 S. Tamiami Trail for $217,200.
Then after almost two years, developer Henry Rodriguez persuaded Wal-Mart to build a Supercenter in Osprey. The Supercenter, which is still being constructed, is directly across the street from the Seidel property.
Last month, the Seidels made back more than 10 times their initial investment. They sold the piece to Naples-based Fifth Third Bank for $2.25 million.
"I'm not a drinker," Seidel says, "but if I were I would have (celebrated) after that deal. It was an incredible sale. It just sets the tone for what is happening down there."
The Osprey deal is not Fifth Third's first local purchase near a Wal-Mart. In August, Fifth Third acquired land for a new branch in Sumter Crossing, a North Port retail development site with commitments for both a Wal-Mart Supercenter and Home Depot.
Jama Dock, spokesperson for Fifth Third Bank, says the bank's real estate department likely looks for the same growth potential in locations rather than what large retailers are in that location.
"I don't think we've purposefully chosen locations where anchor tenants are located," Dock says. "I think we look more at availability, feasibility and then the growth factor."
The Osprey branch will include seven offices and will run anywhere from 4,200 to 4,700 square feet.
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