- December 16, 2025
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Dais receives grant
Odessa-based Dais Analytic Inc. won a $680,000 research grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy program. The grant will allow the company to commercialize its water-based heating and cooling products.
Dais claims that its NanoAir heating, ventilating and air-conditioning technology has the ability to reduce energy use and carbon emissions by more than 50% in most standard HVAC equipment. CEO Tim Tangredi compared the grant to “winning an Emmy” in terms of sending a larger message about interest in investing in alternative energy-focused companies.
Dais plans to add up to 1,000 employees over the next five years.
Station hires executive
Tampa NBC affiliate WFLA News Channel 8 named Mark Dvornik as its general manager. Dvornik succeeds Mike Pumo.
Dvornik most recently served as executive vice president of Retro Television Network, a cable service that provides classic TV reruns and movies to stations with alternate HD channels such as WFLA. He was previously a top executive with Paramount Pictures Television.
Dvornik will oversee advertising sales for WFLA and two other Media General outlets, The Tampa Tribune and TBO.com.
Miller lands in Atlanta
Louis Miller was named general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, six month after stepping down from the same post at Tampa International Airport.
Miller will take over operations of the nation's busiest airport Sept. 27, a post that includes supervising the completion and opening of a $1.4 billion international terminal.
Miller, 62, left TIA in February after 14 years amid various disputes with the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority over the planned demolition of the former Continental Airlines reservation center near International Plaza mall. The building, on airport property, was later leased to the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center.
Miller was also previously executive director of Salt Lake City's airport. Officials at TIA are in the process of filling its leadership position.
Rabobank finances Alico
Dutch bank Rabo Agrifinance has agreed to provide La Belle-based Alico with a $100 million loan.
The land-management company says it plans to use the funds to pay off a note and revolving line of credit it had with Farm Credit of Southwest Florida.
Rabo Agrifinance will provide Alico with a $40 million note and a $60 million revolving line of credit under the terms of the agreement. Alico officials say the funds will enable the company to diversify its cash flows.
Chico's quest continues
Fort Myers women's retailer Chico's FAS says it plans to continue to pursue a complaint against competitor Cache and two former employees.
Chico's executives have alleged that two former employees of its White House | Black Market chain took proprietary designs and confidential information when they left the company to work for Cache in 2009.
Chico's recently withdrew its request for injunctive relief because it couldn't stop Cache from selling products it says were based on its designs. However, Chico's says it plans to continue to pursue its claim against Cache and the former employees with the Supreme Court of the State of New York.
Home sales drop
Existing home sales in the Fort Myers area fell nearly 16% in August compared with the same month a year ago, according to the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach. There were 1,154 sales last month.
Bank-owned properties accounted for 47.2% of the sales, short sales contributed 20.9% and conventional sales contributed 31.9% of the August total.
Bradenton bank fails
Charlie Conoley's lengthy fight to save Bradenton-based Horizon Bank is officially over.
The Florida Office of Financial Regulation shut down Horizon on Sept. 10 after regulators determined the $188 million-asset bank couldn't overcome its undercapitalization issues. Conoley, who founded Horizon in 1999, spent months arguing for more time to work out the bank's problems.
With the failure, however, comes a new entry to Florida and Gulf Coast community banking: Little Rock, Ark.-based Bank of the Ozarks. The bank, with $2.88 billion in assets, has 90 offices in six states, including Arkansas, Texas and North Carolina.
The bank, through a loss-share transaction with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., took over Horizon's assets and more than $150 million in deposits.
Expansion proposal denied
The Manatee County Planning Commission denied a developer's request to build a commercial project on 3.3 acres in east Manatee County.
The development firm, Tara-Manatee, proposed a zoning change that would allow it to build nearly 20,000 square feet of space on the site, which is at the front of the entrance to Tara Preserves. The Preserves is a mixed-use project that covers 1,100 acres and hundreds of homes just west of Interstate 75 on State Road 70.
The 3.3-acre site is zoned residential, but developers say the land still fits the county's regulations for commercial development. Planning commissioners, however, in a 6-1 vote, ruled that the project would not be appropriate in that spot.
Manatee County commissioners are expected to vote on the issue early next month.
City cuts wages
More than 80 employees for the city of North Port will see pay cuts of at least 5% next year.
The cuts stem from the city's ongoing effort to balance its budget. The North Port City Commission approved the wage-cut proposal after city officials, including human resource managers, reported that workers would accept some cuts if it allowed the city to avoid layoffs.
