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Organization seeks leader
The Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County plans to select a new president and CEO from a list of five finalists.
The finalists were whittled down from a group of more than 80. The final five are: Rodney Carson, who works in economic development in Polk County; Mark Huey, Tampa economic development administrator; Paul Krutko, a former official with a downtown development organization in Jacksonville; Tammie Nemecek, Economic Development Council of Collier County president and CEO; and Charles Wood, a former executive with the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.
The Sarasota EDC seeks a replacement for Kathy Baylis, who will retire later this year. The EDC's board of directors will select the replacement.
Agency clears bank
Federal regulators recently lifted a consent order on Lakewood Ranch-based Community Bank.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. order had been in effect for two years. The order partially reflected the bank's capitalization issues, which were corrected when it was bought by a group of investors in late 2009.
Bank officials say the FDIC's move will help the bank complete its acquisition of First Community Bank of America. Community Bank announced the purchase of Pinellas Park-based FCBA in February, a deal that would create a 17-branch bank with more than $700 million in assets.
Sales figures rise
Monthly sales data for the Manatee County residential real estate market moved upward, but the figures still lag on an annual basis, according to the Manatee Association of Realtors.
There were 362 pending single-family homes sales in the county in March, up from 318 in February but down from 391 in March 2010. The median price for a house sold in March was $164,450, up from $152,000 in February but down from $179,000 in March 2010.
The condo market fared a little better. The 129 pending condo sales in the county in March was up from 91 in February and 122 in March 2010. The median sales price, $100,000, was up slightly from February but dropped almost $20,000 from March 2010.
HSN gets hacked
St. Petersburg-based Home Shopping Network was among several national retailers whose email systems were compromised by a hacker who gained access to customers' private data.
A third-party contractor used by HSN and other merchants to send out marketing messages was hacked, though the information taken was limited to first and last names and email addresses. No financial information or Social Security numbers were accessed.
AirTran starts new service
AirTran Airways launched new daily nonstop service between Tampa International Airport and San Juan Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico. The Orlando-based low-cost carrier has scheduled two daily flights between both airports.
Tampa became the fourth city in AirTran's network to offer nonstop service to the Caribbean island, joining Orlando, Atlanta and Baltimore. The airline stated that San Juan has been one of its most popular destinations for years.
ACH joins Johns Hopkins
St. Petersburg's All Children's Hospital became part of the Johns Hopkins Health System, making it the first outside the Baltimore-based hospital's immediate service area to achieve such membership.
Under the agreement, ACH is a fully integrated member of Johns Hopkins Medicine, which includes the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and its highly regarded namesake hospital. No cash or sale transaction occurred, and ACH will retain its name and continue to benefit from donations to its foundation.
ACH is one of the nation's oldest pediatric hospitals, founded in 1926. Last year, the 10-story, 259-bed hospital and adjacent outpatient care center replaced an existing 42-year-old facility.
Orion's Williams charged
Prosecutors on March 31 unveiled a federal grand jury's indictment of Jerry Williams, 51, the former chairman, CEO and president of Orion Bank, charging him with bank fraud and deceiving state and federal bank examiners.
Before regulators shut it down in late fall 2009, Naples-based Orion was the second-largest bank headquartered on the Gulf Coast.
The grand jury indicted Williams on 13 counts, including allegations of bank fraud, misapplication of bank funds, making false bank entries, making false statements and wire and mail fraud. The indictment alleges that Williams orchestrated a complex scheme in 2009 to fraudulently raise capital and falsify bank records to mislead regulators as to the true financial condition of the bank.
Lee permits rise
Construction of a psychiatric hospital in Lee County boosted the value of commercial permits in the county to nearly $40 million in March, close to levels last seen in 2007.
According to the Lee County Community Development Department, the permit for Park Royal Hospital totaled $21.8 million.
Besides the hospital, other boosts to commercial permitting included an $8 million ditch being built by the Florida Government Utility Authority in Fort Myers and additional permits for the new Boston Red Sox spring training stadium.
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