Channelside condos emergeAfter filing for protection from creditors in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Tampa, The Towers of Channelside, a pair of 29-story luxury condominiums in downtown Tampa, have structured a new loan that will bring the project out of court and more quickly back in business.Possible transit taxA regional transportation authority is studying the possible success of a half-penny sales tax increase in the seven Gulf Coast counties that would benefit from a new mass transit system.Lawsuit threat lingersMosaic Fertilizer, a Mulberry-based phosphate mining and fertilizer company, has notified Manatee County commissioners that it intends to file a $600 million lawsuit against the county for denying its mining proposal in a northeast section of the county. Expansion project curtailedA $500 million redevelopment proposal for a beach club and resort on Longboat Key has been cut by $100 million.Building permits limpingLee County issued building permits for 32 single-family homes in September, which tied the record monthly low set in December. Fewer visitors in AugustStorms, both man-made and natural, resulted in a 16% decline in visitors to Lee County in August, according to estimates by consulting firm Davidson Peterson Associates for the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau.Counties hire marketerThe regional economic development organizations of Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee and Sarasota counties
