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More News

    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • August 31, 2007
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Miami family buys Seville ApartmentsInvestment group plans Gridley Medical BuildingDeveloper begins work on Lehigh mixed-use projectTennessee hoteliers overhauling Sleep InnDiablo Performance moving to Rosemary DistrictCity of Sarasota mulls over downtown parking garageLaramar Group buys Clearwater's Bay ParkMiami Beach apartment owners acquire Sun Pointe PlacePebb Enterprises buys Citrus Park outparcel

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • August 31, 2007
Coffee Talk

Donut entrepreneur focuses on Far East: Sarasota entrepreneur Marvin Kaplan is selling a majority of his stake in 18 Gulf Coast Dunkin' Donuts shops, just as he gets closer to his long-stated goal of opening a series of stores for the franchise in China.Downturn claims advertising victim: AdvertisingWorks, a 12-year-old advertising firm in Naples that recently won several awards at the Collier Building Industry Association's annual Sand Dollar Awards, is closing its doors.Downturn claims advertising victim: AdvertisingWorks, a 12-year-old advertising firm in Naples that recently won several awards at the Collier Building Industry Association's annual Sand Dollar Awards, is closing its doors.Tampa International needs more international flights: CEOs that travel appreciate Tampa International Airport after sprinting through endless terminals and riding trams, escalators and moving sidewalks for what seems like miles at other airports.Nationwide pullout opens opportunity: You can appreciate cost cutting if you run a business. But it's a tad different when the cost cutting may affect you.Bank of America surge: made in Tampa: Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis made some headlines earlier this year when he urged his top managers to "Go for the jugular" in taking more market share.WCI's winners: Bankers and lawyers: Shareholders and bondholders of Bonita Springs-based WCI Communities are licking their wounds as the value of their holdings h

  • News
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • August 24, 2007
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Columbia Sussex buys Sanibel Harbour ResortMcGarvey Development plans Cape Coral flex parkNew retail center planned for Naples BoulevardAdams Brothers Cabinetry plans future expansionBenderson acquires Jacaranda PlazaGE Capital Franchise acquires land for PerkinsFlorida Cancer Specialists opening Lakewood officeWoolbright buys Carrollwood's The CascadesProvidence Management buys, repositions PortofinoInvestment group acquires Armenia Center

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • August 24, 2007
Coffee Talk

The Barby just got hotter: It's still king of the hill in number of locations, but it got a little hotter in the kitchen, or near the barby this month for Tampa-based OSI Restaurant Partners, parent company of Outback Steakhouse.Sunshine state employees are smiling: Given the plethora of negative economic news lurking around Florida and beyond, Coffee Talk was mildly, and pleasantly, surprised to see the results of a statewide survey on employment confidence.Hurricane season: high-risk shell game: As Gulf Coast residents watched Hurricane Dean with trepidation, one insurance expert says public opinion is beginning to shift in the industry's favor as the benefits from a state-run insurer are not being delivered as advertised.Commercial real estate broker goes cross-country: Sarasota-based commercial real estate broker Andrew Greenwell knew the market was slowing. But he had no idea his best opportunity would take him 2,500 miles away, to downtown Seattle.Marco bank sees jump in problem loans: Marco Community Bancorp, the Marco Island bank that's being acquired by an investment group led by the prominent Barron Collier and Lutgert families, recently reported a jump in non-accrual loans, according to securities filings.SeaFair takes art to the high seas:SeaFair, the traveling art gallery on a ship, will be making its inaugural sailing from Greenwich, Conn., next month.

  • News
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • August 17, 2007
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

McGarvey Development plans large office parkHotel joint venture buys Naples Courtyard4-M Properties, Fireservice plans industrial buildings, HQPennsylvania fund buys Tuscany ApartmentsCritical Path Development planning Toledo Blade CenterKoll Development nears Tampa Intellicenter startLargo's Patel family buys New Port Richey hotelSkin treatment centerexpands, starts classes

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • August 17, 2007
Coffee Talk

Sarasota company hopes to shine in India: Sarasota-based cartridge valve manufacturer Sun Hydraulics has a good grip on at least six global markets, from Korea to Germany.Lee County: Anotherday, another tax: Not a week goes by in Lee County that county government doesn't dream up another tax on builders.Cold storage creates trifecta for Sarasota warehouse: The latest tenant for the Meridian Distribution Center, a 950,000-square-foot warehouse facility on Clark Road in south Sarasota, is especially apropos, given the sweltering Gulf Coast summerAnother public company going private: First, there was Outback Steakhouse. Now, St. Petersburg-based Catalina Marketing is headed to the private companies club.Nightline dumbs down Ave Maria: Ave Maria, the new town being built in eastern Collier County around the newest Catholic university, has been getting lots of national publicity lately opening to new residents, students and faculty.Good guys sometimes lose: Ethical companies don't always win, even when their employees do the right thing.Call the sign shop, again: MacDill Federal Credit Union, an institution of sorts in the Tampa area financial services industry, is changing its name to Grow Financial Federal Credit Union.Kottkamp bashes Hometown Democracy: Gov. Charlie Crist has been notably absent from the raging debate over the Hometown Democracy movement that seeks to put every major land-use change in Florida on the ba

  • News
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • August 10, 2007
Coffee Talk

WCI's embarrassing cash trickle: February seems such a long time ago.Here come the '80s, S&L-like?: The softening of the housing market is well known. Get ready for what may come next: Banks foreclosing on land in Florida meant for residential.Looking for overseas business opportunities: Entrepreneurs and small business owners seeking a way to make business and networking contacts in seven international cities can contact Carla Rayman, the new president of the Sarasota Sister Cities Association.Mr. DeBartolo goes to Lakeland: Could this be a sign of a new surge of development in Polk County?Lawyers descend on Health Management Associates: As if on cue following a stock-price decline, legal buzzards are now circling around the Naples-based hospital chain Health Management Associates.It's not D.C., but it's not bad: Westshore's newest office project, the 580,000-square-foot multi-level West View Corporate Center, will feature a reflecting pool fronted by a long rectangular green open space called The Common.

  • News
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • August 10, 2007
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Montecito Medical Investment acquires Summit Medical CenterMilestone Group acquires Lutz's Willow LakeSt. Petersburg investor buys Raymond James Office ParkMissouri developer plans Alico Road retail centerEd Bonkowski group acquires three duplex propertiesMD Developers buildFort Myers officeJoint venture takes control of two Holiday InnsFort Myers investorimproves Self StoragePublix Super Markets buys University Walk retail center

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • August 3, 2007
Coffee Talk

West Tampa feels the urban awakening: First there was Hyde Park in south Tampa. Then Seminole Heights. Then northern Ybor City. Then Tampa Heights north of downtown. Then Channelside.Bulldozers coming to Westshore: For those who don't know: Westshore is the largest business district on the Gulf Coast with more than 11 million square feet of offices. Some put it past Miami.Homebuilders strive to melt the housing slump: Homebuilders have resorted to all kinds of gimmicks - that is, incentives - when it comes to pushing product in the current slumping real estate market. Boat company sails through good times and bad: Clearwater-based boat retailer MarineMax's hot 2006 has so far only led to a cold 2007.What's in a name?: If you're wondering whether Raymond James & Associates Inc. made a wise investment in sponsoring Raymond James Stadium, the answer is yes, says one family member.Loan-seeking entrepreneurs experience express success: Budding small business owners and entrepreneurs know the drill when it comes to getting loans for a new business venture: Swallow hard, close your eyes and brace for the dreaded "no."And now, Governor blah, blah, blah

  • News
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • August 3, 2007
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Whitaker Yacht Club near start, adds MarriottBonita Bay Group buys back Punta Gorda landNaples developers renaming, developing Tranquility IslandEdens & Avant buys Coral Shores centerLiberty Investment plans extended-stay Fort Myers hotelCitrus World buys 80-acre groveRealty Equity buys two office buildingsDuke Realty buys land for Big Bend center Camden Property Trust acquires Pointe at Kings AvenueFuel and Shubh buy Westshore Hotel

  • Manatee-Sarasota
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • July 27, 2007
Coffee Talk

Raymond James quarterly a surprise: If you're hearing cheers inside St. Petersburg brokerage Raymond James Financial Inc. it's because fiscal third-quarter profit rose 20%, helped by a big increase in revenue at its banking unit.WCI Communities stock loses altitude: WCI Communities, the Bonita Springs-based homebuilder that's for sale, saw its stock drop 22% in the five trading days ending July 24 to nearly $12 per share.Creative Loafing not on the fringe anymore: Move over, sexed-up personals ads. Creative Loafing, Tampa's hip, urban alternative weekly, is becoming corporate, in its own way.Lee County considers raising taxes...again: When revenues are down, at least one county has a solution: Raise taxes, and then raise taxes some more.What housing slump? Not in Tampa: The online edition of Forbes magazine says the Tampa Bay area is the No. 1 area in the country to buy a house.Perlman opens NYC home for charity: Music lovers take note: World-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman is opening up his New York City home for an intimate concert Oct. 30, with the proceeds going to support the Sarasota-based Van Wezel Foundation and the musician's popular winter residency program.Sembler Co. plans ambitious project: Sembler Co., the St. Petersburg retail developer known for BayWalk in St. Petersburg and Centro Ybor in Ybor City, is planning its biggest development to date. But it's not in Florida.Southwest singles out Fort Myers: Sou

  • News
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • July 27, 2007
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Publix Supermarkets buys Lehigh's CrossroadsPartnership starts infrastructure for 90-acre Meridian CenterFGCU foundation buys marine research facilityColonial Bank plans Nokomis branch21st Century Oncology opening Lakewood Ranch officeWillis A. Smith Construction awarded SCTI expansionArea Dunkin' Donuts buildings up for saleGoldenTree, Cypress Creek buy 501 KennedyBaycare Health System buys land for hospitalCalif.'s Pacificia Cos.acquires Sun City residence

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • July 20, 2007
Coffee Talk

Can Big Sugar save the planet?: Florida Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, fresh from the environmental lovefest in Miami featuring California's "Governator," predicted Florida's sugarcane farmers would be able to produce ethanol more cheaply than Midwestern corn growers.Sun continues to rise in Sarasota: Sarasota and Bradenton are not known for their public company stars, not at least when compared to say Fort Myers, with Chico's or Clearwater, home to Tech Data.Florida company exits mortgage business: The continuing storm in the national mortgage industry brushed up against Sarasota late last month when a Vero Beach firm with a niche in federal government mortgages, such as those produced by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, exited the industry.Pasco growing in other ways: A month ago, we reported on the boom in retail development in south central Pasco County. But there's more than a retail boom.Southeast partner takes USF post: Irv Cohen, a partner with Southeast Capital Partners, is the latest high-profile business adviser to be named an Executive-in-Residence at the University of South Florida's College of Business in Tampa.Miva founder now selling shutters: What happened to Craig Pisaris-Henderson?

  • News
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • July 13, 2007
Coffee Talk

Sour grapes drench Southwest Florida: If Meritage were a wine varietal, the taste would be pretty sour.Politician makes both sides happy: Keith Fitzgerald has only been a state legislator for one session, but the Democrat who doubles as a political science professor at Sarasota-based New College is making friends in some surprising places.Chico's Chairman to the rescue: Michael Weiss, the chairman of Chico's FAS, is coming to the rescue.Jabil Circuit stock rises on rumors: On Tuesday, July 10, shares of Jabil Circuit surged 5.3%, or $1.17, to $23.39, amid speculation that a private-equity firm was interested in the company.Homebuilder parties like it's 2003: Lakewood Ranch-based homebuilder Pat Neal is one of several Gulf Coast executives who have been saying for a few months that the cyclical real estate market is showing signs of beginning to make a positive turn in the cycle.Fighting the hometown scam: Florida Chamber of Commerce executives are fanning across the state to push a new Web site to fight the Hometown Democracy movement, www.thehometownscam.com.Entrepreneur finally gives up on convention center: Oscar Parsons, the crotchety 85-year-old entrepreneur who has spent the past five years trying to make a go out of a privately owned convention center - think using a garden hose to extinguish a raging warehouse fire - is finally admitting defeat.

  • News
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • July 6, 2007
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

North Port hospital planned at North Sumter, I-75First Florida Bank building Charlotte branchSaunders acquires Strom & StromGemesis Corp. weighs expansion alternativesAM Engineering moves to trade centerWelsh buys land for retail projecTBoynton Beach firmbuys Westgate buildingSanibel physician buys Sunset buildingSalamander acquires Westin InnisbrookHIT Promotional expands to 118th AvenueLargo investor buys Ashley Oaks

  • Manatee-Sarasota
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