There are more than $1 billion in health care construction projects in the pipeline in the Tampa Bay area, according to Nashville-based HealthLeaders-InterStudy. While all those high-end services and equipment might mean better care for patients, it's also expected to spur hospitals to push aggressively for higher reimbursements from insurance companies to cover costs, says Margaret Dick, who authored the HealthLeaders-InterStudy report. And guess what? Health insurance companies are going to push back. Naples-based Health Management Associates was the only Gulf Coast firm to be named to Fortune magazine's annual list of America's most admired companies. The Speaking of Fortune magazine's most admired companies (see related item) Dallas, Texas-based national homebuilder Centex is number one in its industry, scoring top marks in seven categories, including quality of management, quality of product/services and use of corporate assets.On the Gulf Coast, though, specifically in the Sarasota-Manatee market, the company has recently been admired for something even more important to both shareholders and employees: Sales. When Hovnanian Enterprises bought Cape Coral-based First Home Builders of Florida in August 2005, the new-home market in Lee County was sizzling. First Home builds moderately priced homes for first-time homeowners and in 2005 was the county's largest locally owned homebuilder.
