Pinellas home constructionTo promote more single-family home construction, Pinellas County has been buying commercial properties and rezoning them to attract builders.SRI breaks groundSRI International recently broke ground on its new maritime research and development facility at the Port of St. Petersburg's Bayboro Harbor Marine Science district. AMD opensAdvanced Medical Disposal Inc. recently opened operations in Largo serving healthcare, chemical and pharmaceutical companies throughout the Tampa Bay region.Next up: BaltimoreA week after officially losing the Boston Red Sox spring training sweepstakes, some Sarasota County officials and tourism executives are switching focus to a rival of the Red Sox: the Baltimore Orioles.PL plans rate cutFlorida Power & Light filed proposals with the Florida Public Service Commission that would lower the typical residential customer bill in 2009 by 1.4%.Direct Air's new serviceDirect Air, a low-cost carrier based in Myrtle Beach, S.C., plans to start nonstop service from Charlotte County Airport in Punta Gorda to Worcester, Mass.; Kalamazoo, Mich.; Toledo, Ohio; Allentown, Penn.; Niagara Falls, N.Y., Plattsburgh, N.Y., and Myrtle Beach on Nov. 22.Pepper Ranch conservedCollier County plans to buy Pepper Ranch in eastern Collier County for $33.3 million. The land measures 2,512 acres.Proscenium moves alongThe Proscenium, a supersized mixed-use project for an underdev
