Florida's job machine noticed: The Milken Institute, the California-based think tank founded by former junk-bond king Michael Milken, says the area stretching from Fort Myers to Naples is a jobs-creating machine.If only we'd invested in Chico's: Fort Myers-based women's retailer Chico's FAS has made a fortune for investors over the last 10 years.First National deal is pricey: The proposed $120 million sale of Bradenton-based First National Bancshares Inc. was one of the four highest-priced bank deals in the country last year.C&I space is scarce: Commercial and industrial property is getting tight in the Tampa Bay area, says Chris Sass, a real estate broker with Cushman & Wakefield Inc.Peach's new franchise face: When Michael Luciano, who has owned and operated Peach's restaurants for 21 years, said he was going to venture into franchising Feb. 27, Coffee Talk knew this change had to come from somewhere.One hand on your wallet: Like the sun coming up in the morning, it's only natural to read that the government is taking a bigger tax share.
