New Romark drug: Romark Laboratories, a Tampa-based biotechnology company, hopes to prove that a drug used to treat gastrointestinal illnesses in children and adults is effective against hepatitis C, the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States.USF Confucius Institute: The University of South Florida won a competitive bid to launch one of the newest Confucius Institutes, cultural centers that China has spread to universities globally.Work Tools expands: Work Tools International, one of the world's largest manufacturers of specialty and decorative paint applicators, is utilizing a $3.2 million Industrial Revenue Bond to finance an expansion in Pinellas Park.High-end jet service: Corporate Eagle, which sells high-end jet time to companies, will set up shop at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport later this year.Vibhakar pleads guilty: The founder and one-time president of a Palmetto-based aerospace parts manufacturing firm admitted in federal court that he sold the U.S. military old and insufficient helicopter engine parts.Permits down to 35: Builders in unincorporated Lee County, Bonita Springs and Fort Myers Beach pulled 35 single-family building permits in December, the lowest since the 45 pulled in November 1981.WCI gets lender extension: Lenders to Bonita Springs-based homebuilder WCI Communities gave the company another nine days to renegotiate loans so it can avoid insolvency. The new deadline is J
