Northbound: It appears Equity One Inc., a North Miami Beach shopping center owner, sees much more potential for revenue growth in the northern part of the Tampa Bay area.Urge to merge?: A sudden spike early this month in options trading of AmSouth Bancorp has stock analysts thinking merger.The potential partner most talked about is another Alabama bank, Regions Financial Corp.Windfall for lawyers, consultants: Six professional firms would reap $728,000 in fees from the state's proposed purchase of 74,000 acres of Babcock Ranch, an environmentally delicate property bordering Charlotte and Lee counties.Tech upgrade at city hall: Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio is taking time out of her schedule to sit down with local tech entrepreneurs to talk about fostering innovation.Planting seeds: Hospitality industry professionals such as Casey Gonzmart, chairman of Tampa's Columbia Restaurant Inc., know the value of having a good working relationship with area colleges.Pelican brief: An Iowa company is coming to the rescue of southwest Florida's troubled Pelican National Bank, which is operating under regulatory supervision.
