Dade City : In The News

The mobility of Florida's workforce attracts all kinds of investors and the latest trend shows big-name investors from out of state spending billions of dollars on thousands of homes to turn them into rental properties.

The Tampa Bay Times takes a look at the extraordinary number of sales and what it means for access to housing in the Tampa Bay region.

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A program put in place by former Gov. Jeb Bush was designed to save Florida's freshwater springs, but Gov. Rick Scott disbanded the program.

The lack of effort has caused a regression that threatens many of the state's natural springs.

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Construction on the I-4 Crosstown connector, which is designed to alleviate truck traffic from downtown and Ybor City while making it easier for the big rigs to get into and out of town, is progressing despite some weather-related delays.

The $400 million, 12-lane elevated highway project should be complete in fall 2013.

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A revolution is underway in the Florida agriculture industry (once dominated by citrus) as small, local farms in Hillsborough and Manatee counties lead the way by providing organic crops, veggies, berries and ornamental plants to restaurants and grocery stores locally and globally.

An example: Watercress Farms in Myakka City in south Hillsborough County grows 60 percent of the watercress served in the United Kingdom and supplies the leafy greens to local eateries.

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The University of South Florida, Southeastern University and Saint Leo University were recently included in a list schools that excel in online education.

Online programs were ranked in the following categories: Admissions Selectivity, Faculty Credentials and Training, Student Engagement and Accreditation/Assessment and Student Services and Technology.

USF's online graduate education program placed on U.S. News & World Report's Honor Roll with rankings of #23 in Faculty Credentials and Training, #33 in Student Engagement and Accreditation and #10 in Student Services and Technology. The school's graduate engineering program ranked #4, #40 and #17, respectively.

Southeastern University's graduate business program ranked #111 in Student Engagement and Accreditation and #147 in Student Services and Technology. The graduate education program ranked #111 and #135, respectively, as well as #23 in Faculty Credentials and Training.

Southeastern's rankings for online bachelor's degree programs rank #123 in Student Engagement and Assessment and #146 in Student Services and Technology.

Saint Leo's online bachelor's programs ranked #11 in Faculty Credentials and Training, #29 in Student Engagement and Assessment and #112 in Student Services and Technology.

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Saint Leo University's new $12 million Donald R. Tapia School of Business was recently cited as an example of how to build a 21st century classroom.

Campus Technology cited the facilities design process, which integrated faculty input into the overall design of the 60-seat executive lecture hall, six classrooms, three seminar rooms and two computer labs.

One specific student-friendly feature highlighted was power cords at every desk with the ability to charge multiple laptops and other devices.

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Restaurant Editor Chris Sherman selects a handful of Florida eateries for the "Golden Spoon Awards'' every year. Categories include Best New Restaurant, Best Brand, Golden Spoon Award and the Golden Spoon Hall of Fame.

This year five Tampa Bay area restaurants made Florida Trend's Best New Restaurant list including Dade City's Pearl in the Grove, Sarasota's Pomona and Owen's Fish Camp, and Tampa's Bianchi's Enoteca and Carmel Cafe.

Tampa-based chains Ceviche, Roy's and Fleming's were all recognized in Best Brand.

Golden Spoon Awards were given to eight Tampa Bay establishments including Clearwater's Cafe Ponte and St. Petersburg's Parkshore Grill.

Florida Trend recognized seven Tampa Bay restaurants in its Hall of Fame category, including Tampa's Mise en Place and Sarasota's Michael's on East.

Check out the complete list.

An initiative to promote cultural programs in Florida was recently launched at the Straz Center in downtown Tampa.

Secretary of State Kurt Browning says the initiative, dubbed Culture Builds Florida, "will aim to promote the ways art and culture create jobs, stimulate the economy and contribute to Florida's tourism," according to The Tampa Tribune.

Arts sustain 88,000 jobs statewide and bring in $3 billion a year, according to Browning.

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Plant City specialty retailer Sister's & Company has presented a $10,000 donation to the United Food Bank of Plant City as part of Brighton's Feed Our Friends fundraiser.

Sister's & Company is one of several retailers across the country who participated.

The retailer, which also operates a Dade City location, sold a limited-edition collection of jewelry that was designed specifically for the fundraiser.

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An Arizona businessman, who secretly earned his bachelor's and master's in business administration from Saint Leo University in Pasco County near Dade City, donated a $4 million gift to the university to assist in the building of the new 50,000-square-foot School of Business.

Don Tapia, owner of Ecco Wholesale Electric Inc., in Phoenix, has served on the university's board of trustees for years and donated funds in the past for a new student union and $100,000 for a scholarship.

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The Maddux Business Report writes that Saint Leo University, a private college situated in northeast Pasco County near Dade City, announces record enrollment with 15,041 students starting classes spring semester.

The total includes a diverse population of students enrolled at Saint Leo's teaching locations at community colleges and on military bases in seven states, as well as students enrolled through the university's Center for Online Learning.

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