Condor Airlines is considering a stop connecting Frankfurt to the West Coast of Florida, and the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport is on the short list. If Sarasota is chosen, the flights would begin as early as March 2011. A decision is expected to be announced by the end of April.Read the complete story.
A recent study by audit, tax and advisory firm KPMG LLP revealed that Tampa was the least-expensive city for business operations among a list of 22 U.S locations with populations exceeding 2 million each. The study ranks Tampa ahead of Atlanta, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles.Read the complete story.
National Public Radio reports on President Obama's decision to allow offshore drilling along the Atlantic coast and northern Alaska, if scientists conclude the areas are suitable for extraction. The plan could expand to include drilling in the Gulf of Mexico by 2022 pending the expiration of a long-held ban.Read the complete story.
Tampa's eclectic vintage clothing stores are highlighted in a recent travel feature in The New York Times. The article mentions Seminole Heights businesses along with shops in Hyde Park, SOHO and Ybor City.Read the complete story.
A new housing development in Tampa offers a little more diversity than your typical suburb. And no, it's not about blending cultures or ethnicities. It's about inclusive, intergenerational living. Ravinia Luxury Courtyard Villas in Carrollwood is building a gated community of homes that cater to the needs of family members -- regardless of age or ambulatory ability. Floor plans offer wider doors, entryways and hallways; and provide curbless showers, single-lever faucet controls and reinforced walls to bear the extra weight of grab bars and handles. "These are designs that are receptive and accessible to everyone," says Ellen Zusman, a representative affiliated with the development. "Whether you are a young family living with strollers or one with older members who can't climb steps, our designs make life a little easier. We actually have intergenerational families buying more than one house so they can be in the same community. "When you buy a home," Zuffman continues, "you don't think about how an older family member will get up the steps to the front porch or how a stroller will fit through a doorway. We have young couples looking at our property and floor plans who are searching for their first home. Some day they may need accommodations that require they retrofit whatever home they're living in by then. If they buy here, this may be the only home they'll ever need." Ravinia has been under contract for three years. But financing suffered during the recession. "Our private financers were persistent," says Zuffman. "We just broke ground on the models. And our first home will be finished by August 1, 2010." Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: Ellen Zusman, Ravinia Luxury Courtyard Villas
When community and business leaders discuss what the proposed high-speed rail system will mean for the communities along the Interstate 4 corridor, Polk County is eager to participate. The railway system will stop somewhere in Lakeland. The question is, where?According to Nazih Haddad, COO of Florida Rail, the location decision is based upon a number of factors. "Ridership is a factor," explains Haddad. "We want the biggest bang for the buck. We are doing some analysis on ridership as we speak. The Polk Transportation Planning Organization's number one choice is USF Polytechnic, and their second choice is Kathleen Boulevard. But who we contract for the project will also affect our decision about where we place Lakeland's stop." "No matter where it goes, it's going to be a tremendous opportunity for Polk County," says Jennifer Stults, TPO director. "You sort of target your growth in a concentrated area of mixed-use space. In those mixed-use spaces you can have living areas, commercial and retail all in one compact location. A lot of variety would make that station a producer and an attractor. With mixed-use you can attract people from other places as well as have people leaving their homes to go to work." Wherever the stop ultimately goes, Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields is ecstatic about the possibilities the high-speed rail system will have on his community. "The impact to Lakeland across the economic, commercial, cultural and transportation fronts will be enormous. We have only uncovered the tip of the iceberg in our comprehension and understanding about what this can do for our community and the entire region." Writer: Missy KavanaughSources: Nazih Haddad, Florida Rail Office; Jennifer Stults, Polk Transportation Planning Organization; Gow Fields, City of Lakeland
If recent statistics are correct, Pasco County is becoming a haven for the entrepreneurial spirit. According to data released by YourEconomy.org, businesses employing fewer than 100 employees increased nearly 36 percent throughout Pasco County, and contributed to a 31 percent increase in employment between 2005 and 2007. Given that a recent report by the Small Business Administration indicates that small businesses and entrepreneurs will play important roles in the nation's economic recovery, this may be good news for the expanding communities of Pasco County. Pasco's leading employers are in the retail and health industries. As in communities throughout the U.S., too many people living in Pasco found themselves out of work as the economy began to slide downward. John Hagen, president and CEO of the Pasco Economic Development Council, attributes the spark in small business to displaced workers starting businesses to replace previous employment as hourly workers for bigger companies. "We have a strong network of hospitals and other health care providers," says Hagen. "But we have an interesting niche in environmental firms that has spun out of the construction business. We think we could play a key role in clean water, environmental remediation and clean energy." While it's impossible to predict what will transpire in the next five years, Hagen says he feels optimistic. "We feel a strong upward momentum developing. The public and private sectors are really joining together in an unprecedented way here in Pasco. It is a very positive economic environment at the moment, despite the negative national and international business environment."Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: John Hagen, Pasco Economic Development Council
When the expected cargo blitz surges through the expanded Panama Canal in 2014, the Port of Tampa plans to be ready. The Tampa Port Authority has finished its latest phase of a long-term expansion that will eventually accommodate more than 1 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units, a measure used for capacity in container transportation) per year. "We are very pleased to work with our partners Ports America, the Executive Shippers Council and our container carriers to ensure Tampa is well-positioned to serve the anticipated growth in Central Florida's overseas trade," says Richard Wainio, Tampa's port director and CEO, in a news release. "We will continue to move forward with a business-like approach towards investment in Tampa's container facilities". The latest phase increases paved storage space from 25 to 40 acres and adds another 2,100 feet of berth length. The terminal also added four cranes along its 43-foot-deep water channel to accommodate more container traffic through the port. More than 150 key exporting firms in the region should benefit from the Port's additional container space, because it may save them time and money traveling to more distant ports. In addition, the Florida Department of Transportation is building a ramp and connector leading from the port to ultimately connect with both Interstate 4 and Interstate 75 for faster access to commercial hubs in Orlando and Atlanta. The Interstate 4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando is the 10th-largest economy in the country, with a gross domestic product (GDP) of more than $272 billion. "The roadway will link Interstate 4 with the Selmon Expressway just west of 31st Street in Tampa," says John McShaffrey, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Transportation. "It will be east of downtown on the east side of the port and will link the Selmon with I-4 to significantly improve the movement of people and goods." McShaffrey says the new roadway will have exclusive truck lanes to keep Ybor City traffic congestion to a minimum. Writer: Missy KavanaughSources: Richard Wainio, Port of Tampa; John McShaffrey, Florida Department of Transportation
The University of South Florida College of Nursing is gaining ground in the competitive arena of medical research. Three major projects funded by the National Institutes of Health moved the college from 66 to 30 in the latest NIH funding rankings, which positions USF as an attractive institution for accomplished faculty and research-oriented students looking for a university to call home. "The ranking is a credit to the skill, persistence, creativity and experience of our faculty," says Kevin Kip, PhD, executive director of the Research Center at the USF College of Nursing. "The fact that we've managed to substantially expand our research portfolio in such a competitive environment at a time when the NIH is funding fewer and fewer grant applications is quite an accomplishment." The NIH funded three research projects last year that totaled $1.5 million, nearly triple the funding the college has enjoyed over the last four years. Funding in 2009 was $2.8 million compared to $1.3 million in 2007. The projects included palliative and end-of-life care, stress reduction in breast cancer survivors and postpartum stress and immunity. "NIH funding is the Cadillac of funding and it's a very competitive process," says Kip. "Our five-year plan is to be in the top five. We have several applications that are being reviewed right now." Kip says the nursing college is pursuing a federally funded institutional training grant given only to strong post doctoral research programs. "The federal grant we're going after now is a called a T32 grant. If you can show that you have a strong research program you can build on that. You can only get the kind of funding we're going after when you have a certain volume of research going on." Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: Kevin Kip, USF College of Nursing
As the health care industry continues to lead the nation's economic rebound, Humana Cares is adding 140 jobs at its St. Petersburg facility. The jobs will be added between now and July, according to Mitch Lubitz of Humana's corporate communications office. Positions to be staffed include health care managers, community health educators, field care managers and health coaches. The increase will bring the number of employees working at Humana Cares' national operations and service center in Carillon Business Park office, which opened in February 2009, to about 500."Humana Cares is quickly becoming one of the fastest-growing health care employers in the Tampa Bay area, doubling its St. Petersburg workforce in the past year," he says.Humana Cares provides telephonic health care management and support to chronically ill Humana members nationwide and in-person services to members in 24 states. Its health professionals work with patients suffering from medical conditions such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, cancer and Alzheimer's. Services provided include health care education and support, medication education, physician care coordination and end of life planning as well as depression screening.Lubitz says Humana Cares uses a holistic approach requiring health care professionals who deliver services to possess "seasoned communication skills, including verbal, interpersonal, written and negotiation. " Nursing experience and the ability to collaborate and coordinate patient care with multiple health care disciplines are also important attributes the company will be looking for in applicants. Visit Humana's employment web page to find out more information. Writer: Brad StagerSource: Mitch Lubitz, Humana Cares
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