The New York Times reports Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's plans to commit to the $536 million purchase of 73,000 acres of land from U.S. Sugar. District officials are currently negotiating the probability of the purchase and its long term effect on the Everglades.Read the complete story.
The $1.25 billion high-speed rail project from Tampa to Orlando was recently examined by The New York Times. The article is critical of the stimulus-funded project's key components and also discusses alternative routes that would benefit from a high-speed rail.Read the complete story.
In the March issue of Delta Sky Magazine Tampa Theatre is listed as the number six iconic show place in the world. The list puts the 83-year-old Tampa venue ahead of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, among others.Open the issue to page 22 to read the complete list.
Austin's annual South by Southwest music festival played host to several Tampa musicians and featured an official showcase for Tampa-based record label New Granada.Read the complete story.
Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center in Haines City is growing at an accelerated pace to keep up with community needs, says CEO Jay Finnegan. "We have experienced double-digit percentage growth in ER visits this past year, particularly in the area of cardiac catheterization," Finnegan explains. To meet this demand, the hospital's cardiac catheterization lab is undergoing a $2 million construction that will be completed in July 2010. In addition, the hospital renovated ER space not directly used for patient care into areas that would allow for more treatment. An urgent care facility on Cypress Gardens Boulevard opened in August 2009 to accommodate non life-threatening emergencies. "We added 40 beds to our fourth-floor surgical unit and 2009 was the first full year of use," says Finnegan. "But despite that addition, we're still at full capacity." Finnegan says Heart of Florida plans to build out a fifth floor to add an additional 40 beds, and plans are underway to begin construction on another five-story tower to accommodate more patients. In addition, the hospital recently acquired digital mammography equipment for its imaging center, thereby enhancing its diagnostic services. Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center has grown from a small community hospital to being the primary health care source for Haines City, Winter Haven and surrounding communities. The urgent care facility is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Writer: Missy Kavanaugh Source: Jay Finnegan, Heart of Florida Regional Hospital
Construction will begin in April on a Lakeland playground to be devoted solely to young families with toddlers ages 3 to 5. The Sunflower Preschool Playground is to be completed in time for its grand opening on Dec. 4, 2010. "We are very eager to start this play opportunity," says Bill Tinsley, director of Lakeland Parks and Recreation. "We have already started some preliminary design of the park and we know it is going to feature unique playground equipment that is currently not available in our community. Young families are going to be thrilled when this park is completed." The Sunflower Preschool Playground is to be built in the Mirror Lake district at Barnett Family Park, named for Carol and Barney Barnett of Lakeland. Mrs. Barnett is the daughter of George Jenkins, founder of Publix Supermarkets. It is hoped that the toddler playground will augment the success of the Common Ground Playground, another Lakeland city park. "Common Ground is just so successful and crowded, you can barely find a place to park," explains Weezie Vreeland, who is spearheading fundraising for the project." And once the older children come, it's hard for toddlers to keep up. We just thought it would be nice to give the little ones their own space." According to Vreeland, the planned equipment is designed specifically for toddlers to provide a sense of comfort and spatial stability, especially for children with disabilities such as autism. In addition, the plans provide for plenty of shade and room for strollers, as well as an 18-foot square sandbox and other amenities to suit young families. The project funds grew from a memorial fund for Vreeland's grandson, John Kyle, who died in 2008. Additional funds have been raised by the Lakeland Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, as well as private donors.Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: Weezie Vreeland, Sunflower Preschool Playground
The Pinellas County office of Brown & Brown Insurance has moved into a LEED-certified building at 83 Park Place in Clearwater. The insurance company was previously located at 17757 US Highway 19 N. "We liked the fact that it was a green building and it provides convenient commuting for our employees between Clearwater and Tampa," says Dana Ludwig, vice president of the Pinellas location. The Class A, LEED-Gold-registered commercial space is designed to collect rainwater from its drainage system, which can then be used to irrigate the building's landscaping. In addition, the building's solar-banned windows are triple paned and wind rated for 130 mile-per-hour winds. "In our business we keep a lot of records," Ludwig explains. "This building is much safer in an area prone to hurricanes and high-storm winds. When our team went through the selection process, we believed if we could get a green building it would make a positive statement about our company."LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark that measures sustainability in design, construction and operation as well as water efficiency, materials, resources and indoor quality. The building's official certification is pending completion of additional construction. Brown & Brown Insurance is ranked by Business Insurance magazine as the sixth-largest independent insurance intermediaries in the world, with locations throughout the United States and England. The 70-year-old company enjoys favorable rankings from Standard & Poor's, as well as from Forbes and Fortune magazines. "We're encouraged by the demand for green office space," says Paul Engelhardt, vice president of Hallmark Development, the company leasing the building. "Having well-respected companies like Brown & Brown embrace the principles of green building is further proof that the earth-friendly building is here to stay."Writer: Missy Kavanaugh Source: Dana Ludwig, Brown & Brown Insurance
A Bradenton wireless communications tower company recently received $15 million from a private investment fund to expand business throughout several states, including Florida. Tarpon Towers, wireless communications infrastructure company specializing in the acquisition and development of wireless communication towers, received the funds from Spire Capital Partners, a leading private investment fund specializing in communications technology, on March 15, 2010. A managing member of Spire Capital will join Tarpon's board of directors as part of the transaction. "We are excited to have Spire Capital join the Tarpon family as we feel Spire's extensive experience in the tower sector and strong industry relationships will be invaluable to Tarpon as we continue to build our business and create shareholder value," says Ronald Bizick, Tarpon co-founder and CEO. The need for more towers and the capital required to fund them arose from increased use of wireless technology such as smart phones and other devices that rely heavily on cellular transmission. "Growth in our business is dependent on access to capital and we are seeing numerous opportunities to put capital to work at attractive returns," adds William Freeman, Tarpon's co-founder and president. The investment will make possible more than 100 towers in 14 or 15 states, which will positively impact service through such carriers as Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. Tarpon currently owns 85 towers throughout Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, Michigan, Connecticut, New York and California. Tarpon Towers is based in Bradenton and has operated under its current management team since 2008. The company was able to add five new positions last year due to a previous investment of $50 million. Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: William Freeman, Tarpon Towers
The Lakeland Civic Center hosted a group of businessmen, community leaders and visionaries on March 24, 2010, who gathered to discuss the high-speed rail proposed between Tampa and Orlando. It marked the first meeting of its kind since President Obama announced that Florida would receive $1.25 billion toward railway construction. Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer listened as representatives from the Tampa Bay Partnership, Central Florida Partnership, Florida Rail Enterprise and other entities with a stake in the proposed rail system presented their findings and plans related to the proposed route, which would run from Tampa's Ybor City and the Orlando International Airport. "We start today to create a vision, a template for connectivity," says Ed Turanchik, founder of ConnectUs, a grassroots organization. "High-speed rail builds a bigger community from smaller ones." Representatives from Florida Rail Enterprise presented an overview of the high-speed rail plan, which provides for stops at USF Polytechnic in Lakeland and Kathleen Avenue locations, Walt Disney Resort and the Orange County Convention Center. Dyer of Orlando and Ronnie Duncan of the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA) spoke about their region's plans for additional rail service to augment transportation from the high-speed system to key locations throughout Orlando and the Tampa Bay area. These reports and others from Orlando's SunRail and Tampa's transit system sound promising, says Shelley Lauten, president of myregion.org and project director of Connecting for Global Competitiveness: Tampa Bay Central Florida Super Region. The Tampa-Orlando rail line is designed to become part of a bigger network that will link Orlando with Miami. Proponents of the plan say construction along the Interstate 4 corridor could begin as early as February or March of 2011, and conclude in 2015. Writer: Missy Kavanaugh Source: Ed Turanchik, ConnectUs
Rollins Fine Art launches in St. Petersburg to provide fine art consultation and representation for artists nationwide. Led by father and son team, Ken and Noah A. Rollins, the firm represents over 150 artists working in various media and styles.Ken has served for 30 years as an art museum director for four museums in the Tampa Bay region including: The Deland Museum of Art, Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, Gulf Coast Museum of Art in Largo, and finally at the Tampa Museum of Art. Noah is a Harvard-trained architect based in Tampa and is a LEED accredited professional with the U.S. Green Building Council."This is the first time we've had an opportunity to collaborate in a professional capacity," says Noah. "My 'day job' is as a designer in an international architecture firm, but it is entirely divorced from the work I do with my dad on Rollins Fine Art, so working with him provides me another creative outlet under a different structure." Noah says both his parents are visual artists. "My father worked in ceramics and my mother in fibers and metals jewelry, and I grew up around the visual and performing arts. My dad is extremely versed and experienced, so I constantly learn more from him." Rollins Fine Art will provide fine art placement support to architects, developers, interior designers, corporations and private art collectors. The duo represents painters, sculptors, digital artists, printmakers, photographers, and fine craft artists specializing in glass, wood, fiber and metal."We are unique in our ability to understand and solve architectural and design issues, integrating fine art and crafts or developing projects, beginning with schematic design through construction," says Ken.Rollins Fine Art is able to handle large-scale installations or collections going into incomplete projects.The most recent project for Rollins Fine Art's is the public art piece displayed at the Element condo tower in downtown Tampa. Collaborating with sculptor, Eric Higgs, the 60-foot-tall sculpture "Conversations" is installed at 12 different places on the Element's exterior. In the evening, 288 LED bulb lights illuminate the artwork, which is meant to serve as a "conversation" piece representing communication between individuals and nations. Ken advises that it also sets a precedence for sustainable lighting in public art.Writer: Nancy VaughnSource: Ken and Noah Rollins, Rollins Fine Art
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