Page 658 – 83 Degrees Media

March 22 Summit To Explore Transit Options In Pinellas

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March 9, 2010

The first annual Pinellas County Transit Summit will take place Monday, March 22, at the Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park. The event begins at 7:30 a.m. with registration and a Continental breakfast and is scheduled to end at 10 a.m. Space is limited, and participants are asked to register by Friday, March 18, at the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce website. After introductory remarks by Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners Chairperson Karen Seel and Steven Raymund, chairman of the board for Tech Data Corp., the program will proceed with a wide-ranging discussion of potential benefits of public transit for Pinellas County. Among the presentations planned is an update on high-speed rail and separate discussions on transportation needs for local colleges and universities, transit's effect on tourism and economic growth and transit-oriented development. The keynote speaker is Donald Keuth, president of the Phoenix Community Alliance. Keuth was instrumental in getting a sales tax passed to help finance the Phoenix Light Rail project, which was projected to carry 22,000 passengers per day but carries an average of 50,000 on a given weekday. After a question and answer session, Seel will discuss plans for the Pinellas County Transportation Task Force. For information, contact Jessica Eilerman or call 727-388-0682. Writer: Carter GaddisSource: Jessica Eilerman, St. Petersburg Chamber

Lakeland Regional Cancer Center Undergoes Expansion, Adds 2 Oncologists

By Carter Gaddis

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Economic Development

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March 9, 2010

A 27,000-square-foot expansion at the Lakeland Regional Cancer Center began this month and is scheduled for completion in 2011. The current 36,700-square-foot facility, which is divided between the main campus at 3525 Lakeland Hills Blvd. and the office on Parkview Road, will grow to 63,755 with the addition of 26 new exam rooms, a special procedure room, a cytology room and endoscopy suite. The expansion also will allow all of the center's operations to occur at the same site. Heery International, the architect of Lakeland Regional Medical Center's new eight-floor patient bed tower, also is handling design of the Cancer Center expansion. Lakeland-based Rodda Construction is the builder. Lakeland Regional Cancer Center opened in 2003. Its current facility includes, among other things, physician offices, 24 exam rooms, a chemotherapy area, two linear accelerators, a radiation therapy simulator, a pharmacy, a laboratory, a resource library, a boutique and "healing" gardens. The current staff of 11 oncologists will increase by two this year, says Cindy Sternlicht of Lakeland Regional Medical Center. A surgical oncologist will join the staff in May, and a urological oncologist will be added in August. More oncologists could be added in the future, Sternlicht says. Writer: Carter GaddisSource: Cindy Sternlicht, Lakeland Regional Medical Center

Green Beings Feed A Hunger In Tampa Bay

By B.C. Manion

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General

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March 9, 2010

Residents of the Tampa Bay region don't have to travel far to find Earth-friendly green businesses that cater to every whim. Shops run by dedicated environmentalists and entrepreneurs remain true to Mother Nature and Father Time by engaging in sales and trades designed to ensure our sustainability.

Party Fever: Blazing A Campaign Trail In Florida

By Chris Kuhn

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General

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March 9, 2010

Young workers in their 20s and 30s provide much of the energy behind Florida's often vigorous political campaigns as candidates crisscross the state reaching out to as many voters as they can touch in the months leading up to the November election. 83 Degrees offers an inside look at two rising stars behind the candidates. Meet Naomi Berlin and Adam Smith.