Business Observer

Entrepreneurs

January 30, 2026

Sarasota jeweler goes viral with videos — including baby squirrel

Jeweler Todd Alan's patient path to success in a competitive market is led by a core principle: building trust with clients.

January 24, 2026

Well-known Florida CRE veteran and raconteur turns novelist

Bill "The Dirt Dog" Eshenbaugh returns to his family roots in a historical novel set during the Civil War.

January 23, 2026

Veteran bankers see opportunity amid surge of industry consolidation

Ambitious executives break a 5-year-long drought of new banks in Tampa Bay with a team-focused startup: Echelon Bank.

January 16, 2026

40 years after first hotel sale, 'Queen of Clearwater Beach' is still making deals

Local commercial real estate broker Gi Gi Gillis keeps selling hotels along the Pinellas County beaches as her firm looks to grow.

Health Care

February 2, 2026

USF College of Nursing receives $2M gift to fund scholarships

The money will help college graduates return to school to receive a second bachelor’s degree in nursing.

February 2, 2026

Sarasota hospital uses strong bond ratings to fund $1B in projects

Thanks to favorable ratings that cut the cost of borrowing, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is funding more than $1 billion in expansion.

January 29, 2026

Women's medical practice moving into new, bigger Cape Coral facility

Premier Women's Care of Southwest Florida will shutter its current Cape Coral office Friday and reopen Tuesday in an office building with more space.

Residential Real Estate

February 2, 2026

$55M Fort Myers affordable housing project secures financing

A Miami-based developer and a nonprofit have partnered to develop Legacy Park II, with funding coming from a variety of public and private sources.

February 2, 2026

Tampa Bay builder seeks to build 41 townhomes near downtown Sarasota

A new proposal for 41 townhomes is breathing new life into a partially built and then demolished multifamily project on Aspinwall Street in Sarasota.

February 1, 2026

Growing Lakeland firm tops $1 billion in 2025 sales

In the week's top commercial real estate news, a Fort Myers gas station sold in portfolio deal, a Clearwater storage facility part of refinance package, and a Sarasota warehouse complex is sold.

Tampa Bay architects predict slower real estate growth in 2026

A survey of Tampa Bay area architects predicts real estate development will continue in 2026 but at a slower pace due to high interest rates and tariffs.

St. Petersburg Gas Plant RFP draws nine proposals

Landmark downtown Sarasota hotel torn down for new project

Clearwater office building sells for nearly $6 million

Growing Lakeland firm tops $1 billion in 2025 sales

Sarasota jeweler goes viral with videos — including baby squirrel

Well-known Florida CRE veteran and raconteur turns novelist

Veteran bankers see opportunity amid surge of industry consolidation

40 years after first hotel sale, 'Queen of Clearwater Beach' is still making deals

Hob Nob to reopen in Sarasota with new owner

National wing chain to make debut in region this summer

Capriotti's Sandwich Shop opens in Sarasota County

Longboat office building, on site of new restaurant concept, to be demolished

Large Tampa CPA firm promotes pair to shareholder role

Prominent Tampa financial adviser, philanthropist dead at 57

$34M in financing secured for two Sarasota County projects

SWFL community bank completes $4M new branch project

USF College of Nursing receives $2M gift to fund scholarships

Sarasota hospital uses strong bond ratings to fund $1B in projects

Women's medical practice moving into new, bigger Cape Coral facility

$55M Fort Myers affordable housing project secures financing

Tampa Bay builder seeks to build 41 townhomes near downtown Sarasota

Growing Lakeland firm tops $1 billion in 2025 sales

Clearwater office building sells for nearly $6 million

USF College of Nursing receives $2M gift to fund scholarships

$55M Fort Myers affordable housing project secures financing

Manatee County to protect 1,500 acres of ranch land

Leaders can help promote humble confidence, erase impostor syndrome

The peril and promise of siblings in a family business

How and when to fire a family member from the family business

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Tampa Bay architects predict slower real estate growth in 2026

A survey of Tampa Bay area architects predicts real estate development will continue in 2026 but at a slower pace due to high interest rates and tariffs.

3 Articles Remaining!

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