Corporate Report

Corporate Report

FPL closer to opening solar facility

Sarasota County and Florida Power & Light are working in partnership to develop a photovoltaic solar facility at Rothenbach Park, formerly the Bee Ridge Landfill site in Sarasota. The project moved closer to fruition with the Sarasota County Commission's approval of a host site lease.

Photovoltaic panels, also known as solar cells, convert sunlight into electricity. Because they have no moving parts, they are quiet, and because they require no fuel to operate, they release no hazardous emissions. This will be FPL's first solar facility on Florida's West Coast as part of the company's Sunshine Energy program. It will also be the largest project of its kind in Florida.

State loses factory jobs, but still ranks first in Southeast

Florida ranks seventh in the nation by number of manufacturing plants and 12th by manufacturing employment, according to the 2006 Florida Manufacturers Register. B ut the survey shows the state lost 6,144 manufacturing jobs and 23 related plants in 2005. Altogether, Florida has 17,452 manufacturing companies that employ 589,640 workers.

Florida ranks first in the Southeast by number of companies and second by industrial employment, just behind North Carolina.

The survey involved contacting every manufacturer in the state. The Register reports that Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville remain Florida's top industrial cities.

Accounts receivable firm opens call center in Sarasota

CCB Credit Services Inc., an accounts receivable management firm headquartered in Springfield, Ill., is opening a Sarasota call center that could eventually employ 40 people. 

The company seeks employees to staff the new call center, which was scheduled to open April 17 in offices on Fruitville Road.

New Homes Realty Inc.

sells to Boston firm

Alta Communications Inc., a Boston-based private equity firm, purchased Clearwater-based New Homes Realty Inc.

The purchase price was not released.

Hyde Park Capital Advisors LLC, the investment banking subsidiary of Hyde Park Capital Partners LLC, served as New Homes Realty's investment bank in the transaction.  

Founded in 1992, New Homes Realty specializes in assisting relocation buyers in the purchase of newly constructed homes, with a secondary emphasis on the existing home market. It has an agent network of more than 400 sales associates.

Colony Resort selected

in top five for children

The May issue of Child magazine will feature The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort as one of the top five selections for the "Best Family Friendly Resorts."

The Colony, based on Longboat Key, was chosen by the magazine's advisory panel of experts based upon criteria that included the variety of activities offered on property, cost of the kids' programs, room design and size, activities families can do together, the range of dining options, water activities, safety considerations and overall value.

The Colony was singled out for its all-suite accommodations, beachfront amenities, programs, tennis instruction for all ages and dining venues.

MIVA signs ad deal

with Data Depth

Fort Myers-based MIVA Inc. signed a global ad distribution deal with Data Depth, providers of iCopyright, an automated copyrighting technology designed to protect and monetize publishers' online content.

According to the agreement, pay-per-click ads and MIVA pay-per-call ads will be embedded in online content that is downloaded or e-mailed by readers with a percentage of the revenue from the ads being paid to the publisher.

TelCove puts down

more cable in Clearwater

Pittsburgh-based TelCove, a telecommunications service provider, expanded its growth in Clearwater, particularly among medium to large enterprises looking for a statewide service provider.

TelCove has made significant investments in the past year to expand its Florida fiber-optic network to 2,700 route miles, including 68 miles of embedded fiber-optic cable in the Clearwater market. The network infrastructure supports more than 220 medium to large Clearwater area enterprises.

Tampa Roofing Co. moves

to new Clearwater site

Suncoast Roofers Supply is moving its corporate headquarters from Tampa to Clearwater.

Suncoast will join Haydon-Rubin Development Inc. and its affiliate, Rubin Real Estate, in the Triad South building, one of several planned office buildings for the Triad Commons Office Park.

The building will be at 4592 Ulmerton Road, on the corner of Ulmerton Road and Automobile Boulevard in Clearwater. Originally zoned for an industrial lot, the office park has been recently upgraded to provide Class A office space. The planned completion date for Triad South is January 2007.

Colonial Bank breaks ground

on Lee County location

Colonial Bank's Southwest Florida region broke ground on its 18th Lee County office. The 3,617-square-foot office will be at the corner of Palm Beach Boulevard and Verandah Boulevard in East Fort Myers and will feature four drive-thru service lanes and an ATM lane. 

Colonial Bank has contracted with Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. to build the new banking office and construction is expected to be complete in fall 2006. 

SEC won't take action

against Catalina Marketing

The investigation of St. Petersburg-based Catalina Marketing by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is over, and no action will be taken.

The SEC had been investigating certain revenue recognition timing issues identified by Catalina Marketing at its subsidiary, Catalina Health Resource, and reported by the company to the SEC in 2003.

Catalina Marketing provides services based on consumer data culled from supermarket checkout scanners.

Stevens Construction wins

contract on orthopedic office

Orthopedic Specialists of Southwest Florida awarded Fort Myers-based Stevens Construction a contract to manage the interior renovation and build-out of about 17,000 square feet to include radiology suites, exam rooms and administrative offices.

 Designed by Gora McGahey Associates in Architecture Inc., the Fort Myers orthopedic office is located on Cleveland Avenue.