- October 24, 2024
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Tampa Electric Co. reached an agreement with the City of Lakeland to supplement its future water needs at the company's Polk power station.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District is also working on the public-private project that will use reclaimed water that is currently being discharged into the Alafia River.
Through the 30-year agreement, Lakeland will provide the power station with approximately 5 million gallons of reclaimed water per day.
The project also covers 15 miles of transmission pipeline from the Lakeland's wetland treatment system '• which is east of Mulberry and north of S.R. 60 '• to the power station plus a water treatment and an underground injection well system on the station's property.
“Lakeland's participation in this regional reclaimed partnership provides long-term benefits to our customers,” said Deputy City Manager Tony Delgado in a press release. “Our 20-year water use permit and the reduced dependence upon surface discharge for wastewater disposal provide both valuable system capacities and avoidance of future costs.”
The Lakeland City Commission has already endorsed the agreement.
The SWFWMD will reimburse Tampa Electric up to 50%, or approximately $32.8 million, of the eligible project costs. Half of the district's funding for the project will come from its governing board; the Alafia River and Peace River Basin boards will each provide 25%. The project has also received $2.5 million from the West-Central Florida Water Restoration Action Plan fund. Future funding is contingent upon board approval.
Tampa Electric will manage the project; its total investment is currently estimated to be $55 million over the next several years. Lakeland will provide water to the project at no cost for the first 20 years.
Tampa Electric is the principal subsidiary of TECO Energy Inc., an energy-related holding company, with regulated utility operations in Florida, which also includes Peoples Gas System. Other subsidiaries include TECO Coal, which owns and operates coal production facilities in Kentucky and Virginia, and TECO Guatemala, which is engaged in electric power generation and distribution and energy-related businesses in Guatemala.
La Belle-based land management company Alico Inc. reports that a quarterly interest payment has not been received by its Alico-Agri Ltd subsidiary for a sale of property in Lee County.
Under the terms of the contract, the purchaser was scheduled to make a payment of $283,000 on March 30. Alico-Agri issued a 15-day notice of delinquency to, and is reportedly talking with, the purchaser seeking a solution. If none is reached, Alico-Agri will start foreclosure proceedings.
“The real estate market in Lee County has declined over the past several years, causing real estate developers to reevaluate their portfolios in light of longer absorption period expectancies and limited capital,” Steve Smith, Alico's principal executive officer, said in a press release. “We hope to reach a mutually acceptable agreement for this property, but in the event that such an agreement cannot be reached, the property is in a prime location for future development.”
In other news, Alico was able to reduce its $125-million revolving line of credit with Farm Credit of Southwest Florida to $75 million. In exchange, a rule was eliminated that required the company to maintain a stock equity of more than $110 million. The credit will mature in August 2011.
Alico owns 135,500 acres of land in Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee and Polk counties and is involved in various agricultural operations and real estate activities.
Quantum Immunologics Inc. a Tampa-based company specializing in cancer immunotherapy, has recently filed two provisional patent applications.
The company's research is focused on the use of immature laminin receptor protein as a cancer immunogen, a substance that creates an immune response in many tumor cell lines or fetal tissue but not in normal mature tissue. The company believes this characteristic makes it highly suitable for personalized anti-cancer therapy for multiple cancers.
The company is currently conducting clinical trials with it with Stage IV breast cancer patients. The FDA-approved trial focuses on using the body's own immune-system cells to recognize the laminin receptor protein as a foreign protein and to direct the immune system against the cancer cells.
The first patent application describes the discovery of protein sequences, known as peptides. The company suggests a treatment could be created to help the immune system more efficiency find and attack tumors and possibly eventually inoculate people against specific cancers.
The second patent relates to antibodies discovered against these specific peptides. Those antibodies have the potential for either cancer testing or as a serum to destroy cancer cells.
Arlington Heights, Ill.-based Lutheran Life Communities, a faith-based, not-for-profit senior housing company, has obtained approval from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation to start marketing plans for the development of a continuing-care retirement community on 38.75 acres in the Lely Resort community in Naples.
The development is expected to feature 20 villas and 160 apartment residences with a healthcare center comprised of 40 assisted-living, 32 memory-support and 32 skilled-nursing suites.
It will also feature a wellness and fitness center with indoor pool and spa, a restaurant, a chapel, banking services, and a cinema. The company currently owns and operates five communities in Illinois and Indiana.
Tampa-based stored-value card company Nfinanse reports that its Discover Network general purpose reloadable prepaid cards and gift cards are now available in more than 450 MAPCO Express Inc. convenience stores.
Consumers can purchase the prepaid card for $5.95 and add funds at any MAPCO store. Consumers can use their card beginning the same day of purchase at merchant locations nationwide '• or online or on the phone '• and access cash at participating ATMs.
“Given the current tough economic environment, we believe that our general purpose reloadable card is a great fit for MAPCO and a terrific value for their customers,” Jerry Welch, chairman and CEO of Nfinanse, said in a press release.
MAPCO stores will also be offering Nfinanse gift cards in $25 and $50 denominations.
MAPCO Express Inc. is a division of DELEK US Holdings Inc., which operates more than 450 convenience stores, under the MAPCO Express, MAPCO Mart, East Coast, Discount Food Mart, Fast Food and Fuel, and Favorite Markets brand names, primarily in Tennessee and Virginia markets, plus in northern Georgia and northern Alabama.
Cape Coral-based Whitney Information Network Inc. has reached a strategic alliance with two popular personal finance experts to launch the “Ken & Daria Dolans' Money Revolution” multimedia products and events.
“Our company has long been a leader in preparing people to excel as investors in real estate and financial instruments,” Whitney CEO Chuck Peck said in a press release. “But, in today's challenging economic climate, many people have an urgent need for training in the basics of personal finance. The Dolans' stellar reputation for communicating essential information in a way that's lively, fun, and — most importantly —memorable, makes them a natural partner for this project.
We are very excited to enhance our core offerings with this much-needed information on family money matters.”
Visitors to www.dolansmoneyrevolution.com can download three special reports '• “20 Ways to Save Money This Week,” “5 Ways to Invest Your Money in This Economy” and “How Much Do You Need to Retire?” '• plus on-demand videos focused on debt/credit management, retirement planning and investment basics.
The Dolans are working with Whitney to develop family financial advice online and on-demand video classes plus host events in major cities throughout the United States and Canada beginning in early May.
Sarasota-based Global Technologies Group Inc. has executed a master teaming agreement with MSE Technology Applications Inc.
“This agreement enables Global to broaden [our] reach to include not just heavy metals remediation but all remediation projects in the future,” James Fallacaro, president of Global, said in a press release. “We believe that MSE has the best facilities for evaluation, engineering solutions and implementation, giving our group full capabilities to handle any project which we decide to pursue.”
MSE Technology Applications provides engineering services, testing and cleanup technologies, mine-waste remediation technologies, energy and aerospace technologies, embedded systems, and industrial automation and controls systems.
Global Technologies Group seeks to acquire exclusive licenses on new technologies in the environmental and green industries.
Sunsail in Clearwater is extending its fleet with the launch of the new Sunsail 384 catamaran in destinations across the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and Thailand.
The Sunsail 384 is the newest generation of cruising catamarans, focused on better performance and comfort plus additional outdoor space. The boat was designed by Morrelli & Melvin Design & Engineering Inc. and built by Robertson & Caine Ltd.
Founded in 1974, the boat charter company is owned by TUI Travel PLC.
