- October 13, 2024
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County reviews candidates
Sarasota County received 45 applications for its vacant county administrator position.
The candidate the county selects will replace former county administrator Jim Ley, who resigned in May amid a procurement scandal after 14 years in the position. Applicants include Sarasota Deputy City Manager Marlon C.J. Brown; Longboat Key Police Chief Al Hogle; and former Longboat Key Town Manger Bruce St. Denis. Several other candidates also have ties to the area.
County commissioners are expected to cut the list to the top five names by Nov 8. Former North Port Police Chief Terry Lewis, onetime undersheriff with the Sarasota Sheriff's Office, is the current interim county administrator.
Bank faces scrutiny
Punta Gorda-based Calusa National Bank recently became the latest community bank headquartered on the Gulf Coast to officially be placed under regulatory watch.
The $145 million asset bank signed an enforcement agreement with the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency at the end of August, according to a filing made public late last month. The OCC says it identified “unsafe and unsound banking practices relating to increasing credit risk at the bank” in its filing.
The agreement further calls for the bank to maintain higher capital levels and improve underperforming loans. Officials at the bank, which has two branches in Charlotte County and one in North Port, say the institution is meeting the requirements of the agreement.
Sarasota permit values fall
Single-family home building permits issued in Sarasota County dropped slightly on an annualized basis in September, but the permits' value plummeted, according to the county's office of financial planning.
The county issued 38 permits in September, down 2.6% from 39 permits in September 2010. The construction value of the properties, however, dropped 29.9%, from about $6.65 million in September 2010 to $4.66 million this past September.
Kottkamp named CEO
VR Laboratories has named former Florida Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp as its CEO.
Lee County recently awarded $5 million in subsidies to the privately held Bonita Springs-based startup company. In exchange, VR Laboratories pledged to create 208 high-paying jobs within the next five years.
VR Laboratories plans to build a manufacturing facility in Lee County that will make botanical pharmaceuticals for the beverage and food industries. The facility is scheduled to open in 2013. VR Laboratories has a license to produce these pharmaceuticals from HerbalScience.
An attorney by profession, Kottkamp served as Florida lieutenant governor in the administration of Gov. Charlie Crist from 2007 to 2011. In that capacity, Kottkamp served as chairman of Space Florida. Prior to that, he was a state legislator for six years.
HMA to sell debt
Health Management Associates plans to raise $1 billion in debt and borrow another $2.7 billion in loans, the hospital management company announced.
The Naples-based hospital operator says it plans to use the proceeds to repay a portion of its current debt and for “general corporate purposes.”
The company operates 66 hospitals in non-urban areas and has been acquiring more hospitals in recent years. Most recently, HMA acquired seven Mercy Health Partners hospitals in east Tennessee from Catholic Health Partners. The company's stock trades publicly (symbol: HMA; recent price: $8).
Mack for Senate
U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, a Republican from Fort Myers, plans to run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.
Mack apparently changed his mind after declining in the spring to run against Nelson. He will join a crowded field of contenders in the Republican primary that includes former Sen. George Lemieux.
Mack's vacated house seat will likely attract many candidates. Already, Lee County Commissioner Tammy Hall announced she plans to run for Congress and has filed to run in the Republican primary.
St. PeteTimes changes name
The St. Petersburg Times will change its name to the Tampa Bay Times Jan. 1, according to a statement issued to the newspaper's readers by Chairman and CEO Paul Tash.
Tash cites the diverse audience the paper reaches as justification for the new name. He states 3/4 of the publication's readers live outside of St. Petersburg.
In the statement, Tash also discussed the shared sports teams between counties in the region.
The St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa will be renamed the Tampa Bay Times Forum.
Tech Forum names board
The Tampa Technology Forum, a Tampa-based non-profit membership organization of technology professionals, announced this week the selection of its new executive leadership and board officers for 2012, including Heather Kenyon, who will serve as CEO and president, a press release from the organization says.
Kenyon, who served as vice president and development for TBTF from 2003 to 2008, will assume her new position Nov. 4. Kenyon replaces Amy Norman, who held the position since 2007.
Steve Hasselbach will be chairman of the board of directors for 2012. Other appointees include Kathy Killingsworth as vice chair, Charlotte Baker as treasurer and Dan Rodriguez as secretary.
