Development News

Terry Hunt of TL Hunt Inc. wanted to sell office space to the former football-playing Gramatica brothers, who now own and operate a construction-based business in Tampa called Gramatica SIPS International.

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers place kicker Martin Gramatica and his brothers, former University of South Florida place kickers Bill and Santiago Gramatica, had another idea during a meeting at Hunt's office.

"We were trying to sell him our product," says Bill, who also kicked in the National Football League. "He was trying to sell us an office."

The Gramatica brothers convinced Hunt to use their product, structural insulated panels, in the ongoing construction of TL Hunt Inc.'s United Business Park, located on Hillsborough Avenue about a mile west of the Veterans Expressway.

The structural insulated panels have "tremendous energy efficiency and strength," says Bill Gramatica. "It has a stacking strength five times stronger than concrete blocks."

The panels consist of rigid foam plastic insulation sandwiched between engineered wood facings. They were invented more than 60 years ago and have gained wide-spread use by energy-conscious builders

United Business Park already is fronted by a NAPA auto parts store and George's Wholesale Tire. Plans call for 10 additional 10,000-square-foot office/warehouse buildings, to be partitioned into four units of 2,500 square feet, as well as a new corporate headquarters for TL Hunt Inc. and an additional 3,500-square-foot building toward the front of the 23-acre property.

The business park also will include a dock for fishing, riding trails and a picnic area, says Sheryl Marks of TL Hunt Inc.

Bill Gramatica says Gramatica SIPS International also has begun to explore avenues to build their prefabricated structures in Haiti. Martin Gramatica, who also kicked for the New Orleans Saints before retiring in 2008, has explored ways to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina by building strong, relatively inexpensive housing in stricken areas.


Writer: Carter Gaddis
Source: Bill Gramatica, Gramatica SIPS Internationalread on…

A public meeting to discuss the proposed construction of a 9,000-to-10,000-square-foot gymnasium for the Westchase Recreation Center will take place Tuesday, March 23, at 6:30 p.m. at Westchase Elementary School.

John Brill of Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation says the location for the proposed multiple-use gym is based on the neighborhood's population and growing need. Brill says the current facility has waiting lists for leagues, and the new gym would help alleviate that.

"Their rec center itself could use expanding," Brill says. "You could do a number of different types of expansion, but the gym seemed to be the way to go to provide both the space and the usage."

The $1.3 million project will be paid for by Community Investment Tax funds. Plans include the gym, a weight room, restrooms, storage areas, a mechanical room and an electrical room. The existing facility also would be renovated.

Westchase Elementary is located at 9517 W. Linebaugh Ave. in Tampa. For information, call the Hillsborough County Public Works Department at 813-272-5275.

Writer: Carter Gaddis
Source: John Brill, Hillsborough County

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Indiana-based Sun Development and Management Corp.'s newest hotel, a SpringHill Suites by Marriott, opened Monday, March 8, at the Tampa Palms Professional Center.

The 127-suite hotel is located at 5396 Primrose Cir. and is scheduled to hold a grand opening event in April, says sales director Cindy Robinson.

The hotel plans to market itself to extended-stay business travelers, as well as tourists visiting area attractions like Busch Gardens Tampa and visitors to the University of South Florida. There is 1,035 square feet of meeting space and room to accommodate meetings and functions for as many as 50 people.

Sun Development and Management owns and operates 26 hotels nationwide and has eight others in development. This is Sun's fourth Florida property, with a fifth, a Holiday Inn in Titusville, scheduled to open in April.

SpringHill Suites, which was begun by Marriott in 1998, underwent a recent redesign and has more than 250 sites nationwide. With more than 140 more in development, SpringHill Suites is among the fastest-growing brands in the Marriott chain.

Writer: Carter Gaddis
Source: Cindy Robinson, SpringHill Suites

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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 Gaddis
Source: Jessica Eilerman, St. Petersburg Chamber

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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 Gaddis
Source: Cindy Sternlicht, Lakeland Regional Medical Center

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The Manatee County Port Authority will accept bids through March 22 on a major dredging project at Port Manatee.

The port's new Berth 12 is the final phase of a $200 million project that began in 1999.

The project includes excavation and hydraulic dredging and removal of about 760,000 cubic yards of material. A bid alternate includes dredging and removal of an additional 370,000 cubic yards of material.

The 1,600-foot Berth 12 is designed to accommodate containerized shipping and is scheduled to be in operation late in 2010. The request for proposal for the Berth 12 project is available at the Port of Manatee website.

In addition, the Manatee County Port Authority announced the addition of Port Manatee's second mobile harbor container crane, which is expected to be in operation by October.

"Securing this second crane is essential for Port Manatee as we prepare for increased shipping traffic for the expansion of the Panama Canal," says Port Manatee Executive Director David L. McDonald.

The $4 million second crane, which will be added nearly three years after the first crane was installed, was purchased through a public-private agreement among the Manatee County Port Authority, the Florida Department of Transportation and Logistec USA Inc.

Logistec, which also partnered with the Port Authority on the first crane, is responsible for operation, maintenance and insurance on the new crane. Logistec and the FDOT each provided about half of the purchase price.

Writer: Carter Gaddis
Source: Jill VanderPol, Port Manateeread on…

St. Petersburg's venerable and famously intimate downtown concert venue, Jannus Landing, is close to reopening under new ownership and a new name: Jannus Live.

Jannus Landing became known in the 1980s as one of the Tampa Bay area's best outdoor concert venues. It was the place to see bands like Pearl Jam before that Seattle-based grunge group became a household name in the early 1990s.

Knight Global Entertainment, owned by Tampa Bay region entrepreneurs Jeff Knight and Bill Edwards, hopes to have Jannus Live up and running after extensive renovations by the end of March.

A concert schedule is in the works and will be announced soon on the Jannus Live website.

Among the improvements at the site will be a new stage, framed by a wrought-iron rig that will support the new lightning and P.A. systems.

The old signature "circus tent" covering will be replaced by a larger covering without the old poles that obstructed views. New, indoor restrooms are being added, along with a Plexiglas-covered Koi pond within a floor-level VIP section.

Improvements also include a patio bar in the southwest corner of the courtyard and eight balcony level VIP suites. The furnished suites, which will be available for multishow or single show rentals, will include a flat-screen TV, a mini-refrigerator, wood floors and a bar top.

Suite VIPs will have access to a common lounge with bar and food services, which will be offered as part of the suite price.

In addition, the walls will be resurfaced and painted, and the courtyard floor will be smoothed and resurfaced.

Writer: Carter Gaddis
Source: Eric Snider, Jannus Live

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The final conceptual design and location for the University of South Florida's Tampa campus recreation center expansion and southeast student dining facility are close to being finalized, and the $14.8 million project remains on track for completion by July 2011.

The 51,050-square-foot project will be part of the USF Sun Dome Arena complex on the east side of campus. The multipurpose facilities for the general student population are intended to help improve student health and well-being.

"They are important steps to improving students' capacity for healthy living and learning and will further enhance students' likelihood for success," says Eric Hunter, who is overseeing the projects as director of USF Campus Recreation. "Our overarching goal is to enhance our students' out-of-class experience and thereby maximize their full learning potential."

The recreation center expansion will add to the already existing exercise and fitness facility. The projects also will include a dining/food court, meeting and classroom space, a student-athlete training table and a commercial grade kitchen with catering amenities.

The projects are a collaboration between the Division of Student Affairs and the USF Athletic Department. The money for the projects comes from the university's Capital Improvement Trust Fund.

St. Petersburg-based Canerday, Belfsky & Arroyo is the architecture-engineering firm working on the projects, and the construction manager is Clearwater-based Biltmore Construction.

Read more about USF building projects.

Writer: Carter Gaddis
Source: Lara Wade, University of South Florida

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Gordon Food Service of Grand Rapids, Mich., is on track to open its 10th Florida GFS Marketplace store this coming May on Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa's Carrollwood neighborhood.

The new GFS Marketplace store will be the fourth in the Tampa Bay region, joining stores in Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Brandon. A fifth Tampa Bay area store is scheduled to open in Bradenton in September, says Paul Harris, sales and service manager at the Brandon store.

Gordon Food Service, which recently purchased a 1 million-square-foot distribution center in Plant City from Albertson's, was founded in 1897 as a butter-and-egg delivery business. It grew during the 20th century into the largest family owned broad-line foodservice distributor in North America.

GFS Marketplace stores offer the general public Gordon Food Service products in bulk and individual packages. There are more than 130 GFS Marketplace stores nationwide, and plans are in the works to add 50 more stores in the next six years.

"Sales guys go in and develop a certain area and when that area is developed in a certain percetnage they put in a Marketplace store," says Harris. "There are no membership fees. Customers can purchase restaurant-quality products, institutional-grade cleaning products. It's the only concept like it around."

Harris says the Tampa store manager and some assistant managers have been hired, but other positions will be posted soon. Open jobs can be found on the careers page at the Gordon Food Service website.

Writer: Carter Gaddis
Source: Paul Harris, GFS Marketplace

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Blue Cross and Blue Shield Florida members and prospective members have a new way to interact with their health insurance company.

The Florida Blue center, which opened in January at 201 N. Westshore Blvd. in Tampa and celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb. 24, allows customers to sit down face-to-face with sales representatives, nurses and other health professionals.

It's a three-tiered service program: identification of health status, management of health needs and quality/cost control, says Nicholas Kouris, senior market development manager.

"We want you to be able to really sit down, say what do you need, say how much can you spend, and determine what kind of coverage you require," Kouris says. "It's a constellation of services we're providing. It really is a very holistic way of delivering the best care service to members."

The center is the third Blue Cross and Blue Shield customer service center in Florida, joining those already in Jacksonville and Pembroke Pines. The others focus exclusively on sales, and this is the first center to offer such a broad array of services, Kouris says.

Customers and prospective customers can make appointments to consult with sales associates who will help determine the best insurance coverage options.

Members can take advantage of wellness programs coordinated by on-site nurses. Another service for members is comparison shopping among the area's hospitals and health-care professionals, an effort to help patients receive the best value possible.

Wellness seminars covering various topics will be held on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. On the second Saturday of each month, the Florida Blue center will host a health fair with free health screenings, massages and health tips.

Writer: Carter Gaddis
Source: Nicholas Kouris, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Florida

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A discussion of transportation development will highlight Tampa's 14th annual Downtown Development Forum, which will be held Friday, March 19, at Tampa Preparatory School's campus located at 727 W Cass St.

Topics covered during past Downtown Forums included a discussion of the potential benefits of extending the Channelside streetcar system into downtown Tampa and other ideas that could spur downtown growth.

The annual event focuses on the exploration of innovative ideas for urban development. Past keynote speakers have included former Pittsburgh Major Thomas J. Murphy and Brookings Institution visiting fellow Christopher Leinberger.

This year's event is titled, "The New World of Downtown Tampa – 2010," and is scheduled to run 7:30 a.m.-noon. The keynote speaker is University of South Florida history professor and author Gary Mormino, co-chair of the Florida Studies program at USF-St. Petersburg.

A continental breakfast, a networking session and registration will be followed by a panel discussion of transportation issues as they pertain to downtown Tampa and the Tampa Bay region. A one-cent sales tax increase for the purposes of financing transportation projects could be voted upon by Hillsborough County voters in November.

Following the transportation panel will be a discussion of growth management election issues, including Amendment 4, a land-use initiative that proposes to require voter approval of all changes to local comprehensive land-use plans.

In addition, updates will be given on the various downtown business sectors.

Sponsorships at several levels remain available for the event, which annually draws hundreds of business people, property owners and real estate professionals. For information, call 813-221-3686.

Writer: Carter Gaddis
Source: Kimberly Finn, Tampa Downtown Partnership

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By the time SunEdison and Lakeland Electric finish the solar energy project that begins this month with the installation of 1,232 panels on top of the Lakeland Center, enough clean, environmentally friendly energy is expected to be generated to power 7,200 homes.

The target for completion is 2018. It started in mid-February with an acre of panels on top of the Lakeland Center and will move on within six months to a 40-acre expanse near the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport.

When finished, the addition of the solar panel array is expected to produce 24 megawatts of energy, joining Lakeland Electric's power generation mix of natural gas and coal.

SunEdison, the largest solar energy provider in North America, will install and maintain thousands of solar panels throughout Lakeland Electric's service area, and Lakeland Electric customers will purchase the electricity generated.

"Environmental stewardship is important to our community, to Lakeland city leadership and to Lakeland Electric," says Jim Stanfield, Lakeland Electric's general manager. "It is vital that every utility consider carefully how to meet customers' increasing demands for electricity and do it in a way that is fiscally and environmentally prudent."

Each of the panels atop the Lakeland Center will generate 230 watts of power, and a total of 283,360 watts will be produced from the one-acre array. Installation of the 40-acre array near the airport is scheduled to begin by mid-summer.

The program will enable an expansion of the current solar-heated hot water program, which has about 1,000 users now and has a waiting list. When completed, as many as 10,000 homes are expected to have access to Lakeland Electric's solar-heated hot water program, says Kevin Cook of the City of Lakeland.

Writer: Carter Gaddis
Source: Kevin Cook, City of Lakeland

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A $3.7-million expansion at Oscar Cooler Youth Sports Complex in Lutz is on track for completion in April.

Construction began in September on a new soccer and football complex at the corner Lutz-Lake Fern Road and Crooked Lane, located across the street from the 35-year-old original park.

A $300,000 renovation of the baseball complex is scheduled to begin once construction has been completed on the new soccer and football fields.

Care was taken to preserve a portion of the wetlands that exist on the project site, says John Brill of the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation department.

"When this thing first started, it was a pine forest, basically," says Brill. "The first thing they had to do was they removed a colony of gopher tortoises and relocated them. Then, they started the harvesting of the pine, then they started moving the earth around."

The complex includes new restrooms and concession stands, a playground and parking lot. The new soccer and football facilities were established as self-contained entities, separate from the original complex, in order to discourage children from crossing through traffic on Crooked Lane.

A new youth soccer league is planned for the facility.

Brill says construction will be substantially complete by the end of March, with an opening date tentatively planned for late April.

The original complex will be renovated and expanded. Existing ball fields will be improved, with new fences and new lighting, and a softball diamond will be added. One of the fields will be realigned in order to accommodate an expanded parking area.

Writer: Carter Gaddis
Source: John Brill, Hillsborough County

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Hillsborough County residents interested in learning about ongoing public works projects in the unincorporated parts of the county now can find that information on the county's website.

Steve Valdez, the county's public works manager, says the object was to provide the public a less-expensive, more-streamlined method of keeping up with ongoing and upcoming projects.

"It came together because in the past we were paying each one of our engineering consultant firms to do this, and they all looked different, had different ways of presenting the information," Valdez says. "We needed a uniform approach. We were able to very efficiently put this up much cheaper than it was to pay consultants."

The website's project status feature, which went live in January, gives residents a one-stop site for project overviews, construction schedules, traffic shifts and potential delays. Also available are the same informational videos presented during public meetings.

In addition, comments or concerns can be submitted via the website up to two weeks after a public meeting.

The first two projects to be listed were the Bruce B. Downs Boulevard expansion in New Tampa and the Racetrack Road project in northwest Hillsborough County.

The site will include all major Public Works Department projects in the future, Valdez says, including storm water projects, intersection improvements and widening of roadways.

Writer: Carter Gaddis
Source: Steve Valdez, Hillsborough County

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As part of an ongoing expansion and renovation at the Hillsborough County community collection center in Apollo Beach, the center's entrance has been moved permanently to Powell Road. The center's main entrance, which is located at 13000 U.S. Highway 41 South, will continue to be used primarily by commercial customers.

The Hillsborough Solid Waste Management's South County transfer facility needed to grow in order to accommodate the expanding population base in the area, says James Ransom, community relations coordinator for Hillsborough solid waste management department.

"The original site had been there for many years," says Ransom. "The facilities out there were not adequate and were depreciating over time because of age. What had to happen was, we had to, in our long-range plan, come up with a capital improvement project that would improve the facility and accommodate the capacity of solid waste being generated there now and in the future."

The county's community collection centers accept collectible waste, non-collectible waste, scrap metal, tires and lead-acid batteries. The new Powell Road entrance for the South County facility is the same entrance currently used to access the household chemicals and electronics disposal facility.

Hillsborough County's community collection centers are open weekdays, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

A similar expansion and renovation project is scheduled to begin this year at the Northwest County facility at 8001 W Linebaugh Ave. A major focus there will be alleviating potential traffic backup on Linebaugh Avenue, Ransom says.

The renovation and expansion at the Northwest County facility is scheduled to be completed by the the winter of 2011.

Writer: Carter Gaddis
Source: James Ransom, Hillsborough County

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