SPOTLIGHT
Commercial fisherman Casey Streeter and his wife owned a fish house, several fishing boats and a retail market on the island of Matlacha in Lee County. In 2022, the 10-year-old family operation was wiped away in about 10 hours by Hurricane Ian’s 155 mph winds and 15-foot storm surge. The county suffered more than $5 billion in damages. Tourism in the region crumbled.
Amid the devastation, Streeter turned to cleaning the local waterways and coastlines littered with storm debris. He formed Fisherman’s Disaster Response, now a contractor with Deerfield Beach-based disaster response leader AshBritt. His company has grown from a handful of local fishermen and their surviving vessels to a team of 40 to 45 workers equipped with grapple barges, grapple trucks, excavators and dump trucks.
The group has worked from Southwest Florida up to the Big Bend region in the aftermath of several storms, most recently Hurricanes Helene and Milton, removing north of a billion pounds of debris from state waters.
“The blue economy here in Florida is only as good as the water is. We’re all interdependent on it,” Streeter says. “It’s important for our tourism, and it’s why people live in these areas.”
DEVELOPMENT
- The Avenue, a mixed-use development with 50 ultra-luxury condominiums, will start construction in downtown Naples this quarter. Four boutique buildings spanning 4.3 acres will offer residences priced up to $8 million, plus 75,000 square feet of retail and hospitality space on the ground floor.
- The Temple Terrace City Council approved a site plan for the long-delayed Enigma Plaza project, a 34,000-sq.-ft. building purchased for $1.5 million in 2019 and expected to house retail stores and restaurants. Nearby, apartment developer Impact Development Partners will build 330 apartments after paying $8.25 million for 32.42 acres on the Hillsborough River.
ENVIRONMENT
- Tampa-based nonprofit Wildlands Conservation received a $25-million award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund conservation easements for environmentally sensitive lands through the Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
HEALTH CARE
- USF Health has received $10 million in state funds to build out the Florida Center for Emergency Medical Services at the Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation in downtown Tampa. The institute is designed to lead advancements in emergency care and improve the EMS educational curriculum.
- AdventHealth Tampa has chosen Erik Wangsness, former president and CEO of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, as its next CEO.
ENTERTAINMENT
- For its 50th anniversary, Fort Myers-based nonprofit Alliance for the Arts is hosting its Pop-Up Museum50 from March 1-2. The exhibition will feature 50 museum-quality works by contemporary artists from across Southwest Florida, juried by internationally celebrated artist Marcus Jansen.
- FuelFest, an automotive event showcasing cars, music, live-action drifting and appearances by Fast & Furious franchise stars Tyrese Gibson and Cody Walker, comes to the Florida State Fairgrounds on March 1 and heads to West Palm beach a week later. A portion of the proceeds supports the charity Reach Out Worldwide, which was founded by the late Paul Walker. It provides post-disaster relief around the world and recently deployed resources in Asheville, N.C., and Englewood, Fla., following hurricanes Helene and Milton.
BANKING
- As part of a nationwide expansion, PNC Bank will add around 20 branches opening in Tampa Bay through 2029, doubling its current presence in the market.
EDUCATION
- Karen Holbrook, regional chancellor of the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus since 2018, retired from her role at the end of 2024. Brett Kemker, the former regional vice chancellor and vice provost of academic affairs and student success, is serving as interim regional chancellor.
- The Hillsborough County Public School system is building a $41-million, 52,000-sq.-ft. technical college — its first — to provide vocational opportunities in the manufacturing and distribution industries for about 900 adult trainees and high school students starting this fall.
ENERGY
- Lakeland Electric has approved a contract with Oklahomabased energy infrastructure company Williams to develop a 74.8-megawatt solar facility on a reclaimed phosphate mine. It will be Lakeland’s sixth and largest solar energy plant, projected to be completed in March 2027.
SPORTS
- The University of South Florida has broken ground on its on-campus, 35,000-seat stadium that will be home to the school’s football and women’s lacrosse teams. The stadium is scheduled to open in fall 2027.