MONDAY, DEC. 28, 2009
VOLUSIA:
State Advises County to Kill Massive Growth Plan
State officials scooted under a legal deadline on Christmas Eve, delivering a bah humbug message to a request from Volusia County and the Miami Corp. The Florida Department of Community Affairs, the state's chief planning agency, filled 13 pages with reasons why the Volusia County Council should not change the county's long-term comprehensive plan and allow a massive development the company proposed. The Chicago-based family land trust owns 59,000 acres straddling the Volusia/Brevard county line. It wants both counties to approve a 50-year plan that calls for more than 29,000 homes and 4 million square feet of commercial and retail development. Called Farmton-Greenkey, the plan would set aside more than 30,000 acres of land in permanent conservation. [Source: Daytona Beach News-Journal]
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TAMPA:
Company Bails Out Condo Associations
In this volatile real estate market, hundreds of condominium boards across Florida face budget shortfalls and are struggling to pay their bills. They typically have few options other than hiring an attorney and pursuing foreclosure. A Tampa-based company, LM Funding LLC, purchases delinquent receivables from condo associations. It's sort of a bailout for associations on the brink of financial disaster. Associations are eligible for up to 80% of the past-due assessments upfront, depending on the severity of the shortfall. [Source: Tampa Tribune]
STATEWIDE:
It Was a Tough Decade for Florida
Howard Troxler: It's fair to say that the Aughts, or whatever we end up calling the first 10 years of this century, was not exactly the happiest decade in Florida and Tampa Bay history. Actually, it's fair to say that this decade knocked some of the bloom off Florida's orange blossom. Read on ... [Source: St. Petersburg Times]
Related:
- Funny: Dave Barry's year in review
- Politics: Florida politics had lots of no-brainers in 2009
- Money: 10 stories that drove Florida's economy in 2009
- Trend's Andy Corty: A fresh start to the New Year
JACKSONVILLE:
St. Joe Sells Golf Club as Part of Tax Strategy
The downturn in the real estate market can have an upside, in certain circumstances. The St. Joe Co. revealed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it is selling two "non-strategic" properties at a loss, including the golf course at the St. Johns Golf and Country Club, as part of a strategy to benefit from federal tax rules. Jacksonville-based St. Joe has finished its development activity at St. Johns. The company said in the SEC filing that it completed residential sales in the community in northern St. Johns County earlier this year. So it sold the golf course, clubhouse and maintenance facilities for $3 million in a deal that closed on Dec. 19. [Source: Times-Union]
From Trend:
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Coach Meyer Expects to Lead Gators on the Field in 2010 "It was our players," Meyer said, when asked what changed his mind. "The way they go about their business. To see them come out this morning with a great attitude and great work ethic and just go to work. I admire that."
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Offshore Medical Schools Investigated
And though Ross is 1,500 miles from the mainland, U.S. residents who attend the school, and about two dozen other offshore medical schools, qualify for federal student loans. But federal regulators are taking a closer look at evidence suggesting taxpayers and students may be getting shortchanged by foreign medical schools.
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West Palm Beach Doctor Takes on Humana -- and Wins
Dr. Steven Rosenberg took the insurance giant to small claims court, a so-called people's court where warring neighbors, distraught tenants and angry consumers can represent themselves in disputes worth less than $5,000. Since most of the claims were under $200, he bundled a few together to stay under the $5,000 limit. But then the checks started rolling in ...
› Rock Mine Expansion Proposed for Panther HabitatThe Seminole Tribe has applied for a permit to expand a rock mine in a remote corner of northwest Broward County, in a proposal that could generate opposition from environmentalists concerned about the Florida panther.
› Avocado Farmers Enjoy High Prices, Fear Beetle
This year's avocado season is making farmers happy: The 920,000-bushel crop, grown mostly in southern Miami-Dade County, is fetching prices that are almost 50% better than a few years ago.
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Coast Bank Fraud Trial Continues
A slow parade of bilked investors testified last week in federal court about the tens of thousands of dollars they lost to a "flipping" scam during the housing boom that eventually brought Coast Bank of Bradenton to the brink of failure.
› New Year Looks No Brighter for Mortgage Modifications
The new year probably will bring little relief to hundreds of thousands of Floridians struggling to keep their homes, as experts anticipate the mortgage modification bottleneck will continue in 2010. Also: New law spurs rush to get mortgage broker licenses
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Ocean Foundation Makes Dubious Claims in Sea Grass Proposal
A Washington-based foundation has teamed up with a controversial local company to propose a radical change in the way Florida deals with the destruction of its sea grass beds.
› Former Sun Sentinel Publisher Dies
Thomas P. O'Donnell, who as publisher of the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel steered the paper's growth in the 1980s and 90s from a resort town publication to a regional news operation, died at his Illinois home Sunday of complications from Parkinson's Disease. He was 77.
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The Condo Meltdown in Las Vegas Mirrors Miami's
Some blame South Florida developers, in part, for whipping up the frenzy.