Jonathan H. Bernhardt
May 7, 2014
New hire
Employer: Blalock Walters PA
Position: Attorney
Summary: Bernhardt joined the firm’s real estate law services group in Bradenton where he will serve clients as counsel in commercial and residential real estate transactions, as well as commercial leasing.
This is part of the Lawyers & CPAs on the Move section featuring new hires and promotions in 2014. …read more
Two former HUD secretaries are leading a Bipartisan Policy Center task force that will look at how meeting the housing needs of senior citizens can also reduce health care costs.
Henry Cisneros led the Department of Housing and Urban Development during former President Bill Clinton’s administration. Mel Martinez was HUD secretary during former President George W. Bush’s administration. Cisneros is a Democrat, and Martinez is a Republican, but both agree on the need to help more senior citizens… …read more
More good news for the housing market: Pending home sales increased 3.1 percent in February to their highest level in 20 months.
A National Association of Realtors’ index based on contract signings rose to 106.9 in February. That’s 12 percent over where it was a year earlier. The Pending Home Sales Index has been above 100 — the level indicating average activity — for 10 straight months.
NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said the increase in pending home sales was “driven by a steadily… …read more
Robert “Bob” Schumaker
Sept. 1, 2014
New hire
Employer: GrayRobinson
Position: Of counsel
Summary: Schumaker joins the firm’s real estate practice with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. Schumaker has represented numerous developers and owners in the Tampa Bay area, and throughout Florida, in the acquisition, sale, assemblage, documentation and negotiation of their property.
This is part of the Lawyers & CPAs on the Move section featuring new hires and promotions in 2014. …read more
Kaitlyn Bagnato Statile
Nov. 5, 2014
New hire
Employer: Shumaker Loop & Kendrick LLP
Position: Staff attorney
Summary: Statile has joined the Tampa office as a staff attorney in the litigation department. She practices primarily in the area of community associations. …read more
Richard S. Giunta saw a lot of potential in a site off Waters Avenue in the Citrus Park area — with its proximity to major employers and retail, he thought it would be perfect for apartments.
But the demand for the property came as a surprise even to the principal of Giunta Group Ltd. The 72-unit Citrus Run apartment complex was 80 percent preleased in early March — three weeks before its Thursday grand opening. One-bedroom units start at $950 for 937 square feet; two-bedroom units start at… …read more
Downtown Tampa hasn’t quite reached the point where retailers and restaurants are clamoring to be there — the sign in urban revitalization that a neighborhood has officially arrived. With just shy of 7,000 residents between the urban core, Channel district and Harbour Island, there’s not yet enough of a population to attract businesses who rely on foot traffic from the surrounding neighborhood.
So for now, Mayor Bob Buckhorn has another metric for measuring the success of revitalization efforts.
“My… …read more
A string of abandoned storefronts on downtown Tampa’s North Franklin Street will give way this summer to a glitzy 23-story apartment tower, bringing potentially hundreds of residents to this largely unfrequented corner of the urban core.
At 360 apartments, the tower that Atlanta-based developer Carter is pursuing represents a fraction of the residential units in the works for downtown Tampa. And while Tampa seems headed for an urban construction boom, it’s still playing catch up to competitor… …read more
There’s a palpable change at Channelside Bay Plaza since Tampa Bay Lightning took over, the general manager of the Hooters restaurant there said.
“The vibe is coming back down there,” said Rob Fisher. “The important thing is the vibe is not only there on game days, but on off days when there isn’t anything going on at the arena.”
Fisher declined to share any numbers or percentages but said Hooters has “absolutely seen an increase in business and traffic” since Lightning Owner Jeff… …read more
A new study shows just how much Tampa Bay’s apartment boom has meant to the region’s economy — and the total impact goes beyond construction dollars and tax revenue.
In 2013, the most recent data available, apartment construction, operations and resident spending contributed $7.2 billion locally and supported more than 73,900 jobs in the Bay region, according to a study the National Multifamily Housing Council commissioned. The data is based on research by economist Stephen S. Fuller of George… …read more