Apple Watch sales drop dramatically since debut

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Can the Apple Watch appeal beyond early adopters?

Apple Watch sales have sunk 90 percent since pre-orders went live in April. That represents a drop from 200,000 units per day to 20,000, according to a research report out from Slice Intelligence. On some days there were few as 10,000 units sold.

So are the numbers a concern for Apple, and just how reliable is the research?

The buzz didn’t build

Early adopters and rabid Apple fans drove much of the sales traffic during the first week after the… …read more

Fairness or social engineering? HUD rule requires affordable housing in wealthier neighborhoods

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Local governments will be required to provide access to affordable housing in wealthier neighborhoods under a rule issued Wednesday by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

If they fail to meet this obligation, these localities would no longer be eligible for community development block grants and other HUD funding.

HUD contends the regulation will give localities clearer guidelines for meeting the Fair Housing Act’s requirement to promote equal opportunity. States and localities will… …read more

Polk commissioners enthusiastically approve incentives for Walmart

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Polk County Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a 10-year tax abatement for Walmart Stores Inc. to build a massive distribution center near Davenport.

“I think this is a win-win-win for the community, for the jobs and even the labor and materials being consumed during construction,” John Hall, commissioner vice chairman, said.

There were no public comments on the incentives. Per the agreement, the county will miss out on about $1.2 million annually in ad valorem tax revenue over the next… …read more

Oxford Exchange owner says proposed apartments could quash Grand Central’s potential

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A proposed apartment project on Grand Central Avenue could hinder the neighborhood from reaching what the owner of Oxford Exchange says is its true potential: becoming a walkable shopping district.

Altman Development Corp., based in Boca Raton, has asked the city to rezone 2.51 acres at 504 Central Ave. to make way for a 274-unit apartment building. In late June, Altman updated its proposal to include two 1,300-square-foot retail spaces.

The first public hearing on the development is scheduled… …read more

Downtown pioneer TAPS set to open second Tampa unit

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New York City transplant James DeVito opened his first ever bar/restaurant amid an economic apocalypse in an urban core known as a place where the streets rolled up at sundown.

Now TAPS — whose flagship debuted on the ground floor of downtown Tampa’s SkyPoint condo building in spring 2008— is set to open its fourth unit late next week in International Plaza’s Bay Street.

“Of course, everyone thought I was crazy,” Devito said of the inaugural TAPS. “I spent a couple of months driving… …read more

Ed Glazer buys sprawling West Coast estate

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers co-chairman Ed Glazer has plunked down $21.5 million on a 9-acre estate in Montecito, California.

The property — which includes a 12,900-square-foot home and detached, two-bedroom guest house — borders another estate that Glazer spent $15 million on in February, the Los Angeles Times reports. To see photos, click here.

“Both properties take in views of the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez mountains,” according to the Times.

The Glazer family ranks No. 63 on the Forbes… …read more

A development to stop the presses

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The concrete box that houses the Tampa Tribune and its printing presses will soon give way to a residential tower with dazzling views of the city skyline.

Miami-based Related Group has confirmed what the Tampa Bay Business Journal was first to report in mid-April: It is planning to demolish the Tribune’s waterfront building and build an eight-story residential building with up to 400 units.

Related is under contract to buy the 4.4-acre site and lease it back to the Tribune, said Arturo Pena,… …read more

Monroe Berkman sells waterfront home in South Tampa

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Tampa businessman Monroe Berkman and his wife, Suzette, have sold a waterfront mansion in South Tampa for $3 million.

The couple sold the home on Beach Drive in the Belmar Shores area to Donna Marie Bocko and Andrew Richard Mintz, a married couple from New Jersey, according to Hillsborough County property records.

The Berkmans provided a $2.7 million mortgage for the purchase, according to property records. The loan is a balloon mortgage with a maturity date of June 30, 2016.

The Berkmans purchased… …read more

New mixed-use development in the works in North Hyde Park

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A mixed-use development with retail space and townhouses is in the works in North Hyde Park.

St. Petersburg-based Cardinal Point Management is proposing a mixed-use development at 301 N. Rome Ave., with 6,700 square feet of small-shop space and 23 townhouses.

The retail space would front North Rome Avenue, while the townhouses would line North Fig and North B streets, according to plans filed with the city.

There is a church on the site, which is just south of NoHo Flats, an apartment community… …read more