Carillon developer shares more details on behemoth plan: ‘We’re building another city’

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The nearly 3-million-square-foot development Echelon LLC is planning in Carillon Park is designed as a miniature city in the heart of suburban St. Petersburg.

The buildings proposed for on the 16.5-acre site maximize the available land with dense, urban buildings — 20-story office towers and apartment towers atop parking decks with street-level retail. Echelon City Center, as the project is named, will commence this fall with the construction of a 14-story apartment tower near the Publix Super… …read more

Buckhorn: TECO Line Streetcar, regional transit a priority for second term

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Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn will continue to trumpet mass transit as a necessity for the Bay region in his second term.

Inaugurated Wednesday in a ceremony at the Tampa Convention Center, Buckhorn said the city will “transform the streetcar into a real means of transportation for residents and visitors.”

“Our investment in the streetcar is only one step forward,” he said. “We need more choices, walkable streets, more bike lanes, rail to the airport, job centers and eventually to St. Petersburg.”

Buckhorn… …read more

Lawyers on the Move: Jonathan H. Bernhardt

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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

Former HUD secretaries want to help more senior citizens live at home

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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

Good spring ahead for housing? Pending home sales up 3% in February

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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

Lawyers on the Move: Robert “Bob” Schumaker

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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

Lawyers on the Move: Kaitlyn Bagnato Statile

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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

Tampa developer surprised by success of Citrus Park apartments

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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

Why Bob Buckhorn uses dogs as a barometer of revitalization success in downtown Tampa

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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

From struggling mall to waterfront destination

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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