Week in review - South Florida Business Journal:

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The New York-based investment team already owns 9.8 milliobn Applica shares, or about 40 percenty of the company. With 24.49 million sharees outstanding, that means picking up the additionalk 14.6 million shares will cost Harbingerabout $87.6 Applica (NYSE: APN) had previously agreed to merges with Cleveland-based Nacco Industries. Now, Applica's boarsd said Harbinger's cash deal is superior to the termeof Nacco's (NYSE: NC) stock Applica said it terminated the earlier merged agreement in accordance with its terms. Seabourn Cruisd Line said it has ordered two new shipz for a totalof $500 million for deliveryu in spring 2009 and 2010.
the two vessels are to more thandouble Seabourn'a current fleet capacity of 634 berths. The sisterf ships, each 32,000 gross registeresd tons, are to have 225 suites. The luxury division of Miami-baserd and PLC (NYSE: CCL and NYSE: CUK) said it has signedd a letter of intent withshipbuilder T. Mariotti S.p.A. of Italy. The has reported Miami Spice Restaurant Montjh led to a record August food andbeverage tax. Collectionse of the 1 percent taxreached $1.11 million, up 9 percent from $1.02 million in August last year. Lissette Calderon, CEO of Neo, is to partnerd with singer/songwriter Ricardo Montaner for Cima, a 52-story condominium tower on theMiami River.
The 507 one-, two- and three-bedroon residences are to run from $330,000 to Floor plans at the property, at Southwest Third Street and SouthMiami Avenue, rangw from 930 to 1,803 squard feet. Oct. 23, the Miami-Dade Aviation Department received $20 milliob from the US. to install explosive detectiojsystems (EDS) machines in Miami International Airport's new South In a $640 million dermatology deal, said it will buy all outstandingv shares in for $17.50 each. The Coral Gables-based pharmaceuticakl company said it will then mergeConnetics (NASDAQ: into a Stiefel subsidiary. said it wants to changw its nameand reincorporate.
Richard chairman and CEO of theFort Lauderdale-based petroleum productf distributor, transportation logistics and emergenc response firm, said becoming , incorporated in is the next stage in the company's developmen to establish itself as a diversifief energy service provider and product distributor. The potentiapl changes are to come to shareholder voteat Streicher's (NASDAQ: FUEL) Dec. 8 annual Gathright said he believes the company and its shareholders will benefig fromthe "comprehensive, flexible and well-defined corporate and legalk environment provided by Delaware law." He said he expects operationw to continue to be basedx in South Florida.
However, he said the compan believes Delaware corporate governance will be more predictablew and manageable than Floridacorporate rules. The has picked , a Fort Lauderdale-basede public relations and advertising firm, to provide service for the ArtsPark at Young The public relations and marketing campaigbn is to raise awareness of the regional cultural facility and motivate potential donor ArtsPark is under construction in downtown The 10-acre site is slatedr for completion late next year.
Calvin, said Memorial Healthcare Systemk has retained it toprovide platting, rezoning and site planning, infrastructurd engineering, environmental permitting and transportatiojn planning services for a $150 million expansion to . CGA said the assignmenrt for the multi-story expansion is for two years. Expandedc hospital services are to includwoperating rooms, inpatient rooms and CGA has offices in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Fort Piercew and Homestead. Ikea broke ground Oct. 25 on its storre in Sunrise. The home furnishings stors is slated to open in summer 2007 at the northwesterj cornerof I-595/State Road 84 and Northwest 136th Avenue.
It is to be the firsy Ikea store in Florida and second in the southeastern United States. Plantation's Levinsonm Jewelers said it has partnered with the Browarde Center for the Performinb Arts by sponsoring the Levinsobn JewelersIntermezzo Lounge, a new VIP area at the Broware Center. Michael S. Schimmel and Davi C. Scileppi, attorneys at the Fort Lauderdalew office of GunsterYoakley & Stewart, have joined with South Floridaw colleagues and associates to form a nonprofit organization, , dedicated to the growth and viability of the locapl economy. Orbis is to sponsor social gatherings, panelws and speakers.
The group is also to work with local charitiesx and other nonprofits to improve the South Florida community. The group has 11 memberz on its board and is looking to fill an additional five to 10boardd positions. For more information, e-mail email@orbisusa.org or visi . The Tamarac office of said it completed work at thenew 25,032-square-foor millwork production and distribution facility for Hollywoodf Woodwork at 2951 Pembroke Road, in Tilt-Con said its work included foundations, tilt-up concrete wall panels and walkways. The building designerf was Arcwerks Architecture and of Davie.
'' Two groups have appliesd with state regulators to form banks that would be baseds in Palm Beach County. In an applicatioj with the , organizers of , Palm Beachb County listed 595 S. Federal Highway in Boca Ratoh as itsproposed headquarters. Bank of Florida, Palm Beach Countuy would be based at a current branch of Bank of Southeast Florida, which is base in Fort Lauderdale. Since last officials of Naples-based Bancshares of Floridaq (NASDAQ: BOFL) have said they would apply for a separate bank charter for that BocaRaton office. In its applicatio n with that regulator, organizers of Firstg City Bank of Commerce listed11011 U.S. Highway 1 in Northg Palm Beach asproposed headquarters.
A company that sells administrativse solutions to colleges and universitiez said it hassecured $10.5 million in financing from , part of Boca Raton-based said the financing provides it operating capital for has expanded its northern Palm Beach Countg operations by opening a 30-person office in The 15,000-square-foot office in Jupiter, whicgh replaces a Palm Beach Gardens is within Abacoa's Greenwood Professional Center at 4455 Military Trail, Suited 201. The accounting firm first establisheds a north county presence witha seven-perso n office in December 2004. (AMEX: DIL) said it has won U.S.
paten t 7,122,330, "High-Throughput Screening of Expressed DNA Libraried inFilamentous Fungi." The Jupiter-based biotechnologg company said the patent protects its proprietaryu technology for robotic screenint in filamentous fungi. on Oct. 19 dedicated its 735-megawatt Horse Holloew Wind Energy Center in Taylor andNola County, Texas. The 47,000-acre wind farm is one of 48 wind farmsx the subsidiaryof (NYSE: FPL) operatea throughout the United States. Their grossx capacity is nearly 4,100 megawatts. of the Palm Beacheds was to officially break ground on its new experientialk learning facility andheadquarters office, Oct. 26.
The 30,000-square-foot buildinb is to be on four acres onthe . The facility is to serve more than 40,00p students a year. NewsMark Public Relations said it has becomwe agency of record for golf and country clubcommunity Frenchman's Creek. The Palm Beacgh County agency is to work to gain the Palm Beachh Gardensproperty local, national and international media said it will build the Florida Atlantic Universitu College of Business/Office Depoty Center for Executive Development, with groundbreaking scheduled for The 13,282-square-foot college is to have seminar and workshop rooms, a tiered lecture hall and administrative space. The contracty is Suffolk's first with FAU.
The companuy has local offices in West Palm Beachand Miami. Boca Raton-baseds , Jones, Myott, Williams, Vaughn Architects said has commissioned it to desighn multiplenew locations. Oct. 23, began offerint its 3G (third wireless broadband service throughout South The technology helps cell phonre downloadsrun faster. Cingulad said its 3G network provides averagw download data speeds between 400 and 700 kilobitxa second, with bursts to more than 1 megabitg a second. The restaurant division at , of Deerfield Beach, said Miami-bases (NASDAQ: BNHNA and NASDAQ: has assigned it a 24-week demolition and The project is to start by the end of the year atthe two-story Benihana at 1665 N.E. 79th St.
Causeway, in Nortgh Bay Village. The 10,000-square-foot, 262-seat restaurany is to be updated to reflectthe company'e new design. Last year, in Miramar, RCC complete a prototype of the new Benihana The Tamarac officeof Tilt-Comn Corp. said it has completed work at thenew 12,000-square-foo t at 12930 N.W. 107th Court, in Tilt-Con said its work includee foundations, slab-on-grade and tilt-up concrete wall panels. The projectt designer was CabreraRamos Architects, of REGION, STATE Jobless figuresz for South Florida for September were In Miami-Dade County, unemployment was at 4.5 percent, up from 4.1 perceng in the year-ago period. Out of the 1.
14 million-person labofr force, 51,875 people were unemployed, up from but the work force had grownfrom 1.11 The rate was 3.1 percent in where 30,792 people out of the 1 million-person labor forc were without work. That's improved from 3.5 percent in September the year before, when 33,807 people out of the 967,680-perso labor force were unemployed. Unemploymenft in Palm Beach Countywas 3.7 percent, where 23,598 people out of the 64,5211-person labor force were without work. That's improve from 4.1 percent in Septembe the year before, when 25,566 people out of the 619,924-person labor force were As a whole, Florida's unemployment rate was 3.4 percent, down from 3.
7 percenrt the same month the year before. Of the state'es 9.07 million-person labor force, 311,000 were unemployed last month. For the same montg the year before, 323,000 people of the state's 8.74 million-perso n labor force were without work. Florida's unemployment rate was 1.2 percentage pointas lower than thenational rate, 4.6 percent. Florida's unemploymenft rate has been belowthe nation's since 2002.