South Florida headlines

[Brickell]

Cirque du Soleil eyes South Beach

Miami Beach and Cirque du Soleil are in talks to bring the surreal show to South Beach permanently

BY DOUGLAS HANKS III

[email protected]

Miami Beach has begun talks with Cirque du Soleil to bring the whimsical human circus to South Beach permanently, officials confirmed Monday.

The deal under consideration would establish a ''resident'' Cirque du Soleil show at the city-owned Jackie Gleason Theater for most of the year, as the Montreal-based entertainment company has already done in Las Vegas and Orlando. The Gleason would be gutted and rebuilt to accommodate the elaborate and highly technical Cirque shows, officials said.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/11605276.htm

[Urban_Legend]

^Wow, that's interesting news! I've never seen the show, and never felt comfortable shelling out the money for the outrageous ticket prices for the show in Orlando.

[Aessotariq]

Excellent news for Miami's culture and arts scene...

[Aessotariq]

World Trade Center Miami and The Port of Miami Promote International Trade Between Florida Ports and South Africa

(Miami-Dade County, FL) -- The signing of the Sister Seaports Agreement will follow a workshop session examining trade opportunities with South Africa. South Africa is the second largest Sub-Saharan supplier to the United States with high value export products including platinum, diamonds, motor vehicles, wines and cocoa. The US sells motor vehicles, agricultural products, farm machinery, computers and aircraft. Trade with South Africa is likely to grow as the United States and the Southern Africa Customs Union work towards establishing a free trade agreement.

http://www.miamidade.gov/portofmiami/advis...5-05-09-wtc.asp

[miamistreets]

Will killer B's sting Miami's housing boom? Experts waffle

By Michael Lewis

Will Miami's housing market keep booming or bust? Expert panelists last week agreed that it will.

What they couldn't decide is which.

Everyone recognized skyrocketing prices. Nobody pointed to a retreat. But nobody denied one might be just around the corner.

That aligns panelists at Thursday's Florida International University event with most observers of Miami-Dade County's housing surge. While the three killer B's - balloon, bubble and bust - are in everyone's active vocabulary, so is that rosier "B" word, boom.

The rationale for the boom continuing is the nature of Greater Miami, which panelists see shielding us from trends including rising interest rates that will constrict housing demand throughout the US...

Full Article:Miami Today

[Dale]

Will killer B's sting Miami's housing boom? Experts waffle

By Michael Lewis

  Will Miami's housing market keep booming or bust? Expert panelists last week agreed that it will.

  What they couldn't decide is which.

  Everyone recognized skyrocketing prices. Nobody pointed to a retreat. But nobody denied one might be just around the corner.

  That aligns panelists at Thursday's Florida International University event with most observers of Miami-Dade County's housing surge. While the three killer B's - balloon, bubble and bust - are in everyone's active vocabulary, so is that rosier "B" word, boom.

  The rationale for the boom continuing is the nature of Greater Miami, which panelists see shielding us from trends including rising interest rates that will constrict housing demand throughout the US...

Full Article:Miami Today

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Seems upbeat overall. And it bears out my suspicions that the usual rules may not apply to the Miami boom.

[Aessotariq]

Posted on Thu, May. 12, 2005

FAST FOOD

Burger King expected to stay

After months of uncertainty, Burger King is set to announce that it will keep its headquarters in South Florida. A Coral Gables site is likely.

BY ELAINE WALKER

[email protected]

Burger King is expected to announce at a press conference this morning that its world headquarters will remain in Miami-Dade County.

But the fast-food chain is expected to move within the next few years from its base in the Waterford office complex at Blue Lagoon to a new building developer Armando Codina has planned for Coral Gables on the site of the current City National Bank of Florida building, according to sources familiar with the deal.

Burger King's future in Miami has been up in the air for months as the company considered moving to Texas and leaving the only place it has called home since founder James McLamore and his partner David Edgerton opened the first restaurant in 1954. Burger King has cited South Florida's high cost of real estate as a problem, making it tough for a company aiming to cut costs, clean up its balance sheet and ultimately go public.

Full article: Miami Herald

[Aessotariq]

South Florida's two military installations, Homestead Air Reserve Base and United States Southern Command were not included in the Defense Department's list of proposed realignments and closings, according to reports submitted by national media.

The fate of Homestead ARB has been in question since the late 1990s. Hurricane Andrew destroyed the former Homestead Air Force Base, and operations were reduced at the site.

Related Urbanplanet.org topics: [ | ]

[Brickell]

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/st...tml?t=printable

Commissioners approve UM's Metrozoo-area plan

The University of Miami scored a victory in its first foray as a large residential developer when Miami-Dade County commissioners granted initial approval for its planned community near the Miami Metrozoo.

Despite objections from some environmentalists about the development's possible impact on a forest, the commissioners unanimously voted May 9 to change the zoning for UM's site in the comprehensive plan from institutional and public facility to residential. If the state approves it within the 30-day timeframe, the university could submit a site plan with 1,200 residential units, some commercial uses and public facilities for the 136-acre site.

University officials have said the profits would support its endowment fund.

[Aessotariq]

EDUCATION

Medical school tops FIU, UCF wish lists

Hoping to boost their prestige and prevent what some predict will be a doctor shortage, Florida International University and the University of Central Florida want to build new medical schools.

BY NOAH BIERMAN

[email protected]

For the past two decades, new U.S. medical schools have become about as rare as a doctor's house call.

When Florida State University welcomed its inaugural class four years ago, it became the only med school to open in the country since 1983. None have opened since.

More: Miami Herald

[Aessotariq]

Miami looking good to firms not wanting to wait out Scripps lawsuits

By Chrystian Tejedor

and Cadence Mertz Staff Writers

Posted May 16 2005

Palm Beach County knows that biotech clusters across the country could be stiff competition as it tries to attract businesses to its stalled Scripps-led biotech campus. But the county might not have counted on competition from an upstart biotech effort in Miami.

Miami could prove to be a drain on the county's grand plans for attracting biotech businesses to its planned campus-like research park. With Scripps Florida bogged down in lawsuits, the buzz it generated has quieted, and the project has lost some of the daunting momentum it once had. Some companies may opt to head farther south rather than wait for the lawsuits to clear....

Read more: Sun-Sentinel (limited time)

[miamistreets]

Tourism officials hit TV to combat summer blahs

By Claudio Mendon

[Aessotariq]

Posted on Thu, May. 19, 2005

SUPERMARKETS

Not your mami's bodega

Publix woos hispanic customers with Publix Sabor, a full-sized specialty store that caters to the local market

BY ELAINE WALKER

[email protected]

Publix is bringing some Sabor to Hialeah.

The new Hispanic-themed Publix Sabor, which means flavor, opens its doors today, as the state's largest grocery chain tries to take on Sedano's and the other specialty markets that have traditionally dominated this market niche.

While Publix has for years customized the mix at many of its South Florida stores with a wide selection of Hispanic products, this takes the idea to the next level. The Hialeah location at 1585 W. 49th St., is the second Publix Sabor; another opened last month in Kissimmee.

The move comes as a variety of retailers aim to capitalize on the rapidly increasing size and purchasing power of the Hispanic population.

Read more: Miami Herald

More info from Publix website

[Urban_Legend]

^That's pretty neat. Publix is also opening a few "Greenwise Market"s in Palm Beach County. It's basically Publix's answer to the rise in popularity of Whole Foods.

[Aessotariq]

Posted on Sat, May. 21, 2005

RETAIL

Sunrise may get first Florida IKEA

A Sunrise location could be the site for the first IKEA store in Florida. Sunrise Mayor Steven Feren said the furniture retailer's proposal was serious, although it still has a long way to go in the planning.

BY DIANA MOSKOVITZ AND ELAINE WALKER

[email protected]

Swedish furniture retailer IKEA may be coming to Sunrise.

The potential site is the former Blockbuster Golf and Games at Northwest 136th Avenue and State Road 84. The 25-acre site is owned by Stiles Corp.

This would be the first location in Florida for the international retailer known for its cheap, chic furniture. The first store in the Southeast is set to open June 29 in Atlanta.

Stiles submitted applications, including one for IKEA, and site plans for the project to Sunrise earlier this month.

The proposed plans call for a 292,590-square-foot IKEA store along with three other retail buildings as part of a project called ''The Gateway at Sawgrass.'' The development also would keep the Wellesley Inn already at the site.

Read more: Miami Herald

[Urban_Legend]

I've heard good things about this store. This is good news.

[Aessotariq]

The Port of Miami and the South African ports of Durban and Cape Town have signed a Sister Seaports Agreement, designed to increase and facilitate trade between South Africa and the United States. The Port of Miami already has major container operations with Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Port of Miami has also recently established strong ties with ports in China. It is the largest container port in Florida.

Major South African exports to the U.S.: platinum, diamonds, motor vehicles, wines and cocoa.

Major U.S. exports to South Africa: motor vehicles, agricultural products, farm machinery, computers and aircraft.

[Urban_Legend]

^That's good news. I've never realized just how important that port is.

[Aessotariq]

Miami-Dade was able to keep Burger King, but it looks like Broward won't be able to keep Arby's. Their current headquarters can be seen off of I-95 and Cypress Creek Road in Fort Lauderdale. DHL is here to stay, though (they're in Plantation off of I-595 and Pine Island Road).

Posted on Wed, Jun. 01, 2005

RESTAURANTS

Arby's plans to leave Broward

Arby's corporate headquarters will leave Fort Lauderdale as part of a deal announced by its parent company Triarc. It plans to move to Atlanta.

BY ELAINE WALKER

[email protected]

Arby's will close its Fort Lauderdale headquarters, the result of a merger deal announced Tuesday between the fast-food chain and its largest subsidiary.

After Arby's parent company, Triarc Cos., completes its purchase of RTM Restaurant Group, the combined company will relocate to Atlanta where RTM is based. The purchase is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter...

the rest: Miami Herald

[Urban_Legend]

That's rather unfortunate. But I think we're so large, we won't take a drastic hit from losing this company. If more companies followed suit in each county, you'd feel it.

But Atlanta?!

[Toucano]

This is an issue which is going to plague much of the tri-county area for quite some time now, rising real-estate costs are going to continue to scare away potential large companies unless the state or counties step in and offer some kind of incentive.

[Brickell]

The dark clouds keep appearing on the horizon. It's only a matter of time before these become self fufilling prophecies.

Analysts skeptical about condo developments near river

... But real estate analyst Michael Y. Cannon, managing director of Integra Realty Resources South Florida, said he doubts most of the planned projects will get off the ground.

"I see very few of them being built," he said. "The question is, 'why aren't they being built if they got approved?' "

The market, he said, "may be not be responding to these approvals" and is looking elsewhere instead.

The number of residences planned along the river could prove to be a headache for developers, some experts warn.

"Real demand - from people moving in, renters who are going to be buyers and foreign buyers - does not equal supply," said Jack Winston of Goodkin Consulting Corp. "You're going to have a lot of units sitting in the market."...

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/050609/story7.shtml

[miamistreets]

Why can't anybody be postive?

I think condo's along the river would look great,specially for the residents in the condos.

[miamistreets]

County could take over terminal construction soon

By Sherri C. Ranta

Miami-Dade County commissioners could decide June 21 to take over the American Airlines North Terminal construction project at Miami International Airport.

Commissioners plan to consider contracts that would put the $1.9 billion project into the county's hands, hire Parsons-Odebrecht Joint Venture as managing general contractor with a completion date of 2009 and retain Alpha Construction and Engineering to handle all claims associated with American's tenure, said George Burgess, county manager.

The proposed agreements come after months of negotiations with American Airlines. Initially, there did not seem to be interest on the part of American to provide additional funding, but Mr. Burgess said Monday that airline officials are now being cooperative.

Under new agreements, American would pay $110 million to the county over the next 10 years to mitigate costs associated with construction delays and contractor claims while in charge of the North Terminal.

"What we put on the table is a fair number," Mr. Burgess said. The money will be above what American Airlines would pay in fees to use the new terminal once it is completed. Provisions in the contracts provide alternative ways to recover the money if American goes into bankruptcy.

Full:Miami Today

I like what theyre doing in M.I.A. in and around it.Its looking so good,the new parking.And a new terminal is better.

[Brickell]

Rolling on the River: Officials Show Off Transformation of Miami River

...