Business Observer

Crews Bank & Trust recently broke ground on its new branch in Englewood, which will be built where its predecessor was destroyed by Hurricane Ian in 2022. “Four years ago, almost to the day, Hurricane Ian came through and devastated this community and many of our customers,” Joe Cataldo, Crews Bank & Trust area president for Englewood-Boca Grande, said at the Aug. 26 groundbreaking ceremony.

Residents of the north end of Longboat Key in Manatee County are most likely familiar with the glass building that neighbors Whitney’s restaurant near Broadway Street. If plans submitted by the new owners of the building are approved, the 5,400-square-foot former bank building will soon be demolished to make way for an ambitious expansion by Whitney’s. An entity connected to the restaurant, Whitney LBK LLC, bought the property in October for $1.2 million, Manatee County property records show.

The developers of Sarasota’s master-planned community Palmer Ranch – Palmer Ranch Holdings, headed up by philanthropist and businessman Hugh Culverhouse — received unanimous approval from Sarasota County commissioners for its latest project: Palmer East. Proposed to be built over 20 years, the master-planned development would include 5,700 homes and nearly 1.5 million square feet of commercial space east of the Interstate 75 interchange at State Road 681 near Nokomis in south Sarasota County.

CenterSquare Investment Management, a suburban Philadelphia real estate firm, has bought the Pasco County shopping center the Hub at Bexley. The firm, according to a statement, bought the 50,300-square-foot Land O’Lakes shopping center in part because it “fits our thesis to target service-oriented retail” and also serves as a gathering space. The Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, firm did not disclose a purchase price, but Pasco records show it paid $28.75 million.

Bruce Patneaude came to Nathan Benderson Park as COO three years ago from IMG Academy in Bradenton for one primary reason: to build a boathouse and indoor sports and recreation complex. That mission is moving apace. On Aug. 26, he told the Sarasota County Commission the Nathan Benderson Park Multi-Sport Complex and Boathouse will be completed by summer 2028.

The Humane Society of Manatee County is preparing for its 2.5-acre campus south of downtown Bradenton to undergo an update. Early cost estimates place the construction project at $13.5 million, HSMC Executive Director Rick Yocum tells the Business Observer. “A major gift and overwhelming community support have made our campus transformation a reality,” Yocum says in a statement.

Clearwater Beach’s newest beachfront luxury resort has opened three new restaurants along its scenic, winding Beach Walk promenade, a Tuesday announcement says. Lolita’s Coastal Cocina, Float Malt Shop & Creamery and Beach Market are open to the public inside the street level of the Opal Sol resort — the latest all-suite offering from hotelier Opal Collection.

Since 1967, a plot of land surrounded by nobby-kneed cypress trees, moss-laden oaks and aging student apartments north of Fletcher Avenue in Tampa had been a hidden-away golf course the University of South Florida named “The Claw.” USF lore says the name came from a tree on the 14th hole that bore a large and distinctive claw-shaped branch.

Meade Lewis, the founder and CEO of Tampa-based mIQroTech, has agreed to plead guilty to defrauding investors by lying in fundraising pitches. According to federal court records, Lewis’ hearing is set for Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. in Tampa. A copy of the plea agreement shows he has agreed to plead guilty to one count of wire fraud. He faces 20 years in prison and will have to forfeit $7.9 million.

Meade Lewis, the founder and CEO of Tampa-based mIQroTech, has agreed to plead guilty to defrauding investors by lying in fundraising pitches. According to federal court records, Lewis’ hearing is set for Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. in Tampa. A copy of the plea agreement shows he has agreed to plead guilty to one count of wire fraud. He faces 20 years in prison and will have to forfeit $7.9 million.