Sarasoto County Control Growth Now
One path leads to gridlock, higher taxrs, polution and other problems caused by over overgrowth.  On Tursday, March 13, all voters in Sarasota County will have a chance to vote for better control of growth in the cities. A Charter amendment will be on the ballot. It provides that if a City annexes land, County land use rules apply unless the County and the City have a Joint Planning Agreement. Control Growth Now News

Herald-Tribune: Defunct Builder Costs Florida Bank Millions
The parent of Coast Bank of Florida will post a $17.3 million loss for 2006 as it tries to recover from a major loan crisis. The company said Friday it has added $21 million to its loan-loss reserve, $14 million of which is tied to 482 loans it made to customers of a defunct home builder.  After an "exhaustive" review of those loans, which originally totaled $110 million, Coast now believes it stands to lose $14 million at most.

Lawyer's client list grows in Coast case
A Sarasota attorney is representing at least 100 clients who are ready to take on Coast Bank and the developer who left them saddled with mortgages on unfinished homes. Tannenbaum said he is planning a class action against CCI and the entities that packaged the real estate investment deals - including Seashore Resorts and American Mortgage Link.

Florida builders lobby for code reprieve
Florida's home building industry is pushing to delay tougher building codes, claiming hurricane protections sought by Gov. Charlie Crist and passed by the Legislature in January come too fast.  "While your efforts will bring forth reductions in property insurance rates, the very law that provides the relief has spawned an immediate, and minimum, $72 million negative impact on Florida's second largest economic engine the construction industry," wrote John Wiseman, president of the Florida Home Builders Association, in a letter asking Crist to issue an emergency order delaying the new building requirements.

St Pete Times - Pine Ridge residents up in arms over builder
In the evocatively named community of Pine Ridge at Sugar Creek, recent events have not been so sweet for residents. Built at the height of Pasco's residential market boom nearly two years ago, homes at the development on State Road 52 used to sell for $300,000. But when residents found out the developer sold some neighboring houses for $199,000 last month, they saw a telling signal - and it wasn't about sagging markets or buyer's remorse.

Indian River County revokes builder's license
A Sebastian home builder lost his county license Tuesday and a Stuart aluminum contractor got 30 days to save his.In an 8-0 vote, the county Construction Board of Adjustment and Appeals permanently revoked Eligha Lewis Pryor Jr.'s home-building license in Indian River County after several angry customers — and even his onetime loyal office manager — lined up to accuse him of taking deposits and failing to complete contracts.

Name change should foil fraudulent contractors
Since July 1, the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation has received 791 complaints about unlicensed construction activity. "It's been a problem for years," said Richard Hickok, executive director of the Constructions Trade Quality Board for the city of Jacksonville. Hickok said properly licensed contractors must post bonds so consumers can seek compensation for shoddy work.

Help residents harden homes
Floridians need rate relief now, but they also need to be encouraged to make their homes stronger and better able to withstand hurricane winds. That means a true statewide building code, incentives for adding storm shutters and other improvements, and clear reductions in premiums for homeowners' investments...Cutting premiums may provide immediate relief, but one of the long-term answers to the property insurance crisis is to ensure Florida homes are better able to withstand hurricane-force winds.

Debts piling up in Husani's wake
The pending foreclosures are the first sign of financial trouble resulting from the series of multimillion-dollar transactions by Husani and Tringali during the last two years -- Husani and Tringali inflated land values through property flips. They then used values that were way above what the market was paying to get bank loans that not only covered the original cost of the land but provided Tringali with more money to finance development...Between July 2004 and January 2006, Husani spent $42 million for about 1,900 acres of land. He then sold the property to Tringali in cashless transactions for $98 million, and Tringali used the high purchase prices and accompanying appraisals to obtain $83 million in loans from seven banks.

Dream house sours
...after pouring $400,000 into the construction of the home in South Tampa, Edward J. Gollobith ended up with shoddy workmanship and an eyesore that neighbors and the city want rectified or torn down. If it's not enough that Gollobith might have to demolish the half-million dollar home he has never lived in, the city plans to fine him $100 a day if he does not either apply for permits to complete the home or bulldoze it by Dec. 27. He has put the property up for sale but is not optimistic he'll get a buyer...Building officials across Florida say consumers can run into problems no matter how careful they are because several areas of the local and state construction system are broken.