One Liners

► Children First, in Sarasota, has received a six-year, $1.251 million grant from the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, to amplify family strengthening services. ►Centennial Bank provided a $20 million loan for construction and permanent financing to a joint venture composed of Casto Group, a real estate services firm, and Shawn Kaleta, a local, real

►Franklin Street arranged the sale of Shoppes on Fourth, a newly built, 9,030-square-foot shopping center at 1300 Fourth St. N., St. Petersburg, to Fleming Island-based Reinhold Corp. for $6.7 million. ► Community Action Stops Abuse, or CASA, received a $1 million gift from the Virginia and David Baldwin Foundation to address domestic violence in Pinellas

►Cushman & Wakefield has negotiated the sale of a 756,038-square-foot office portfolio in Tampa for $156.9 million, which includes 501 E. Kennedy Blvd. in downtown Tampa, and four buildings in the Westshore District, Westshore Corporate Center, Cypress Center I, Cypress Center II and Cypress Center III. ►Ronald Christaldi, a partner with the law firm Shumaker,

►Amazon will occupy a 1.1 million-square-foot distribution center under development by Prologis on C. Fred Jones Boulevard, south of Interstate 4, near the State Road 559 interchange in Auburndale. ► Hospitality veteran John Loute was named general manager of SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Lakeland. ► Polk County Manager Bill Beasley appointed Chandra Frederick to

►Michael Saunders & Co. was named the exclusive listing broker for Epoch, an 18-story condominium tower under construction in downtown Sarasota. ►Tableseide Restaurant Group opened a Lakewood Ranch location of Libby’s Neighborhood Brasserie at 8445 Lorraine Road in University Corner. ►Norman Love Confections will open the company’s sixth “chocolate salon” at University Town Center in

►Gates Construction, based in Bonita Springs, was awarded the contract to build Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille at the new St. Pete Pier, set to open in the spring. ► Valley Bank is partnering with the Pinellas Education Foundation to help fund scholarships for students in the Foundation’s “Youth Connect” program by contributing a

►Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa named Evan Leutwiler as chef de cuisine at Pool Bar & Grill, the new poolside dining destination affiliated with the recent unveiling of the resort’s newest hotel, dining and gaming expansion. ►Rebekah Nault, an account manager at PBX-Change in Tampa, was appointed honorary commander for  MacDill Air Force

►Four of Florida Polytechnic University’s bachelor’s degrees have received accreditation by the Computing and Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology.  ► The National Science Foundation awarded Florida Polytechnic University a $350,000 grant that enables the development of a

►The Farmhouse, a furniture, home décor and doughnut shop, opened its first location in Sarasota at 4001 Clark Road. ►Commercial contractor Jon F. Swift Construction was awarded the contract for the Legacy Trail extension project, by Sarasota County, with a total project budget of $26.2 million. ►Tembo Enterprises sold a 1.44-acre parcel in Sarasota to

►The Tampa Marriott Water Street completed its multiphase transformation following an 18-month restoration, renovation and expansion. ►Metropolitan Ministries’ Metro BrigAIDe AmeriCorps program was named the 2019 Outstanding Service Program of the year at a reception held in Washington, D.C. ►Cushman & Wakefield negotiated the sale of Watermans Crossing, a multifamily community positioned along the Hillsborough

►Nova Southeastern University opened its Tampa Bay regional campus at 3400 Gulf to Bay Blvd., in Clearwater. ► Advanced Training Systems, based in St. Petersburg, opened an additional facility in Vista, California, which will house an enhanced simulator research, development and training facility. ► St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman was named an “outstanding public official”

►Carvana, a virtual seller of used automobiles based in Tempe, Arizona , plans to construct a nearly $47 million facility in Haines City. ► Galaxy Bar Lakeland, a nostalgic dive-bar, opened at 5153 U.S. 98 N., Lakeland. ► Four Florida Polytechnic University bachelor’s degrees, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering, have been