Times breaks ground on new Hernando headquarters

The two-story building along Cortez Boulevard will bring all the Hernando Times operations together in one central location.

By JAMIE JONES, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 24, 2002

BROOKSVILLE -- The Times Publishing Co. officially broke ground Tuesday on a new 30,000-square-foot building for the Hernando County edition of the St. Petersburg Times.

The two-story building will rise on 4.84 acres at Cortez Boulevard and Winter Street. With a glass and aluminum exterior and metal roof, the building is scheduled to open in about 10 months.

The new office will bring the paper's news, business and advertising departments under one roof in Hernando County, merging the existing Brooksville and Spring Hill bureaus into a central spot just east of the Suncoast Parkway.

"We're putting down some very deep roots in Hernando County," said Times editor and president Paul Tash. "It's a special moment for the St. Petersburg Times."

The Times is the county's largest newspaper with a circulation of about 30,000. The number of Hernando County readers has grown by more than 25 percent in the past decade.

The newspaper began work on the project about three years ago and hired CBB Architects and Hawkins Construction Inc. to design and build the regional office.

Leandro Arroyo, senior vice president with CBB, said the new office will have an inviting feel, with columns and a front porch facing traffic along Cortez Boulevard.

Timothy Emslie, vice president of Hawkins Construction, said he believes the modernistic building will be a landmark in Hernando County and perhaps encourage more interesting architecture along the busy stretch of Cortez Boulevard.

"This structure should attract similar types of designs," Emslie said.

Times chairman and CEO Andy Barnes said the building allows the newspaper to give a "physical embodiment" of its commitment to Hernando County.

The newspaper opened its Brooksville news bureau in 1972. Since then, the county has grown by more than 100,000 residents.

More than 60 people attended the groundbreaking ceremony, including representatives from the Hernando County Sheriff's Office and the Hernando County Commission.

"It's really a big day for the Times," said North Suncoast editor Bill Stevens.

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