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Talk of the bay: Tampa looks east, focused on trade expansion

By Times staff
Published July 13, 2007

Tampa's got a date with China this fall. And dozens of area companies want to get to first base. The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce began accepting registrations Thursday for its first-ever trade mission to China, Oct. 14-24. The chamber will invite thousands of companies from Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties and beyond. Though many businesspeople are keen to import inexpensive Chinese goods into the Tampa Bay area, trip organizers are pushing Florida exports to China. The trip was timed to take advantage of a recently inaugurated container shipping service between Tampa and Shanghai. "There's a lot of empty containers looking for a ride back to Shanghai," Port of Tampa official Wade Elliot said.

Teamwork pays in disaster recovery
As a team, everyone achieves more. That's what state and local government officials, first responders and financial institution leaders and regulators practiced Thursday. The U.S. Department of Treasury, FloridaFIRST Tampa Bay regional financial coalition and Hillsborough County conducted a post-disaster exercise to get Hillsborough County's financial community to practice and update their recovery plans in conjunction with emergency personnel. In Thursday's hypothetical disaster scenario, team members responded to three terrorist explosions, first in New York City, then Chicago, and lastly Tampa. The response to this type of scenario would be similar to a natural disaster response, FloridaFIRST chairman Robert Otero said. "If you have a natural disaster and money doesn't get out on the street, you're going to have civil unrest," he said. "Banks need to make sure they have sufficient cash and that the ATMs are full."

Wheels turning on island hotel plan
Tampa's fancy Harbour Island needs a fancy place for you to lay your head. That's the thinking of Carl Lindell, the auto dealer turned property developer who has dibs on 3 acres of the island for what he calls an upscale boutique hotel. Lindell hopes to start construction next year near Plaza Harbour Island condominiums on Knights Run Avenue. The Westin Tampa Harbour Island is the neighborhood's sole lodging establishment, but an Embassy and Marriott across the bridge in downtown Tampa handle business from the city's convention center. Lindell hasn't released names of hotel chains he's considering.

[Last modified July 12, 2007, 23:00:07]