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Talk of the bay: Raytheon cuts 35 workers at Largo plant

By TBASSINGERN
Published July 20, 2007

Raytheon Co. laid off 35 production workers at its Largo plant, effective today. A spokesman for the defense contractor said the cuts were triggered by production changes at the facility, which makes military communications equipment. Following the layoffs, Raytheon will have 710 employees in Largo and another 925 in St. Petersburg.

Housing auction hopes to inject life

Bring out your dead - and auction them off. A group of real estate agents who grumble about a lifeless local housing market will jointly auction 40 houses and condos at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium on July 28. Anthony Marottoli of Sel-Fast Real Estate dubs it the first mass auction of Realtor-listed homes in the region. Home values range from about $100,000 to $1-million on properties in northern Pinellas County, Trinity, New Port Richey and Feather Sound. "We're trying to wake up this dead real estate market," Marottoli said. One catch, though: Sellers can decline to accept the auction price. Prospective bidders can tour the homes this weekend. More Information is available best realestateauction.com.

Cryo-Cell voting backs leadership

Cryo-Cell International Inc. said its management and board survived a nasty proxy battle earlier this week, according to a preliminary count of shareholders' votes. The Oldsmar company extended voting hours during the annual meeting Monday as it aggressively lobbied investors. A major shareholder had proposed an alternate slate of directors to revive the money-losing stem-cell storage company. Final tabulation and certification of the votes by an independent party are not expected until next week.

Rinker wants dock at Tampa's port

One of the nation's largest producers of heavy building materials could be headed to Tampa's port. West Palm Beach-based Rinker Materials wants to lease 36 acres for a terminal to import and export construction materials. Under a proposed contract, the Tampa Port Authority would spend up to $8-million to dredge parts of East Bay to a depth of 41 feet. Rinker would build a dock up to 950 feet long. Under the 40-year lease, the company will pay nearly $1.3-million in annual rent by the second year the terminal is open, making Rinker one of the port's biggest tenants.

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[Last modified July 19, 2007, 23:34:45]