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By CHRISTINE COSDON
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 15, 2001
LARGO -- Sculptor Frank Miranda envisioned an upscale art gallery as well as a workshop and home for himself when he bought two run-down houses on a piece of property in Largo's Main Street redevelopment area.
It took three years to achieve his vision.
When some of the quotes for the renovation work came in high, he took on the jobs himself.
"I learned how to do my own plumbing," he said. "And I'm really good at taking out bathrooms and putting them back together."
He refinished wood floors, created a patio, built an 800-square-foot workshop and put in central heating and air conditioning.
"My dad was a lot of help," said the 40-year-old native of Sicily, who moved here 22 years ago from Toronto. It likely would have cost a lot more than the $72,000 he paid for the property if he had hired out the work, he said.
Recently, his work progressed so that he could open a workshop, Knock on Wood, and a fine-art gallery, Miranda Gallery.
During the three-year project, he made some unusual discoveries.
He learned from neighborhood old-timers that ponies, donkeys and chickens once were kept on the property. In digging around, he found teeth from small horses and some interesting old bottles. He came across some shoemaking tools while fixing up the second house at the back of the property.
"When I started putting in plants along the driveway, I was surprised that everything thrived," he said. "Later, I learned there used to be chicken coops there."
"And before I started taking out walls, someone told me I shouldn't be surprised if the work brought out some old ghosts," he said.
He said he is just superstitious enough that "when I tore down my first wall I couldn't sleep that whole night." Nothing happened.
A large orange-and-red cat that answers to Big Red or Pumpkin greets customers and then disappears. "He's adopted us," said Judy Leitner, gallery sales associate.
Miranda, who has been a wood sculptor for more than 20 years, annually has shows at 25 to 30 art shows in Florida and as far north as Virginia. "Hopefully, this will be my last year of doing a lot of shows," he said. "With the gallery, I'd like to be able to scale back on the shows."
The gallery features other artists, as well as Miranda's wood carvings -- large water birds standing in cypress bases, playful portraits of fish, birds and mammals made of large pieces of driftwood, decorative wood mirrors, some hand-carved fishing lure mobiles and colorful wood fish skeletons. He charges from $15 to $2,500 for his carvings; other artwork at the gallery can run as high as $345, the price of a hand-blown glass punch bowl.
Among the works in the gallery are large glass pieces by Cindy Giamporcaro of Glass Marks in Tarpon Springs, graphics by Peggy Gallaher of Largo, sand sculptures by Robert and Hazel Bugna of High Springs, pottery and ceramics by Nancy Phelps of Largo, pottery by Steve Kravec of Naples, Sebastian Inlet metal sculpture, and glass art by Salazar Co. in Fort Myers.
Future plans for the property, Miranda said, include turning the patio area into a display area for outdoor art and tables and chairs where gallerygoers can consider purchases and sip coffee.
Miranda Gallery is at 1764 Clearwater-Largo Road. Phone is 518-0071.
Lucas Prewett, executive vice president of ProVise Management Group, with offices in Clearwater, Largo and Tampa, has received the additional title of chief operating officer and will assume responsibility for the company's administrative operations. He is a certified financial planner licensee with more than 30 years of experience.
The ProVise independent financial planning firm supervises more than $800-million for clients on a fee or commission basis.
Dr. Anthony Robert "Bob" Morelli has joined the Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, 300 East Bay Drive, Largo, as an associate physician responsible for collaborating with local pediatricians in providing end-of-life care to children in Pinellas County.
He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine and has more than 20 years of experience as a pediatrician. He works as a volunteer at the Clearwater Free Clinic, providing pediatric care to children of needy families.
Hospice of the Florida Suncoast cares daily for more than 1,350 seriously ill people and their families in Pinellas County.
MarineMax, a recreational boat retailer in Clearwater, has acquired Associated Marine Technologies, a privately held, full-service yacht repair facility near Fort Lauderdale with an annual revenue of approximately $8-million.
The terms of the business purchase, a cash deal, were not disclosed. MarineMax also acquired Associated's property and buildings for approximately $3.7-million in a financed transaction.
"As our customers continue to migrate toward larger and larger yachts, the Associated acquisition will ensure that our service capabilities keep pace with their needs," said William H. McGill, chairman and chief executive officer of MarineMax.
Charles A. Buford of Harper, Kynes, Geller, Watson & Buford in Clearwater has been accepted into the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an association limited to attorneys who have won million and multimillion-dollar verdicts, awards and settlements. Members must have acted as principal counsel in at least one case in which their client has received a verdict, award or settlement in the amount of $1-million or more.
Buford is a graduate of the University of Florida School of Law and specializes in trial practice, business and commercial litigation.
Jeffrey P. Coleman, who has a law practice in Clearwater, has been appointed chair of the securities section of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, a national organization with a focus on consumer safety, right to trial by jury and the civil justice system. Coleman practices in the areas of stockbroker and bank fraud, personal injury and estate planning.
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