Tropical Tidbits grows, a new Panera Bread, Akerman LLP on the move
Tropical Tidbits Continues to Grow in Popularity
You might not know it, but one of the most popular forecasters in the Southeast resides right here in Tallahassee. Levi Cowan has been tracking the Atlantic Hurricane Season for almost two decades now and presents his forecast discussions online at his website Tropical Tidbits. He also happens to be a P.hD student in tropical meteorology at the Florida State University. He is well-followed by other academic experts, forecasters, hobbyists, and everyday folks. His website provides a seamless link to storm data from reconnaissance missions, computational forecast models, satellite imagery, and more. When a tropical disturbance approaches the United States, his website tends to slow down just from the deluge of users accessing the site and its weather data.
His most popular creation is a series of daily forecasts that begin whenever a potential tropical threat emerges in the Atlantic. The short videos, or, "tidbits" are designed to be viewed by anyone who may have an interest in following a particular storm. While academics and forecasters may follow tidbits, no expertise is needed at all. His videos are widely disseminated as tropical cyclones come and go; a recent forecast video garnered half a million views as Hurricane Dorian approached our coast. With three months left until the end of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, you may want to keep his video forecasts in mind. And of course: please refer to the National Hurricane Center and your local National Weather Service office for official storm information.
Panera Bread Slated For Apalachee Parkway
Panera Bread intends to construct a new location in town. The site is on Apalachee Pkwy, directly across the street from Target. Preliminary plans detail a 4,300 sqft structure with ample parking and outdoor seating. They also plan to include a drive-thru with the new building. With this additional store, Panera can either continue to operate their nearby Blairstone location, or phase it out for this newer one. I would posit that the latter is a more likely outcome.
New Hotel Planned for Apalachee and Lafayette
An out-of-town firm, Equinox Development, has plans for a new hotel nestled between Apalachee Parkway and East Lafayette St. It won't be their first project in the neighborhood- Equinox was the developer for the nearby Chuy's. For this project, they're planning to construct a 3-story hotel with fifty-seven rooms. No word yet on what brand of hotel will go in, but the developers have experience working with a multitude of national brands.
Akerman LLP Relocating to the Ballard Building
Akerman LLP, a Miami-based law firm with offices throughout the U.S., will be vacating its current Downtown location to move into 201 East Park Ave, more popularly known as the Ballard Building. The firm will be taking up quarters on the 3rd and 4th floors. While already moving into Class A office space, their future office will undergo additional upgrades to the tune of $1.2 million.
New Warehouse Spaces for Lake Bradford Road
Local developer TTerra Properties plans to construct additional improvements on their assemblage of parcels along Lake Bradford Road, where they also constructed Bob's Auto Repair. This phase of the development will involve demolishing an existing building and rezoning the property from commercial use to light industrial use. Afterward, two 6,000 sqft warehouses will be constructed and divided into smaller 1,500-3,000 sqft units. Construction is expected to be complete around March 2020.
Washington Square Settlement
The City of Tallahassee and developer Fairmont Tallahassee LLC have reached a settlement in the lawsuit over an easement for the City parking garage abutting Washington Square. The full settlement details can be read here.
Do you have a new development tip? Hit me up, I'm always on the lookout.