BIZ BITS

By The Tampa Tribune
Published: November 04, 2009

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WestShore Plaza owner may change

WestShore Plaza could have a new owner soon. Current owner Glimcher Realty Trust is close to a deal to sell a 60 percent stake in WestShore and one other mall to private equity firm Blackstone Group LP for $195 million, the Wall Street Journal said, citing unnamed sources.

Blackstone would pay about $27 million in cash and $54 million in debt for a stake in WestShore, the paper said, part of Glimcher's drive to improve its balance sheet.

Florida sues Expedia, Orbitz

The state of Florida is suing online travel reservation companies over hotel taxes, the latest in a string of lawsuits nationwide claiming the sites owe local authorities millions of dollars.

Attorney General Bill McCollum sued Expedia and Orbitz on Tuesday, claiming they failed to pay Florida the full amount of taxes collected on hotel room rentals through their sites.

A staff report