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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 22, 2007

TAMPA BAY AREA

Publix Opening On Ehrlich

A Publix supermarket will open Jan. 10 at the site of a former Albertsons at 5371 Ehrlich Road. The new store will be one of 33 in the 900-plus stores Publix chain to include an adjoining liquor store. A Publix spokeswoman said there are no plans to close or absorb nearby Publix stores in the Shoppes of Citrus Park or Westgate Shopping Center.

Board Members Nominated

Sweetbay Supermarket Chief Executive Officer Shelley Broader and Gulf Power Co. CEO Susan Story have been nominated for the board of directors of St. Petersburg's Raymond James Financial. Broader, 43, is nominated to replace Paul Marshall, whose term is expiring. The election of Story, 47, would expand the board by one seat. The annual meeting is Feb. 14.

STATE

Consumer Confidence Drops

The housing crisis, a declining stock market and higher gas prices are to blame for a two-point drop in Florida's consumer confidence to 74, its lowest level in more than five years, a University of Florida study found. This month's drop is due to declines in two of the five components: perceptions of whether it is a good time to buy big-ticket items and perceptions of personal finances now compared with a year ago.

Jobless Rate Rises

Florida's jobless rate edged up in November to 4.3 percent, a 0.1 percentage point rise from the previous month, the state's Agency for Workforce Innovation said Friday. Florida's unemployment level remained below the national rate of 4.7 percent, and the state had the third-lowest jobless rate of the 10 biggest states. Florida's job growth was among the briskest among the biggest states.

NATION

Billionaire Dies From Fall

The 91st-richest man in the United States, the founder and CEO of a Wisconsin roofing company, died after falling through the roof of his home garage. Ken Hendricks, 66, was checking construction on the garage roof at his home in Rock, Wis., on Thursday night when he fell. Hendricks founded ABC Supply Co., which is worth about $3.5 billion.

Fed Auctions Funds

The Federal Reserve, working to combat the effects of a severe credit crunch, said Friday that it had auctioned $20 billion in funds to commercial banks at an interest rate of 4.67 percent. The central bank said it received bids for $57.7 billion worth of loans, nearly three times the amount being offered.

A staff and wire report

Watch the Tribune's Business report at 5, 6 and 11 a.m. Tuesday to Friday and 9 a.m. Saturdays on WFLA-TV.

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