Business Archive

Gulf Power customers could see an increase to their power bills next year, as the utility company is asking the Florida Public Service Commission to approve a two-step price increase to help pay for the largest power grid construction program in the history of the company.

From the farm to the zoo to the backyard, The Feed Bucket offers feed for a variety of animals, and co-owner Tammy Hutchins is happy knowing that Navarre animals aren’t going hungry as long as her store is in business.

Florida Realtors has won the top honor in Ragan Communications’ 2013 PR Daily Awards for Best External Publication (Online or Print) for Florida Realtor magazine.

NEW ORLEANS  — BP PLC is being forced to pay inflated and even “fictitious” claims to businesses because of the way a court-appointed administrator is making payments from a legal settlement following the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, an attorney for the oil giant said Monday.

Residents left in the dark by streetlight outages no longer need to pick up a phone to have the faulty light repaired. Gulf Power’s website has an option for residents to report problems with streetlights with the click of a mouse.

Florida’s real estate market is heating up again, and the local market is on trend, according to statistics released by Florida Realtors. In May 2013, year-to-year comparisons showed sales of single family homes statewide jumped 18.7 percent, and townhomes and condos, 11.5 percent.

Longtime Navarre real estate agent Annemarie Kronfuss was the recipient of four top awards from ERA American Realty, based on 2012 sales.

MIAMI — Florida’s largest property insurer, already under fire for everything from recent business deals to how much it pays its executives, is readying another round of rate hikes for homeowners.

The first ever “green” restaurant on Pensacola Beach will be opening this summer, and is ironically named Red Fish Blue Fish. The restaurant is currently under construction near the Soundside Market on Via de Luna Drive. The property management company Innisfree Hotels owns the restaurant. CEO Julian MacQueen also owns and operates the Hilton and Holiday Inn Resort on Pensacola Beach, as well as other properties across the southeast.

Besides wrecking homes and lives, Hurricane Ivan had another effect on the area: eased restrictions immediately following the storm has created some misconceptions about work requiring a permit.