Steiner Leisure Limited (the “Company”) today announced that, due to the October 28, 2008 resignation of Charles D. Finkelstein from its board of directors, which resulted in the Company’s board of directors being comprised of three directors who are “independent” as defined in Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4200 and three directors who are not independent pursuant [...]

The residential real estate market in the Sarasota-Bradenton region, according to market analysts, began to overheat in late 2004 and 2005, and still continues to struggle because of the upsurge of speculative inventory created during that time frame. However, many say the positive news is that the market steadily reduced the level of finished vacant [...]

The husband-and-wife real estate team of Norm and Janice Holloway sells more Venice condominiums than just about anybody.
But when the couple settled into their own waterfront abode at Pointe Whitecap in Venice nearly six years ago, Norm promised Janice that he would never sell it out from under her.
“I told her, ‘You can live here [...]

MANATEE - The bad news: the number of existing-home sales fell 8 percent in Bradenton-Sarasota in January, compared to a year earlier. The good news: Bradenton-Sarasota was the second strongest performing market in the state, which saw the number of sales fall 27 percent.
Helping more homes change hands was a 20 percent fall in the [...]

ST. PETERSBURG - After years of waiting, residents along the west end of Central Avenue got their wish when a developer bought the Crystal Bay Hotel.
Norman Kerr, who has rehabbed properties in South Beach, Minneapolis, Austin and Dallas, bought the 90-year-old hotel in January and has already begun a multimillion-dollar repair that will include an [...]

Across Southwest Florida, real estate agents are reporting sales, showing activity and buyer interest that suggests the region could be emerging from its real estate doldrums.
In January, Michael Saunders & Co.’s call center received 3,375 serious inquiries, “which matches almost exactly the call activity at the height of the boom,” said spokesman Tom Heatherman.
In January [...]

SARASOTA COUNTY - Barbara Simons gazes at the serene view of Sarasota Bay that dominates the condominium she inherited from her mother, a spacious second-story waterfront hideaway within the gated and lushly landscaped enclave of Pelican Cove.
But Simons is not serene. She is furious with Murray Sherry, the outgoing board president of the south Sarasota [...]

The owners of the 11-story Sunset Towers condominiums near the Ritz-Carlton Hotel once had unobstructed views of the blue waters of Sarasota Bay.
That is, at least, until Vista Bay Point, The Phoenix and a half dozen other buildings went up on Golden Gate Point. Today, many Sunseters can still see the water from their balconies [...]

Local real estate professionals reacted to the final sales figures for 2006, released Thursday by the Florida Association of Realtors, by saying the market correction has plateaued and the local real estate industry is likely on the rebound.
The final statistics for existing single-family homes showed that sales in the Bradenton-Sarasota market fell 34 percent in [...]

A local development firm is proposing a massive mix of hotel rooms, condominiums and commercial space for a downtown site on U.S. 41 that would rival the planned Sarasota’s Quay revival in financial size and scope.
Lion’s Gate Development Group Inc.’s plans call for as many as 300 upscale condos and 250 hotel rooms operated by [...]

Alinari at Rosemary Place, a luxury condominium project in downtown Sarasota, is offering buyer incentives until Jan. 31, 2007.
The tower is entering its last phase of construction and qualified buyers can receive a pre-paid college savings plan for one child or grandchild. Those interested in a more traditional incentive can choose a 4 percent discount [...]

A year after the first visible slowdown in the local real estate market, real estate agents are still feeling the effects.
The third quarter of 2006 saw single-family existing home sales plummet 34 percent from the year before while condo sales tumbled 55 percent in Bradenton-Sarasota. It was the third quarter of 2005 that first showed [...]