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Sarasota Manatee Business
July 2004

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Sarasota's Downtown Developers:
Our Businesspeople of the Year
By William S. Speer

We only had to look skyward to choose the 2004 Businesspeople of the Year, the men and women who have most affected the region this year. A forest of construction cranes made the choice obvious: Sarasota’s downtown developers. With their vision and willingness to take big risks, they are, virtually overnight, changing our community forever.

A growing downtown with new buildings, new residents and new businesses and services means expanded opportunities for the local economy. Not everyone likes so much change so fast, of course; growth brings serious questions, including whether we can handle the resulting traffic, whether all the new buildings will find tenants and buyers, and whether we’re creating an enclave for the wealthy rather than for the mix of ages, professions and cultures that make a city truly world class. But whatever the answers prove to be, in terms of impact, the major downtown developers you’ll meet on these pages are unquestionably Sarasota/Manatee Business’ Businesspeople of the Year.

Our list is not comprehensive; huge developments such as WCI’s The Tower Residences of the Ritz-Carlton were completed more than 12 months ago, but had tremendous impact—in fact, were a catalyst for further development. Several smaller projects are also under way, as are six Golden Gate Point condominium buildings.

Will these bold visionaries succeed? Only time can tell, but most of our developers say Sarasota’s time-tested attractions and ever-increasing numbers of well-heeled new residents and investors will make their projects work. We salute their eagerness to back up that belief with ambitious and creative development, and to play a role in shaping the city to come.

Gilbert Alvarez and Mark Miller

Mark Miller and Gilbert Alvarez met just as each had changed paths. Alvarez, a Miami international banker, moved to Sarasota after Hurricane Andrew in 1991 to find a better place to raise his children. Miller left college where he was considering medical school to start his luxury home-building business Westwater Construction Inc.; Alvarez was one of his first clients. The pair became friends and eventually partnered with Terry Conti of Westwater and Chad Bratzke, a former defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts, to build the 23 Italian-style villas with a lavish garden courtyard near Burns Court.

Company: Burns Court Development, LLC

Headquarters: Sarasota

Project: Burns Court Villas, 23 two- and three-story townhouses

Cost: $20 million

Price of condos: $780,000 to $927,000

Timeline: July 2004-September 2005

Westwater Construction, Inc. : 1074 North Orange Avenue : Sarasota, Florida 34236 : (941) 366-9936
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