Neal has record month; Port Manatee launches tram tours; SRQ center to expand

Neal sets

home-closing

record month

LAKEWOOD RANCH -- Lakewood Ranch-based Neal Communities sold 73 new homes in September and broke its previous home-closing record with 101 closings last month.

The sales and closings have the builder on track to exceed its 2014 record sales year. The company sold 864 homes last year.

Michael Story, the company's president, said he expects that Neal Communities will sell more than 1,000 homes this year.

Sales were in the company's communities in Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Lee and Collier counties.

Fourteen of the 73 September sales were inventory homes, ready for immediate occupancy. The builder is gearing up for the "season" and will have more than 50 inventory homes available in 20 communities throughout southwest Florida.

The builder has expanded its offerings this year, opening 10 new communities.

Port Manatee launches public tram tour program

PORT MANATEE -- Port Manatee's public tram tour program has kicked off its 2015-16 season.

The season, which runs through May 11, started Monday with a fully booked trolley.

Advance reservations are required for the free tours, which offer local residents and visitors alike a close-up view of Port Manatee and Tampa Bay. Features on the tour include shipping and warehousing activities, as well as the port's near shore and aquatic wildlife areas.

The port's open-air tram is scheduled to depart for the one-hour tour at 10 a.m. each Monday and Wednesday. Guests are asked to arrive at the port's north entrance with government-issued photo identification by 9:30 a.m. Reservations are required at least one week in advance. Groups are limited to 75.

Groups of 10 or fewer may book tours via an online reservation system at portmanatee.com/tours.aspx. Larger groups must reserve by phone at 941-722-6621.

The tram tour program has hosted more than 53,000 guests since initiated in 1998.

Benderson files to expand its SRQ Commerce Center

MANATEE -- Benderson Development Co. has filed an application with Manatee County to begin the third phase of its huge SRQ Commerce Center.

University Park-based Benderson plans to build a 20,832-square-foot building at its 27-acre property at the southeast corner of U.S. 301 and Tallevast Road. It would be the fourth and smallest building in a commercial and light-industrial development that has already brought 343,387 square feet of Class A space to the market.

The commerce center has attracted a diverse range of tenants, including a plastics manufacturer, a classic car showroom, a pleasure boat manufacturer and a granite supplier.

-- Herald staff reports

This story was originally published October 19, 2015 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Neal has record month; Port Manatee launches tram tours; SRQ center to expand ."