America

By John Hielscher Published: Monday, June 22, 2015 at 11:53 a.m. Home sales remained hot in Southwest Florida during May,  2015 as buyers shrugged off higher prices and kept the region on pace for what could be a second-straight record year. Buyers closed on 2,569 existing single-family homes and condominiums in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties last month, or 202 more than in May 2014,...

By Josh Salman Published: Monday, June 1, 2015 at 1:00 a.m.   SARASOTA COUNTY- Southwest Florida's real estate boom has made its way to Palmer Ranch a master-planned community in southern Sarasota County marked by prestigious golf courses, wandering families of sandhill cranes and quiet cow pastures. Forgotten by homebuilders during the prolonged slump, the community known...

By Zac Anderson for Herald Tribune Published: Friday, May 22, 2015 at 8:04 p.m. SARASOTA COUNTY - Property values rose substantially in Sarasota County and every local city in 2015, new data released Friday show, providing further evidence of a strong real estate recovery.   A report from the Sarasota County Property Appraiser's Office put the increase in taxable values at 7.2 percent...

By Harold Bubil Of The Herald Tribune Published: Tuesday, May 26, 2015 at 1:36 p.m Sarasota has its West of the Trail. Bradenton has its great Northwest. Now, North Port will have its “West of the River.” The West Villages, boosted by Mattamy Homes $100 million commitment, is expected to give North Port a middle- and upper-middle-class appeal as it develops 20,000 homes in the next 40...

The City of North Port is conveniently located just minutes from the rich cultural center of Sarasota. But visitors and residents need not travel outside of North Port to have a great time. The city itself has an impressive number of fun outdoor activities to enjoy. Nature hikes and mountain biking can be done along the Myakkahatchee Creek or inside of Myakka Forest. Walking and biking...

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Sure, Florida's got sunshine, beaches and palm trees. But the driving force behind it being home to many of the nation's fastest-growing cities has been the return of hospitality, trade and construction jobs.   New figures released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau showed Florida was home to six of the nation's 20 fastest-growing metro areas from July 1, 2013, to July...