Sandal Key Hosts Exclusive Tour for Hernando County Ambassador Program
We're proud to show firsthand how Metro is contributing to the region's growth and creating a development that will not only enhance the lives of Sandal Key residents but also positively impact the entire Hernando County area.
The ambassadors explored the designated locations where the 3-acre lagoon will be built, which will serve as the community's centerpiece, offering a resort-style experience for residents and visitors alike once complete. They also toured the area where scenic trails will wind around Whitehurst Pond, a preserved 75-acre seasonal wetland, offering future residents the opportunity to connect with nature through exploration. In addition, guests experienced some of the community's current amenities, such as solar-powered streetlights and UltraFi internet, all part of Metro's signature connected lifestyle.
'We're thrilled to host the Ambassador Program for this exclusive tour of Sandal Key,' said Lisa Gibbings, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Metro Development Group. 'This event underscores the importance of collaboration between local leaders, developers, and the community. We're proud to show firsthand how Metro is contributing to the region's growth and creating a development that will not only enhance the lives of Sandal Key residents but also positively impact the entire Hernando County area.'
Metro Development Group's expansion into Hernando County represents the company's commitment to thoughtful growth and sustainable living. The project will feature over 3,000 homes from premier builders, including D.R. Horton, KB Home, and Lennar, providing residents with a high-quality, modern living experience that integrates seamlessly with the natural environment.
The Sandal Key development will also feature a multi-acre lagoon designed to be a year-round oasis, perfect for water activities and relaxation. Lagoon construction is set to begin in early 2026, with a projected completion timeline of 18-24 months.
To learn more about Sandal Key visit SandalKey.com
Founded in 2003, Tampa-based Metro Development Group has been redefining Florida living and master-planned communities for more than 20 years. As Florida's largest privately held residential developer, Metro focuses on managing all aspects of land development by working with investors, landowners and award-winning builders. Metro has set a gold-standard of inland coastal living through innovative technologies, iconic entryways and world-class amenities, including its signature MetroLagoon. In 2023, two of Metro's Pasco County communities - Mirada and Epperson - were ranked among the 50-top-selling master-planned communities in the country by real estate consulting firms RCLCO and John Burns Real Estate Consulting. For more information, visit MetroDevelopmentGroup.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Wire
30 minutes ago
- Business Wire
Invested in America: Philip Morris International Highlights Bold Commitment to America Through New National Ad Campaign
STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Philip Morris International's U.S. businesses ('PMI U.S.') unveiled 'Invested in America,' a bold advertising campaign that brings to life the company's deep-rooted commitment and increased contributions to America and Americans. The campaign's message is grounded in the role PMI U.S. is playing in powering job growth, revitalizing manufacturing, improving public health by offering adults 21+ who smoke better choices, and strengthening communities across the nation. 'Philip Morris International is invested in America's future—and we have a proud story to tell,' said Stacey Kennedy, CEO of PMI U.S. 'From building our advanced manufacturing facilities to contributing to progress within communities nationwide, the people of PMI U.S. are helping to write America's next chapter. Our story is part of the story of America, unfolding from our global headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, to our operations across America's heartland, where we will continue to create high-quality, high-paying jobs and invest in innovation for generations to come.' The ad campaign captures PMI U.S.'s vision of what responsible business leadership looks like in today's America, grounded in the places it calls home. It is rooted in concrete actions that deliver tangible benefits to American workers, communities, and the economy. The campaign will launch on July 3 with full-page print advertisements, and a corresponding digital campaign will follow. Together, the ads will introduce PMI U.S.'s vision to decision-makers and opinion leaders across the business, policy, and civic spheres, inviting them to join a coalition of stakeholders dedicated to the country's success. It will also tell the PMI U.S. story to Americans, who want to see corporations step up to the challenges they see in their lives and communities. 'Invested in America' will highlight the four pillars of PMI U.S.'s American commitment: America's Manufacturing Comeback: With announced plans to invest over $800 million in new and expanded U.S. manufacturing facilities to produce smoke-free products, PMI U.S. isn't just growing American manufacturing—it's supporting a renaissance, creating high-skilled, high-paying jobs that contribute to thriving communities. Advancing Public Health: PMI, which has never sold cigarettes in the U.S., is on a mission to help America's ~30 million legal-age adults who smoke replace combustible cigarettes—by far the most harmful way to consume nicotine—with FDA-authorized, smoke-free alternatives that are scientifically substantiated to be a better choice for adults 21+ who would otherwise smoke. Strengthening Communities: PMI U.S.'s approach to corporate citizenship involves strategic investment in communities where its employees and 21+ adult consumers live and work, focusing on sustainable impact rather than short-term interventions. It is committed to causes that matter to Americans, including supporting military veterans and their families, promoting economic empowerment, and responding to natural disasters. Purpose-Driven Performance: With $14+ billion invested globally in smoke-free innovation since 2008, PMI is driving transformative solutions while delivering strong business results. Philip Morris International is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, and PMI U.S. has multiple operations in Virginia, Colorado, North Carolina, and Kentucky. As it opens and expands facilities, the business is generating hundreds of high-quality jobs and millions of dollars in direct investment in communities around the country. PMI U.S. has also contributed approximately $25 million to charitable causes since 2022. In 2024 alone—the first official year of its philanthropy program—PMI U.S. and its employees contributed more than $10 million to 327 nonprofits in 35 states. 'This campaign embodies our innovation and determination to reshape an entire industry and strengthen America,' Kennedy added. 'It also reflects our commitment to meaningful investments that create genuine value for our business, our workforce, and our communities. In every state where we operate, we're not just doing business—we're creating opportunities that will define the America of tomorrow.' Invested in America Philip Morris International Inc.'s U.S. businesses (collectively, 'PMI U.S.') are on a mission to improve public health in America by providing the ~30 million legal-age consumers who still smoke traditional cigarettes with better, smoke-free alternatives. PMI U.S. is committed to responsible marketing practices that help prevent access to its products by people under the age of 21. PMI U.S. businesses employ more than 2,500 people across America and operate product manufacturing facilities, including in Owensboro, Kentucky, and Wilson, North Carolina. Since 2022, PMI U.S. has contributed approximately $25 million to charitable causes, amplifying the good work of organizations already active within communities through financial contributions and volunteering. For more information, please visit and Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements This press release contains projections of future results and goals and other forward-looking statements, including statements regarding expected operational performance; capital expenditures; and business plans and strategies. Achievement of future results is subject to risks, uncertainties and inaccurate assumptions. In the event that risks or uncertainties materialize, or underlying assumptions prove inaccurate, actual results could vary materially from those contained in such forward-looking statements. Pursuant to the 'safe harbor' provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, PMI is identifying important factors that, individually or in the aggregate, could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements made by PMI. PMI's business risks include: excise tax increases and discriminatory tax structures; increasing marketing and regulatory restrictions that could reduce our competitiveness, eliminate our ability to communicate with adult consumers, or ban certain of our products in certain markets or countries; health concerns relating to the use of tobacco and other nicotine-containing products and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke; litigation related to tobacco and/or nicotine use and intellectual property; intense competition; the effects of global and individual country economic, regulatory and political developments, natural disasters and conflicts; the impact and consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine; changes in adult smoker behavior; the impact of natural disasters and pandemics on PMI's business; lost revenues as a result of counterfeiting, contraband and cross-border purchases; governmental investigations; unfavorable currency exchange rates and currency devaluations, and limitations on the ability to repatriate funds; adverse changes in applicable corporate tax laws; recent and potential future tariffs imposed by the U.S. and other countries; adverse changes in the cost, availability, and quality of tobacco and other agricultural products and raw materials, as well as components and materials for our electronic devices; and the integrity of its information systems and effectiveness of its data privacy policies. PMI's future profitability may also be adversely affected should it be unsuccessful in its attempts to introduce, commercialize, and grow smoke-free products or if regulation or taxation do not differentiate between such products and cigarettes; if it is unable to successfully introduce new products, promote brand equity, enter new markets or improve its margins through increased prices and productivity gains; if it is unable to expand its brand portfolio internally or through acquisitions and the development of strategic business relationships; if it is unable to attract and retain the best global talent, including women or diverse candidates; or if it is unable to successfully integrate and realize the expected benefits from recent transactions and acquisitions. Future results are also subject to the lower predictability of our smoke-free products performance. PMI is further subject to other risks detailed from time to time in its publicly filed documents, including PMI's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2024, and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025. PMI cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not a complete discussion of all potential risks and uncertainties. PMI does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that it may make from time to time, except in the normal course of its public disclosure obligations. References to 'PMI' mean the Philip Morris International family of companies. 'PMI U.S.,' 'we,' 'our,' and 'us' refer to PMI U.S. businesses.
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
ICN Launches $ICNT, latest investment signals $470 million valuation
Impossible Cloud Network launches token on Bybit, Binance, Kraken, and other major exchanges following $34 million ecosystem raise Impossible Cloud Network (ICN) – a decentralized cloud services provider– is today announcing the launch of its $ICNT token through Tier 1 centralized exchanges Bybit, Binance, Kraken, Bitget, and more. The token launch follows a recently announced investment (valuation: $470 million) from NGP Capital, a deep tech fund that backed Xiaomi and Helium. ICN is the first decentralized cloud provider to match and surpass centralized hyperscalers in latency, availability, and performance. Its service is live and operating a fully open, multi-service, permissionless, and composable cloud infrastructure that integrates storage, compute, and networking at scale. The token listing comes just weeks after ICN attracted a substantial valuation of $470 million from Nokia-backed investor NGP Capital, which joined 1kx, No Limit Holdings, Protocol VC, HV Capital, and more in investing a total of $34 million into ICN. The Switzerland-based cloud network has substantial traction inside its ecosystem, handling over 23,000 cloud requests per second from its 1,000+ enterprise customers. This makes ICN one of the biggest revenue-generating decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePINs) in the industry and places it in pole position to win the AI infrastructure race. ICN's CEO and co-founder is Kai Wawrzinek, a seasoned, billion-dollar company founder who successfully led his project, Goodgame Studios, to NASDAQ unicorn status in 2017. Commenting on the launch of $ICNT, Wawrzinek says: 'As a decentralized cloud provider, ICN is successful because it meets a genuine, growing need. ICN will win the decentralized infrastructure race — because we control the data layer. Once compute goes live, we'll unbundle the internet. '$ICNT will play a pivotal role in ICN's ecosystem, allowing anyone to participate in the network's growth by earning rewards from HyperNodes. $ICNT is used both for provisioning hardware capacity and for staking to secure cloud workloads. This ties the token to real-world infrastructure and the strong and growing demand that ICN's ecosystem is experiencing. ICN is riding a confluence of multiple strong tailwinds in the cloud industry. These include incredible demand for AI, associated hardware shortages, and an increasingly urgent need for sovereign cloud solutions apart from those offered by US hyperscalers. Combined, these drivers are calling for a new foundational layer for the next generation of the internet that can challenge the dominance of centralized tech giants – a layer ICN is pioneering. About Impossible Cloud Network (ICN) Impossible Cloud Network (ICN) is building a permissionless, open cloud network to rival Big Tech giants like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google. With resilient, high-performance decentralized cloud services, ICN is laying the foundation for a scalable, secure, and community-driven global cloud that supports enterprise, AI, gaming, applications, and end-users. With real-world adoption already generating million-dollar revenue and a vision for 200+ decentralized cloud services, ICN offers a true alternative to monopolistic hyperscalers. Block3 PR
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Robert F. Mancuso: Private equity's black eye legacy should cause concern for family-held businesses
Across the Midwest, family businesses once woven into the fabric of local life are vanishing. Not because of globalization or waning demand, but because of something closer to home: private equity. What began as a tool for capital efficiency has, in too many cases, become a wrecking ball for generational legacies. As someone who has spent decades navigating the capital markets and participating in the development of the alternative asset category, I have witnessed how private equity has morphed into an immensely important investment class. As a pioneer in the development of that category, I saw its evolution from a largely unknown investment technique — leveraged buyouts — to an explosive force in the capital markets. In the 1980s, it was viewed as an innovative transactional structure that allowed financiers to leverage small amounts of equity into meaningful pools of capital to acquire businesses that otherwise would have been untouchable. These leveraged buyouts allowed those investors to purchase public companies that were worth many multiples of the contributed equity with the gap being provided by high-yield — or junk — bonds. Many of the early practitioners were well-intentioned, long-term-oriented investors. But with the flood of high-yield debt in the 1980s came a different breed: the so-called corporate raiders. They deployed debt aggressively in hostile takeovers, often targeting much larger publicly traded companies. Hostile buyouts proliferated, leading to the breakup and dismemberment of mainly highly regarded firms. At the time, my firm often found ourselves in the position of saving companies from these attacks — taking them private to preserve their integrity and shield them from destruction. But the raiders' influence lived on. Unfortunately, the story did not end with publicly traded giants. In recent years, excessive leverage and a short-term focus on profit extraction have devastated many privately held, often family-owned companies — the backbone of Midwestern economic life. Take Art Van Furniture. Once a proud Michigan family-held business employing thousands, it was bought out by a private equity firm in 2017. Just three years later, drowning in debt, the chain closed all 190 stores, eliminating 3,100 jobs and erasing a legacy built over generations. That wasn't an isolated event. Indianapolis-based Marsh Supermarkets faced a similar fate. Through lucrative real estate deals benefiting the investors, Marsh was weakened to the point of bankruptcy. Necco, Fairway Markets, Prima Wawona, Scott Brass — the narrative repeats itself again and again. Each one a community institution. Each one methodically drained, leveraged, sold and ultimately collapsed. Greed and excessive risk-taking continue today. And now, as the great wealth transfer accelerates and baby boomer owners look to sell, the stakes have never been higher. Family businesses — often built on trust, reputation and decades of sacrifice — will need liquidity to cover estate taxes and succession planning. States such as Illinois and Minnesota, which impose their own estate taxes in addition to the federal levy, create additional financial burdens for families — burdens for which they must account. But they must be cautious. It is imperative that matriarchs and patriarchs of these businesses choose their capital partners wisely. Family-held companies are simply too important to be jeopardized by the involvement of investors whose values diverge from those that made the businesses successful in the first place. Since family-held businesses represent the fulfillment of the American dream, it would be both wrong and tragic to allow the legacies of those businesses to be destroyed by the introduction of private equity players that prioritize short-term gain over long-term value. Owners must remember that leverage is often the enemy of sustainable growth and that true partnership means shared values and aligned missions. Private equity is not inherently destructive. It has funded transformative innovation and delivered significant returns for pension funds, university endowments and charitable foundations. But to truly do well and do good, private equity must embrace a more ethical, community-minded approach. State pension funds and university endowments — some of the biggest investors in private equity — must set the tone. They should demand returns, yes, but from funds that uphold local values, family-held business dignity and community welfare. Traditional private equity practices too often prioritize extracting immediate value over preserving long-term sustainability. The past teaches us that when private equity recklessly pursues opportunities, they undermine the very foundations on which family businesses stand. Founders of family-held businesses nearing retirement must realize that what looks like a lifeline can quickly become a trap — stripping away not just their company but also their values, their culture and their legacy. What private equity must learn is that doing well financially and doing good socially are not opposing goals. Ethical, sustainable investing models flourish precisely because they fuse strategic discipline with a deep sense of responsibility — to employees, to communities and to the future. Doing well and doing good are not mutually exclusive; they are inseparable. The future of our communities, our local economies and the integrity of the industry depend on it.
