Tampa Bay Business Journal - May 25, 2012

TAMPA - In this week's Tampa Bay Business Journal report, editor Alexis Muellner talks about the new gateway sign for St. Petersburg, how businesses are preparing for the Republican National Convention and the changes coming to DeSoto Square Mall.

Bill Edwards, the chairman of Mortgage Investors Corp. and Big 3 Entertainment, recently learned about the never-completed sign project planned for the gateway to St. Petersburg.

With the Republican National Convention coming in August, he quickly put together a development team to help build the structure near the west end of the Howard Frankland Bridge.

Business people in Tampa are worried about how the Republican National Convention will affect their companies. With as 50,000 people, media, protestors and law enforcement officers in town, the convention will create traffic and access issues.

Some firms plan to close for the week, while others are making contingency plans to try and make convention week as close to business as unusual as possible.

It appears changes are coming to Bradenton's DeSoto Square Mall. Simon Property Group has signed a letter of intent to sell the mall to an unidentified buyer.

At the same time, plans are in the works for a multi-million dollar renovation to the 39-year-old mall.

For more information on these stories, click on the video player on the left to watch this week's report.