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JULY 15, 2015
Centennial Bank will acquire Bay Cities Bank By Kathy Steele
ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Home BancShares Inc., the parent company of Centennial Bank, and Florida Business BancGroup Inc., parent company of Bay Cities Bank, are merging. Home BancShares will acquire FBBI for $101.6 million, an amount that is the second largest paid for a Florida bank since 2007. The bank in the past three years has also bought Heritage Bank of Florida in Lutz, and Florida Traditions Bank in Dade City. A closing date on the purchase will be in October. “I think it is a good thing for our shareB.C. MANION/STAFF PHOTO holders,” said Gregory Bryant, Bay Cities’ It is not yet clear whether any Bay Cities Bank locations will close as a result a merger president and chief executive officer. Customers also should benefit from between Home BancShares Inc., the parent company of Centennial Bank, and Florida See BANK, page 11A
Business BancGroup Inc, the parent company of Bay Cities Bank. This Bay Cities Bank is located in Lutz.
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Jeff Kim, right, and his son, Yong Son, sell organic and fresh fruits and vegetables at Natural Market II.
Natural Market keeps it fresh and in the family By Kathy Steele
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A thriving business in Carrollwood prompted the Kim family to open Natural Market II in Land O’ Lakes. Now nearing its first anniversary, the store is settling into its new community and giving customers another choice for locally grown fruits and vegetables. The store also stocks an eclectic mix of
Asian, Latin and American grocery staples. A recurring plea from Carrollwood customers who had moved to Pasco County prompted Jeff Kim to search for a second location for Natural Market. That, and the chance for a new beginning in a high-growth area like Pasco. “They’ve been asking us to open,” said Kim.“Finally, it’s time.” On a drive down Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, Kim spotted a vacant gas station
at 4204 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., at the Bell Lake Road intersection. It was not in the best of shape, he recalled.“Everything had to be cleaned out.” From the start, the grocery business has been a family affair. Kim and his family came to Tampa from Korea nearly 30 years ago when he was a teenager. See MARKET, page 11A
Local mom’s website highlights family friendly fun By Michael Murillo
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As a mother with two young children, Miriam Cook wanted to find inexpensive, family friendly things to do. The Land O’ Lakes resident would search the Internet for fun places to go, but was frustrated that it wasn’t as easy as it should have been. “I was watching online and couldn’t really find anything that was what I wanted, with events and stuff like that,” Cook said. “So I thought, I have to create my own.” Around eight months ago, she did just that. Now, FamilyFriendlyTampaBay.com is a destination for thousands of users each week, highlighting local freebies, cheap movies and other low-cost activities that everyone in the family can enjoy. Cook takes her job as event seeker seriously, with specific criteria in mind when she’s looking for places to go. She’s looking for places that appeal to all family members, so children of all ages can have fun. Alcohol can’t be the focus of the event, she said, and accommodations like restroom facilities are important. Price matters, too, of course. Cook uses her own family as a template. She has two sisters with children who are in the education field, and she wants to highCOURTESY OF MIRIAM COOK light events that families like theirs can afford. A side benefit of running a website about family friendly events is that there are places to As a former preschool teacher herself, See WEBSITE, page11A
visit. Daughters Hazel, left, and Jasmine approved of the outing to The Potter’s House Studio in south Tampa, which was running a special.