It is 6:54 a.m. when the sun wakes Jesse Biter as it peeks through the windows of his four-bedroom penthouse. Within minutes, his two girls, ages 10 and 11, scamper through the $3.85 million Marina Tower condominium downtown. Biter cooks them breakfast; it reminds him of his own childhood. Driving the girls to the Bay Haven School of Basics Plus will likely be the only time Biter will use his…
Read MoreJesse Biter: Bring on the people, and votes, for a livelier city
By JESSE BITER, Guest Columnist Downtown Sarasota is nice, but it could be so much better. Downtown needs a new vision for a new generation. The old vision may have worked for an era, but it has run its course. I didn’t notice this 12 years ago when I drove from South Carolina to Miami with plans to go on to Texas. When I found Sarasota, I knew I had…
Read MoreJesse Biter keeps buying up downtown Sarasota
Two companies belonging to Sarasota software millionaire Jesse Biter have just shelled out $4.075 million to purchase nearly 18,000-square feet of retail space on Sarasota’s Main Street. Biter’s company LanHole LLC first bought a 9,700-square-foot retail building at 1564 Main Street in Sarasota for $2 million with help from a $1.5 million loan from Gateway Bank. Then Downtown Project LLC, another Biter company, spent $2.075 million to buy the adjacent…
Read MoreHuB Opening Illuminated with Building Projection by Ringling College Student Motion Design Team
The HuB of Sarasota recently highlighted the grand opening of their new space with projected animation on the front façade of their newly renovated 40,000 sq. ft. building at 1680 Fruitville Road. Visually overwhelming over 1,200 attendees, the projection was the result of 24 students in The Department of Motion Design, at Ringling College of Art and Design, working over 5 weeks to generate the resulting animations. Direct output of…
Read MoreGod, Politics and Business
At age 34, Jesse Biter could have moved anywhere, done anything. It was December 2010, and AutoTrader, the online car sale behemoth, paid tens of millions to acquire the online inventory software company he had built up over the previous 14 years. Biter could have spent his time flying around in his single-prop Cirrus SR22, spear-fishing with buddies, floating on a yacht. Instead, he stayed in Sarasota and went back…
Read MoreBusiness buzz
Enterprise Florida board new member Jesse Biter, CEO of Biter Enterprises, in Sarasota, was appointed by Speaker of the House Dean Cannon to serve a three-year term on the Enterprise Florida board. A Sarasota resident since 2000, Biter is one of 12 board members representing Florida’s private sector. “I believe that by establishing a fiscally responsible economic development structure, we set the stage for creating more opportunities — and appeal…
Read MoreHuB moving into new home: Century Bank Building
It’s been one of the most ill-kept secrets in Sarasota, but the HuB — the downtown-based, self-described “incubator for creative minds” — is moving to new digs at 1680 Fruitville Road. The group said Monday it expects work on the former Century Bank building to be completed by October. The HuB’s familiar green logo already is atop the building, which remains surrounded by scaffolding. The bank building was sold about…
Read MoreTwo Sarasota entrepreneurs buy, developing Palm Garage retail
BUYER: Palm Avenue Holdings LLC, Sarasota SELLER: City of Sarasota PROPERTY: 1289 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota PRICE: $1.6 million PREVIOUS PRICE: $500,000, August 1990 LAW FIRM ON DEED: Berlin-Patten PLLC, Sarasota PLANS, DESCRIPTION: Palm Avenue Holdings LLC, an entity led by Jesse Biter, CEO of Biter Enterprises LLC, has closed on nearly 11,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor of the Palm Avenue Garage for $1.6 million.…
Read MoreInvestor to buy retail space of Sarasota’s Palm Avenue parking garage
A coveted retail shell on the ground floor of Sarasota’s Palm Avenue garage is set to be sold for $1.6 million to a local investor who hopes to bring upscale boutique shops downtown. Jesse Biter, a local 35-year-old millionaire, was the highest bidder for the 11,000 square feet of prime real estate, which despite enthusiasm from local developers and downtown merchants has sat vacant for about a year. Biter’s company,…
Read MoreCity to Review Bids on Palm Garage Retail Space
Sarasota City Commission received four bids for the Palm Avenue Parking Garage retail space and plans to enter an agreement with Biter Enterprises More good news is on the way for Sarasota’s Palm Avenue Parking Garage. The city will consider a $1.6 million bid by Biter Enterprises to purchase the North Palm Avenue Condiminium—the street level retail space on the parking garage. The city just celebrated the garage’s completed murals…
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