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 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 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,…
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