CONSTRUCTION TO LIMIT ACCESS TO ORTONA LOCK ORTONA, FL
NOTICE TO NAVIGATION
Boaters utilizing the Okeechobee Waterway to transverse between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean will need to schedule their trips to accommodate construction at the Ortona Lock. The Ortona Lock will have scheduled lock closures 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.and 12:30 p.m.to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday starting December 14, 2015 to June 17, 2016. Scheduled closures are to support east and west lock approach guide wall replacement. During construction, Ortona lock operations will be restricted for safety. Vessel operators are advised to use minimal speed and caution operating in the area of barges and floating cranes. For up to date Ortona Lock information contact the shift operator at 863-675-0616 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m
FIELD & STREAM LAUNCHES ECOMMERCE STORE NOVEMBER 13, 2015
PITTSBURGH — Field & Stream stores, an outdoor specialty brand owned and operated by leading omni-channel retailer DICK’S Sporting Goods, announced today that outdoor enthusiasts can now access and purchase an extensive array of the latest outdoor equipment, apparel and accessories online at FieldandStreamShop.com, Field & Stream’s first-ever eCommerce website.
“As we continue to grow our national footprint, it’s been a goal of ours to offer our customers the convenience of a seamless shopping experience both in our stores as well as online,” said Traci Hayes, VP eCommerce, DICK’S Sporting Goods. “With the launch of our eCommerce platform, outdoor enthusiasts across the country are now able to access a vast assortment of quality products offered at Field & Stream stores.”
Field & Stream stores and products are named for the iconic brand that has been synonymous with outdoor experiences for more than 140 years. The 19 store locations and the new eCommerce site serve passionate hunting, fishing and outdoors enthusiasts by offering a wide variety of national brands including Remington, Under Armour, Carhartt, Shimano, Yeti and many more.
To further enhance DICK’S omni-channel capabilities, FieldandStreamShop.com is the second eCommerce site DICK’S operates in-house to better-serve customers. DICK’S also owns and operates specialty golf retailer Golf Galaxy and its eCommerce site GolfGalaxy.com.
HOBIE ANNOUNCES 3RD ANNUAL HOBIE BASS OPEN
NOVEMBER 11, 2015
OCEANSIDE, California – Hobie announces that the third annual Hobie Bass Open, presented by Kentucky Lake Convention Visitor’s Bureau, will take place at Kentucky Dam Village State Park, June 4-5, 2016. The Open will be one of a series of U.S. and Canadian qualifying events for the 2016 Hobie Fishing Worlds Vl. The first place winner will not only take home the crown, cash and prizes but will also be invited, along with the second place winner, to join Team USA at the World’s next fall.
The event is a catch, photograph and release (CPR) tournament where anglers measure and photograph their top three bass during each of the two days, to be scored by total aggregate length. Eligible species include largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass on human powered kayaks. Anglers are invited to register for the event by logging onto www.hobiefishing.com/bassopen.
A Hobie Fun Fest consumer event will be held simultaneously off the Kentucky Dam beach. Hobie invites all competitors as well as the general public to bring their family and friends and join in the festivities that will be held Saturday and Sunday, June 4-5. Fun seekers will have the opportunity to demo Hobie Islands, kayaks and SUP’s.
The complete schedule of qualifying events together with a date and location for the World’s Vl will be announced over the next few months and posted on HobieFishing.com.
BIG PLANS FOR FORT LAUDERDALE’S BAHIA MAR
BY JIM FLANNERY | OCT26,2015
It looks as if the iconic Bahia Mar Yachting Center, home of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, will get a makeover, including better digs for the show.
After 10 years of bickering over what shape that makeover might take, the investment group that bought out the 39-acre property’s long-term lease this summer has proposed a $1 billion hotel-residential-marina complex with a park-like public promenade along the waterfront and a parking garage convertible to indoor exhibit space during the show.
“We specialize in redeveloping tired assets and distressed assets,” says Jimmy Tate, partner with brother Kenny in Tate Capital, one of the investors. The Bahia Mar uplands are tired, Tate says. “It’s one of the most underutilized and most important properties in Fort Lauderdale,” and it looks like a sprawling parking lot, he says.
That would change dramatically if Fort Lauderdale approves the plan, which is now before the city’s Development Review Committee. Tate would start by sinking $40 million into renovating the hotel, keeping the 250-slip marina, and building a two-story, 200,000-square-foot parking garage with two atriums, 16-foot ceilings and special lighting so the parking space is convertible to indoor exhibit space during the boat show. Topped by a park, the garage will be part of a five-story complex with 100 residences, office space and a fitness center. The plan also envisions two 39-story residential towers, two waterfront restaurants, a restaurant in one of the towers, a gourmet grocery store, additional office space and an 18-foot-wide public promenade along the Intracoastal Waterway linked to a Bahamian-style “fishing village” where one of the restaurants and the commercial kiosks are located.
Sandwiched between the beach and the Intracoastal Waterway, the development would unfold in phases over 7 or 8 years without interfering with the annual fall show. “The city’s instructions to us were, ‘Take care of the boat show,’ ” Tate says. “We’re going to give them a best-in-class facility. This will be a campus, not just a hotel.”
The two residential towers would add 525 condominium units. One of the two hotel towers would be demolished and replaced with a residential tower. The second hotel tower will have 188 rooms and a five-story hotel addition of 48 rooms. Total condominiums: 625. Total parking spots: 2,194.
Tate says the developers plan to upgrade the hotel first, then build one of the towers, build the second one as market conditions allow and finish with the garage/exhibit hall. Although the project’s design has received good marks from neighbors, they remain concerned about traffic congestion on Route A1A. Developers hope to ease the traffic problems with three trolley stops, two water taxi stations and transient boat slips. A study has been commissioned to see how the roads could handle the increased traffic.
