Stalled Sarasota mall may come back from the dead

Tampa

Spirit to fly nonstop to Dallas-Fort Worth

Spirit Airlines begins four weekly nonstop flights between Dallas/Fort Worth and Tampa on May 4. Introductory fares of $28.79 each way will be available today. The move is part of an expansion of service by Spirit out of DFW. It began daily nonstop service Thursday to Atlanta, New York City's LaGuardia Airport and Orlando. "Dallas/Fort Worth is a popular destination for Tampa travelers, so we're delighted that Spirit is adding that city to its roster," Tampa International Airport CEO Joe Lopano said. "Having a low-cost carrier like Spirit serving Dallas helps the entire Tampa Bay community by increasing competition and making airfares more affordable for more people."

Sarasota

Stalled Taubman mall plan may be revived

Taubman Centers Inc. CEO Robert Taubman said his company is "very close" to breathing life back into a stalled upscale regional mall project in Sarasota. The land was cleared for University Town Center, a 1-million square foot enclosed regional mall that would be across Interstate-75 from Lakewood Ranch, before the project was sidelined by the recession. Now Taubman is confident enough to budget starting construction in the second half of this year and opening in a 2014. It's a joint venture with Benderson Development on 73 acres of Benderson's 276-acre mixed-use project. Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Macy's once signed up to be in the mall, but it's unclear how much of the anchor store lineup remains. Developers recently pitched the project to Saks Fifth Avenue, which has another store in Sarasota. Dillard's also has closed two of its stores in nearby malls in recent years. Taubman owns controlling interest in International Plaza in Tampa and three other Florida malls.

Times staff