News Briefs

+ Gold Coast expands north
Lakewood Ranch-based Gold Coast Eagle Distributing, one of the largest Anheuser-Busch/InBev distributors in Florida, announced a deal to acquire Monroe, Ohio-based Dickerson Distributing Co.
Terms of the deal, announced in a statement released Monday, weren’t disclosed. The transaction, expected to close in the first quarter, pending supplier approvals, will create a combined company with almost 9 million cases of sales and 228 employees, according to the release. Dickerson Distributing’s trade area is Warren, Butler and Preble counties, north of Cincinnati. Gold Coast Eagle, based out of a 170,000-square-foot facility in Lakewood Ranch, runs 40 route trucks per day. Both firms, the release states, carry Anheuser-Busch/InBev products, in addition to Constellation Beer Division products. Gold Coast Eagle had $97.4 million in sales in 2013, up 3.1% from $94.5 million in 2012.

“Dickerson Distributing Co. is a great organization with dedicated people and we are committed to continuing the company’s strong business practices and building on the legacy founded by the Dickerson family,” Gold Coast Eagle President John Saputo says in the release. “We anticipate a smooth transition with our existing team members, the Dickerson team and our new customers and friends in southwestern Ohio.”

Gold Coast Eagle marketing and sales executive Devyn Dugger was named president of Dickerson Distributing. Saputo will become the CEO of Gold Coast Eagle Distributing and the new entity. Saputo founded Gold Coast Eagle in 1996. The Saputo family owned and managed beer distribution companies in Michigan, New York and North Carolina prior to Gold Coast in the Sarasota-Bradenton market.

+ FDOT, Manatee to restore wetlands at Duette Preserve
The Florida Department of Transportation and Manatee County have reached an agreement that will save taxpayers millions of dollars while restoring county wetlands.

As FDOT prepares to construct a diverging diamond design at the intersection of University Parkway and Interstate 75, it has partnered with Manatee County to mitigate interchange improvement impacts. Rather than purchasing land adjacent to the interchange to create new wetlands, FDOT instead will pay for the restoration of wetlands in Manatee’s 23,000-acre Duette preserve.

FDOT’s agreement for Duette will save Manatee County more than $2 million in restoration costs, while satisfying mitigation requirements for I-75/University Parkway, as well as interchange improvements at State Road 70, State Road 64 and U.S. 301.

Meetings & agendas
All Manatee County offices are closed Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans Day.

Manatee County Animal Services Advisory Board Meeting — 5:45 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12, at Central Library, 1301 Barcarrota Blvd., Bradenton

Manatee County Planning Commission Meeting — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 13, at the County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton