This time, the company is Vista Health Plan, which is considering moving its headquarters from nearby Hollywood to Sunrise, Pat Morris, vice president of community affairs for Vista Health Plan, tells GlobeSt.com.

The incentive: $250,000. The Sunrise City Commission agreed to this Sept. 24 if Vista will consolidate its offices in the city. Besides 400 workers at its headquarters, the company has 500 employees at a branch in Sunrise.

Morris says Vista has looked at about 10 locations in Broward County, where Sunrise is located, and is considering several sites, including staying put.

He says it is not determined whether Vista will accept the offer from Sunrise, and he would not say what other locations the company is considering strongly.

But whatever site Vista selects will be in that county, he says. Vista's current lease in Hollywood is not up for about two more years.

Incentives are just one of the factors that will affect the decision on where Vista's headquarters will end up, Morris says.

Other factors include what location makes sense for the company's employees and where it makes sense for company to be located, he says. The company is consolidating three plans: Beacon Health Plan, Foundation Health Plan and the former HIP Health Plan of Florida.

Morris says he is not aware of any other cities offering Vista financial incentives.Sunrise's practice of offering incentives to lure businesses has not been popular among the city's neighbors.

In another instance, the city in late August offered Cigna Dental Health of Florida up to $450,000 in incentives over three years to move from Plantation.

Cigna plans to decide by the end of the year, maybe sooner than later, Chris Constant, associate director of Cushman & Wakefield of Florida, which is representing Cigna, tells GlobeSt.com.

Cigna has narrowed its choice to two options: staying in Plantation or moving to the Sawgrass Point Office Building in Sunrise. Cigna's lease in Plantation is up at the end of 2003.

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Sunrise Offers $250,000 in Incentives to Attract Vista Health Plan

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