JACKSONVILLE, FL-With the acquisition of the 96%-leased, 152,761-sf Medical & Merchants at San Pablo Shopping Center, Equity One Inc. chairman Chaim Katzman touts the REIT as the largest owner of shopping center properties in Florida with 9.3 million sf covering 85 properties.

ATLANTA-The metro area continues to expand as developers ask local county governments for a green light on a total 1,112 townhomes and single-family units covering 626 acres in Canton and Henry counties.

ATLANTA-Retail brokers in a position to know tell GlobeSt.com the Charlotte, NC-based cinema chain has switched allegiance to the planned 480,000-sf Forum at Newnan Crossing in Newnan, GA from the planned 1.3-million-sf Village at Newnan Crossing in Coweta County.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL-The public auction of the shuttered Adventure Landing at "the world's most famous beach" starts at an opening bid of $850,000. But six serious buyers, each posting $60,000 good-faith checks, walk away from the auction without making a single bid.

ATLANTA-Common stockholders of record on June 30 will receive their second-quarter checks July 15. The REIT's annual dividend rate is $1.80 per common share. The locally based garden apartment developer is also paying dividends on other stock categories.

ORLANDO-NB Handy Co. of Lynchburg, VA takes the distribution space at the Center of Commerce for eight years at an aggregate rent value of $1.8 million.

SARASOTA, FL-Global Signal, formerly Pinnacle Holdings Inc., is asking underwriters Morgan Stanley, Banc of America Securities, Lehman Brothers and Raymond James to offer seven million shares at $16 to 18 each next week.

MOULTRIE, GA-A Laurel, MS-based poultry producer expects to break ground this year on two processing plants totaling an estimated 500,000 sf in Moultrie, GA and Adel, GA. Sanderson predicts that the total company workforce will hit about 1,700 jobs after the plants are open in 2005.