Publix eyes May 7 opening

Other shops

In addition to Publix Supermarket and Publix Liquor, Sea Shell Collections shopping center has lease contracts, or are in final negotiations for leases, with 15 businesses:

- Catch of the Day.

- A proposed smoothie store.

- Carl Spears Eye Care.

- AAH Salon.

- Tiki Jake's Good Neighbor.

- Emerald Turtle.

- Elite Nail Spa.

- Pets Paradise.

- A proposed gift store.

- Marble Slab Creamery.

- Two Realtors.

- An athletic store.

- A clothing store.

- A proposed Italian grill

We're all very excited about Publix opening," said Donna Cooper, chairman of the Gulf Breeze Area Chamber of Commerce. "And I think people here are getting excited about it, too. I live in Pensacola, and I know I'll be making the trip over to shop at Publix.

"I think it's bringing an entirely new aspect to Gulf Breeze."

Gulf Breeze resident Richard Cantin said the arrival of Publix could have a positive impact on the city's retail trade, and has the potential to "bring in quite a few new businesses."

"There are a lot of people in Gulf Breeze looking forward to Publix opening," he said. "They have a good reputation and good pricing, and I think they will do very well here."

Mary Moulton of Moulton Properties Inc., developer of the $30 million Sea Shell Collections shopping center, said 15 other stores, including two restaurants, have signed lease contracts and will be joining Publix.

"To help Publix Supermarket and Publix Liquor open on time, the other stores will open in July," Moulton said.

Publix store manager Ed Betts, formerly store manager at the supermarket chain's Navarre property, said the May 7 opening is on schedule, barring any last-minute snags.

"My main job has been stocking the shelves, hiring and training," he said. "We've been doing that for the past couple of weeks."

Betts will be assisted by Rodd Smith, the former Navarre store grocery manager.

One of the key features of the Sea Shell Collections shopping center when it opens will be all but invisible to shoppers.

Moulton Properties incorporated an elaborate $2 million underground stormwater filtration and treatment system into the design of the shopping center.

Developed by Connecticut-based StormTech and installed by Milton-based Northwest Florida Underground, the system will eliminate the need for on-site, open-air retention ponds.

Gulf Breeze City Manager Buz Eddy said the Sea Shells center is the city's first project of this size to incorporate an underground filtration system.

"One of the amazing things about this system is that with the cost of land today, it gives us an environmentally sound way to filter stormwater through sand, recharge the groundwater table and build on the land above it," developer Jim Moulton said recently.

For the Lakeland-based supermarket giant, the Gulf Breeze supermarket will be the most western of its 665 stores in Florida.

With retail sales of $23 billion in 2007, Publix is one of the 10 largest-volume supermarket companies in the U.S., and the largest employee-owned grocery chain in the country.

Total stores number 929 in five Southeastern states, and the company employs more than 144,000.

The advent of a new retail center marks a continued trend of population and business growth in the affluent city of 6,154. The Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development said Gulf Breeze will see a 2.18 percent growth in population over the next five years.

The average household income in Gulf Breeze is $105,518, the Center reported