Better days are on the horizon for us in Southwest Florida

If we did not know that Sarasota and Charlotte counties were listed among the nation's riskiest places to make mortgage loans, if we had not heard that consumer confidence in Florida is at a 16-year low, if we were not aware that commercial real estate deals in the area are down 30 percent over the previous year, we might think Southwest Florida was prospering.

Or maybe, in many ways, it actually is. I would submit that even in challenging times, there are good things happening, groups of people working hard to prepare for continued growth and projects under way that will pay big dividends down the road.

Let's take a look. In Venice, developer Mike Miller is planning to begin his hotel-retail complex by March 1, finally working through three years of discussions, revisions and more than a little controversy. But finally, a compromise has been struck and Miller is ready to move forward.

The vacant Willette Automotive building in the 400 block of South Tamiami Trail on Venice island came down last week and a prime commercial space now stands ready for something new.

Moving south on the Trail, North Port is still adjusting to its phenomenal growth over the past few years, even though recent contraction in home sales and construction have slowed the trends. But this very new city is not standing still. Recently, the Gadberry Group, a consulting firm that provides information for large retailers considering new locations, listed North Port as No. 5 among the nation's boom towns ripe for development.

A new and enthusiastic economic development manager, Allan Lane, has just taken over at City Hall and promised a newly reconstituted Business and Economic Development Advisory Board (Note: I am a member of the board) that he is up to the task. He suggested that North Port needs to grow its own entrepreneurs who will help lead the way to a brighter future for the city. Fostering that growth will be a big part of his job.

And even though driving around North Port is pretty challenging right now, new road construction projects with an emphasis on beautification as well as traffic flow are well under way and promise better days ahead.

In Englewood, The Home Depot opened late last year and is spurring development on the important State Road 776 corridor in Charlotte County.

Even further south in Punta Gorda, there is impressive activity, so much so that Mayor Larry Friedman, in his state of the city address last week, called 2008, "The Year of Momentum." His hyperbole can be forgiven in a city that has made remarkable progress since it was nearly wiped off the map by Hurricane Charley 31/2 years ago. He was among the dignitaries who gathered at the site of the Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center for a "Topping Out" ceremony last Monday. That structure, as much as any other in Punta Gorda, represents the city's rebirth since the storm.

A much finer building than the one it is replacing, the center takes full advantage of its spectacular location on Charlotte Harbor. Architects Harvard Jolley and contractor Matthews/Taylor promise it will be finished before the end of the year. Tourism director Becky Bovell says that the center along with a new hotel under construction and two others in the planning stages for downtown Punta Gorda will bring visitors and their money to Charlotte County's only incorporated city.

Friedman is looking even further down the road -- quite literally -- with plans to annex the planned Loop project at Highway 41 and North Jones Loop Road. The mixed-use development will include 1.2 million square feet of retail space and feature two hotels and 500 residential units. Work is expected to start later this year.

Yes, there are challenges in the short-term economic picture, but there is a nice glow of sunshine on the horizon along Florida's Gulf Coast.