But other agreements that Sarasota County has struck during the last 18 months are not looking like bargains, at least not at this point.

That would include the $600,000 given to newly created Sanborn Studios, which so far has created just 10 jobs out of a promised 117, and $100,000 for Sunovia Energy Technologies, which has actually cut jobs since moving to Sarasota County.

In the first analysis of Sarasota County’s fledgling program to give money to businesses promising to create high-paying jobs, county officials say that the 21 companies awarded $5.3 million in incentives have created 1,039 jobs to date.

Adding all these deals together, those businesses promised 1,899 jobs over five years.

“In a little over a year, they’ve created 1,039, or 55 percent of those jobs,” noted Jeff Maultsby, Sarasota County’s manager of business and economic development.

In most cases companies have years to fulfill their promises.

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Bahamas day cruise operator Discovery Cruise Line is ceasing service for good in September citing high operating costs and an inability to raise rates in the ailing economy.

The last day of operations for the line’s’ Discovery Sun ship will be Sept. 6, spokeswoman Roberta Backus said Wednesday.

Discovery Cruise offers day cruises, cruise and stay packages and a ferry service between Fort Lauderdale and Grand Bahama Island.

The cruise operator has been a fixture at Port Everglades since 1987 and was the first to use Terminal 4, port spokeswoman Ellen Kennedy said. “It’s been a very good customer.”

Discovery Cruise reported revenues of $1.7 million to the port in fiscal year 2010, which ran from Oct.1, 2009 to Sept.

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The number residential properties in metro Birmingham that were entered into foreclosure proceedings during the first half of the year fell 27 percent compared to the same period a year before, according to a RealtyTrac report released today.

One in every 143 residential units in the Birmingham-Hoover metro area — or 3,544 units — received a foreclosure filing between January and the end of June, the report said. That’s a 27 drop from a year earlier and an 11 percent decline from the previous six months.

Birmingham’s market was in better shape than many. Nationwide, there were 1.2 million filings, or 1 for every 111 housing units.

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EVANSVILLE — Because of its strong financial performance in the second quarter, Mead Johnson Nutrition has increased its earnings guidance for the year.

In its quarterly report the company said it had earnings of $132.1 million (64 cents per share) last quarter, up from $121.4 million (59 cents per share) during the same period a year ago.

For 2011, the company expects its earnings to be in the $2.70 to $2.75 per share range, up from its previous guidance of $2.62 to $2.70 per share.

Net sales last quarter totaled $932 million, up 22 percent from the same period the previous year. As has been the case in previous quarters, the company saw its strongest sales growth in China/Hong Kong and Latin America.

Mead Johnson’s operational headquarters are in Evansville, and its corporate offices are in the Chicago suburb of Glenview, Ill.

The company released its quarterly report before the financial markets opened Thursday. At

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— Texas Railroad Commissioner David Porter on Wednesday announced the members of his new Eagle Ford Task Force.

The goals of the task force — made up of community leaders, elected officials, oil and gas producers and other interests — are to foster communication between all interests, establish best practices for development and production of the shale formation and tout the petroleum find’s economic benefits.

“The Eagle Ford Shale has the potential to be the single most significant economic development in our state’s history,” Porter said in a news release. “We must develop this shale responsibly, finding the proper way to develop these resources while ensuring environmental protection.”

The task force had its first meeting Wednesday in San Antonio. Membe

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