From the Orlando Sentinel

An Orlando, Fla. land development company founded by a citrus industry pioneer has evolved into a grant-making charity that has given $1.7 million so far to area nonprofits, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

The company, Dr. Phillips Inc., awarded more than $500,000 last week to 37 Orlando-area nonprofits and social agencies. The charity gave $1.2 million to the Heart of Florida United Way earlier this year, to buy a 33,000-square-foot permanent headquarters.

As part of its nonprofit charter adopted last year, Dr. Phillips Inc. restricts its funding to about 90 education, health, youth, cultural and human services groups in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.

The company originally was a private, for-profit group that developed and leased commercial buildings. The charity still owns a number of properties in the Orlando area and uses its rental and investment income to fund annual giving.

The company is named after Dr. Philip Phillips, the man most responsible for developing the Florida citrus industry during its early years. He owned thousands of acres of citrus groves and created several juice processing and packaging techniques before selling to Minute Maid in the 1950s.