MetWest International garnered two Best of the Best Awards this month from The Tampa Bay Chapter of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association.

MetWest One, a Gold LEED certified, Class A office building, received the Outstanding Green Building/Project award while the retail portion of the development was recognized as Outstanding Retail/Building Project.

These are the third and fourth Best of the Best awards for MetWest International. In 2009 MetWest One was awarded Outstanding Office Building and developer Taylor & Mathis of Florida LLC received Developer of the Year honors for their role in developing the mixed-use project. NAIOP is the leading organization for developers, owners and related professionals in office, industrial and mixed-use real estate.

"It is an honor to be once again recognized by the local chapter of NAIOP for our commitment to excellence in the operation of our buildings," said Chuck Davis, regional director of MetLife's Tampa real estate investment office. "We are especially proud to have MetWest One named the Outstanding Green Building as MetLife is committed to investing in developments that operate in a sustainable and energy efficient manner."

The award winning retail space is home to E*Trade Financial, Beal Bank, Kona Grill Restaurant and Texas de Brazil, which will open in February 2011. The site also contains a 23,000 square foot build-to-suit retail anchor opportunity.