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FRIDAY, AUG. 8, 2008
TREND EXCLUSIVE:
Florida's Best, Worst Charities
Some are better than others at keeping expenses in check. Here's a statewide roundup. [Source: Florida Trend]
More on this topic from Florida Trend:
STATEWIDE:
Florida Still No. 1 With Foreign Home Buyers
Florida remains by far the most popular location for foreign buyers of real estate, accounting for 25.4% of all international purchases in the United States.
However, the number of foreign buyers nationwide declined over the past year, reflecting the deep U.S. housing slump, a new study released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors said.
Canadians, aided by a strong Canadian dollar, were the No. 1 group of international buyers, accounting for nearly a quarter of all foreign buyers in the year ended May 2008. That was nearly twice the share the Canadians represented a year earlier. [Source: Miami Herald]
JACKSONVILLE:
Jaguars' Owners Put $150,000 into Fight Over St. Johns River Water
The owners of the Jacksonville Jaguars football team Thursday beefed up efforts to block Central Florida from tapping the St. Johns River for water.
Team owners Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver announced they will give as much as $150,000 to the St. Johns Riverkeeper, an environmental group that has stirred mounting public opposition and filed legal actions to prevent Central Florida from using the river as a major supply of water.
"I look upon the St. Johns as being the heart and soul of our Jacksonville community," said Delores Barr Weaver, speaking at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium along the St. Johns River. "We will not stand by and be silent."
A contribution from the city's high-profile sports team bolsters what residents and civic leaders say is one of the most unifying causes in city history.
[Source: Orlando Sentinel]
More on the St. Johns River from Florida Trend:
LAKELAND:
Publix Cutting Prices
Publix Super Markets Inc. appears to be battling its high-price reputation with a new effort to cut prices on staple items. Prices on milk and other staples are being "dramatically lowered" for periods extending beyond traditional sales. One current promotion in the Tampa Bay area features Publix milk at $3.79 per gallon. It sold for $4.69 last week at one Lakeland Publix.
This year Publix also has stepped up promotion of "buy one, get one free" offers and plans to distribute brochures with tips for saving on food and household costs.
The new strategies are somewhat of a departure for Lakeland-based Publix, which has largely built its reputation on customer service and clean, attractive stores rather than sharp discounts.
[Source: Lakeland Ledger]
Also: Publix thinks premium price worth it for Albertsons
[St. Petersburg Times]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
›Broad Approves $65M to Slow Brain Drain [Gainesville Sun]
The Florida Board of Governors unanimously approved a legislative request for nearly $65 million to raise faculty pay to stem the so-called brain drain. State schools have seen faculty departures fueled by budget cuts, estimated at one university to be happening at three times the rate of previous years.
›Human X-Ray Machines Coming to Tampa International Airport [Times]
Tampa airport security officers might examine an image of everything under your clothes — or nearly everything — in the not-too-distant future. It's already being done in Miami.
›Revised Estimate Spurs Geo Group Stockdrop [Palm Beach Post]
The Geo Group saw its stock fall more than 17% Thursday to a new 52-week low after the operator of prisons and mental-health centers revised its full-year earnings guidance downward.
Shares in Boca Raton-based Geo closed down $4 after officials said five new prisons in New Mexico, Texas and Mississippi will take longer to become profitable than had been projected. From Trend: A New Mindset for Prison Operator
›511 Days Later, Lake O Back to 11 Feet [Palm Beach Post]
It's largely symbolic. And, after nearly 17 months, it went mostly unnoticed.
But Lake Okeechobee, a major indicator of South Florida's water supply status, rose past 11 feet above sea level this week for the first time since March 2007.
›Lawsuits Made Simple? Website Makes the Claim [Miami Herald]
A South Florida attorney is launching WhoCanISue.com, a website to help users find the best lawyer for their needs.
›NASA Plans Duty-Free Launches [Florida Today]
A launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is being licensed by the state of Florida as part of a larger plan to develop a duty-free trade zone to the International Space Station.
›Former Fla. Executive Accused of Stealing Millions [AP]
Frank L. Amodeo, who controlled Orlando-based Mirabillis Ventures Inc., was indicted Wednesday on more than two dozen federal charges, including wire fraud, conspiracy and failure to pay employment taxes.
›Mosaic Wins One Round in Effort to Expand Mining [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Even as The Mosaic Co. remains in a pitched battle with environmentalists over expanding mining in northeast Manatee, the company won easy county approval Thursday for a 300-acre mine expansion in Duette.
›Growth Slows at Progress Energy Florida [Tampa Tribune]
The St. Petersburg-based electric utility, which released its second-quarter results, has added just 2,000 customers during the past year. Second-quarter results from 2007 show the utility adding 29,000 customers during the same 12-month period.
Related: Water & Energy Savings Corp. joins Constellation Energy
›S. Florida Income Rises 5.6% [Miami Herald]
South Florida per capita income ranked 37th in the nation last year, making it one of the highest. It was $43,001 in 2007, $40,737 in 2006 and $38,342 in 2005, according to the Commerce Department. Also: Lee County income rises ... but barely
›Man Held Over Obama Threat [Miami Herald]
A Marathon man who allegedly threatened to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is being held by federal authorities.
›McCain Returning Donations Collected By PB County Man [Palm Beach Post]
Harry Sargeant III, the Republican Party of Florida finance chairman and part owner of a Boca Raton-based oil trading firm, had been credited with collecting more than $500,000 for John McCain. But about $50,000 of those contributions were reportedly solicited by Sargeant's Jordanian business partner at International Oil Trading Co., Mustafa Abu Naba'a.
›Developer Kuhn's Downtown Jacksonville Projects Belong to Lender Now
JDI Realty of Chicago lent tens of millions of dollars for developer Cameron Kuhn's headfirst dive into redevelopment of abandoned buildings in downtown Jacksonville. Now, JDI Realty owns those landmarks after no one bought them Wednesday at a foreclosure auction.
›36 Ledger Employees Will Be Laid Off [Lakeland Ledger]
The positions that were eliminated affect virtually every department of the Lakeland Ledger with 11 jobs being cut from the newsroom. It marks the second round of layoffs in less than two months and the fourth within the past year.
›Planet Hollywood's Earl Happy With Purchase of Buca di Beppo [Sentinel]
Robert Earl, co-founder of Orlando-based Planet Hollywood, is no stranger to the pitfalls of the restaurant industry. After all, his company has filed twice for bankruptcy protection.
Still, Planet Hollywood's chief executive officer says he isn't worried about the recent financial troubles that have plagued the Buca di Beppo restaurant chain that his company agreed to buy Tuesday in a deal valued at $28.5 million including debt.
›Experts: Housing Tips Florida into Recession [Tampa Tribune]
Top economists from Wachovia and Regions banks say there's little doubt Florida has fallen into a recession.
But on a more positive note, Florida continues to attract new residents, which should keep the state's economy from falling too hard this year and lead to some modest growth next year, Mark Vitner, senior economist for Wachovia, wrote in a new report on Florida's economy.
›Spy Catcher Claims Four Are Agents for Cuba [Miami Herald]
A veteran spy catcher's appearance on Spanish-language TV in Miami has added fuel to the decades-long debate about the Castro government's interest in spying in South Florida.
›Two Catholic Hospitals to Get One Boss [Miami Herald]
John C. Johnson, the top boss at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, has been selected to head a new Catholic Health East organization in Southeast Florida that will include Holy Cross and Mercy Hospital in Miami.
›Former State Rep. Holly Benson Named in Suit [Pensacola News Journal]
A former Florida beverage director's lawsuit accuses two state agency heads of improperly intervening in alcohol enforcement matters on behalf of personal or political friends.
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