Foreclosures put workers' security clearances at risk
Foreclosure means more than losing a house and ruining a credit rating for a select group of Central Florida property owners who rely on federal security clearances for their livelihood. "Losing your security clearance is like losing your most marketable aspect for employment," said real-estate broker Travis John, a local distressed-property specialist who already this year has worked with about a half-dozen sellers facing the loss of their security clearances if their banks foreclose on their properties. Bank takeovers have particularly harsh consequences for employees of Lockheed Martin Corp., NASA and other federal contractors and agencies in Central Florida. Depending on how a foreclosure is handled, it can cost a wage earner his or her security clearance — and job. And it usually takes years for such people to obtain a new clearance so they can work again. Debt is one of more than a dozen potential pitfalls for someone with security clearances, along with problems such as criminal arrests and drug or alcohol use. They can prevent a prospective employee from gaining clearance, jeopardize the clearance of an existing employee or stand in the way of an employee seeking a higher-level clearance. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Web.com Group Earns 'Net' Income
In 1999, David L. Brown decided to retire young. A former banker and partner in an equity firm, he sold a Jacksonville technology-services company he'd founded, Atlantic Teleservices, to venture capitalist Norwest Venture Partners. Brown got cash, a note and stock in the promising company called Website Pros that acquired Atlantic. Website Pros' business plan was based on the assumption that a website would become as essential to a small business as a telephone number. The firm assembled a heavy-hitting management team, well-funded with $65 million from the likes of Dell, Office Depot and Bell Atlantic/Verizon. The strategy: Capitalize on firms' growing awareness of the need for their own websites and build Website Pros into the top website-service firm in the nation for small businesses. Then, take the company public within a year. Brown figured he would spend time with his family and travel, while watching his stake in Website Pros boom along with the dot-com economy. He was enjoying a break from the Florida heat with his family in Cashiers, N.C., the following summer when a ringing telephone shattered that delusion. Norwest's senior partner called to say the investors were giving up on Website Pros. The dot-com bust had drained their cash and confidence. No more money was forthcoming. "The investors needed someone to come in and shut it down orderly," says Brown, now 57. "They believed closure was inevitable." Returning to Jacksonville to shut down Website Pros, Brown found a company on life support. But instead of shutting it down, he tried something new. Continue reading "Net" Income.
Suit filed over new Florida 'docs and Glocks' law
Three groups of Florida doctors have joined The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence in filing a federal lawsuit over a new state law restricting physicians' ability to ask patients about firearms in the home. Attorneys filed the lawsuit against Gov. Rick Scott, who signed the bill into law last week, and his administration in Miami today, saying what they call the "Physician Gag Law" infringes on their First Amendment constitutional right to free speech. "By severely restricting such speech and the ability of physicians to practice such preventative medicine, the Florida statute could result in grievous harm to children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. The First Amendment does not permit such a gross and content-based intrusion on speech and, accordingly, the Court should declare the Physician Gag Law unconstitutional and enjoin its enforcement," the lawsuit reads. Under the law, doctors and other health care professionals will face sanctions including fines and losing their licenses if they ask patients about guns in the home without a direct belief that the inquiry is relevant to the patient's safety or health. Pediatricians say the law keeps them from doing their jobs. [Source: Palm Beach Post]
Florida beach nourishment gets funded after all
A program prized by Pinellas tourism businesses escaped Gov. Rick Scott's veto pen.
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Florida sugar firms get in on stevia sweetener market
Truvia, a no-calorie sweetener made from the stevia plant, recently became the nation's No. 2 sugar substitute, pushing Sweet'N Low to third place. The nation's best-selling sugar substitute is Splenda, with about a 60 percent market share, according to AC Nielsen.
Stevia-based sweeteners are growing in popularity, helping to meet the demand for calorie reduction from a natural source. Mintel International, Chicago, estimated that U.S. sales of stevia-based sweeteners could reach more than $2 billion by the end of 2011.
The stevia surge hasn't escaped notice by Florida's sugar producers, who through their ownership of Domino Foods, are entering the stevia arena.
Domino Foods, the marketing arm of American Sugar Refining, owned by the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida in Belle Glade, and Florida Crystals Corp. in West Palm Beach, recently announced a collaboration with a stevia producer and a flavoring company.
[Source: Palm Beach Post]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Gulfport is Rand McNally finalist for America's best food towns
Gulfport has been named a finalist in the Best for Food category in Rand McNally's Best of the Road competition.
The funky South Pinellas beach town has no shortages of cool places to eat. Peg's Cantina brews its own beer and has a large patio for dining. Next door is Pia's Trattoria, a pasta and panini cafe, which looks like it's been transplanted from the Italian countryside. Then there's Back Fin Blue, O'Maddy's Bar and Grille and the new kid on the block, Smokin' J's Texas style barbecue, among others.
Gulfport will be competing with Visalia and Costa Mesa, both in California; Burnsville, Minn; Addison W.V.; and Lafayette, La., for the title.
Awards will also be handed out for Most Beautiful, Most Patriotic, Friendliest and Most Fun. The only other Florida locations to make the list are Marco Island and Coral Gables, both in the Most Beautiful category.
› Financial woes bring curtain down at Florida Stage
South Florida's far-flung theater community got a major shock Monday when Florida Stage filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. One of the region's finest companies since its founding by artistic director Louis Tyrrell in 1987, the group is ceasing operations, ending the jobs of some 30 staff members and eliminating a theater with an outstanding national reputation for developing new plays.
Board co-chairman Michael Schultz said in a statement that "faced with ... financial challenges, declining ticket revenues and insufficient donations, we had no choice but to close."
The company, approaching its 25th anniversary season, is $1.5 million in debt. Ticket sales for the planned summer return of the musical Ella have been small, but more worrisome were 2011-2012 season-subscription sales. During its best year in the Manalapan quarters it occupied until moving to the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach a year ago, Florida Stage had 7,000 subscribers. Fewer than 2,000 had signed on for the new season.
› Historical group wants to take over Hernando cannery
For three years, fans of the Little Rock Cannery have begged the county to spare the facility from the budget ax. Twice, an anonymous donor has given tens of thousands of dollars to keep it open.
Now, a solution may be at hand so that people in Hernando and surrounding counties can continue to use the facility to preserve fresh fruits and vegetables for years to come.
The board of the Hernando Historical Museum Association, Inc. voted unanimously last week to seek a lease with the county to take over the facility and operate it seasonally as a cannery and as a museum and classroom.
"We really hope that this thing can be sorted out,'' said Ron Daniel, president of the association.
› Disney film studio layoffs expected soon
Walt Disney Studios plans to cut as much as 5% of its worldwide workforce as early as next week, according to people with knowledge of the situation who requested anonymity because they had not been authorized to discuss the matter.
The movie studio would eliminate up to 250 jobs from its staff of about 5,000 people globally, the sources said. Several Disney insiders say the bulk of the cuts will be in Burbank.
The sources said reductions would hit some divisions -- particularly distribution -- harder than others.
Over the last several years, Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Robert A. Iger has restructured the studio, scaling back the number of movies it produces and releases. Disney sold off its Miramax Films specialty movie label last year and consolidated the Burbank studio's marketing and distribution operations.
› BungoBox opens packing franchise in Tampa Bay area
One of the pains of moving is rounding up enough boxes.
These days, most stores crush their cardboard for recycling. So amateur movers face buying boxes at up to $4 a pop.
Now they can rent a four-wheeled dolly and rugged, stackable, plastic BungoBoxes for a week at $1.75 apiece.
It's the brainstorm of two Orlando cousins, Tom and Bob Cannon, whose startup recently set up shop in the bay area by copying the common thread behind billionaire Wayne Huizenga's fortune: rent things.
For Huizenga it was renting trash bins from his Waste Management, videos from Blockbuster, cars from National or hotel suites from Extended Stay America. With the Cannons, it's about renting their 40,000 crates — made from recycled plastic — that pay for themselves after four rentals but are designed to last for 400.
"We aim to be the PODs of packing boxes," said Tom Cannon, the 39-year-old chief executive of BungoBox.
› Prescription for healthcare shopping
When Shirley Abraham of Key Largo needed a nuclear stress test on her heart, she and husband Jim tried to be cautious consumers, since their insurance required they pay 20 percent out of pocket.
They were particularly wary because several years before, Jim had undergone an MRI at a Baptist Health South Florida facility — and was flabbergasted to see a charge of $25,000 for a test that costs about $5,000 in southwestern Michigan, where they spend summers. That meant the Abrahams' expense was a stunning $5,000.
This time, determined to avoid such an unwelcome surprise, they decided to do their own legwork on costs. But what happened next is a prime example of the pitfalls awaiting those who try to be thoughtful healthcare consumers.
"You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find out prices," Jim Abraham said. "It's a bureaucratic system. You have to go through this maze to find someone who can really quote you the cost. You never get the same person twice, and they say, 'Well, why do you want to know the costs?' "
Americans, even with employer-provided health insurance, see their own out-of-pocket costs continuing to rise, often in ways that don't seem to make sense. And those who try to decode healthcare pricing can find the process frustrating and fruitless.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
› Hernando seeks assurance from contractor that stalled dredge will meet state deadline
The latest snag on the long-troubled Hernando Beach Channel dredge project has prompted a letter from the county seeking assurance from the contractor that he will meet his deadline.
Dredging began May 19, but so far only 370 of approximately 77,000 cubic yards of clean, dry material has been produced, Susan Goebel, Transportation Services director wrote in the letter Monday to contractor BCPeabody.
Equipment failures have halted dredging since May 27. On Monday Goebel said parts needed to fix the dredge were expected to be delivered and repairs made overnight so dredging could resume Tuesday.
The entire project must be done by Dec. 31 or the county loses its state funding. Goebel asked BCPeabody President Andrew Goetz for written confirmation that the deadline will be met.
› Thanks to Internet, public-records laws, anyone can be Big Brother
Wondering why your neighbor was hauled off in handcuffs? What about if the new guy or gal you're dating is really married? And don't you wish you knew that Interstate 4 was closed because of a crash before you drove onto the highway?
The Internet has made it simple to find information on people and your community without leaving your house or paying a dime.
You can thank Florida's public records laws for much of the information available in the Sunshine State. But the handy information isn't limited to court and other official records.
Agencies such as the Florida Highway Patrol put their calls for service online, so you can check for wrecks on your commute home before leaving work.
› Road equipment maker eyes Ocala
A Colorado-based manufacturer is seeking to consolidate operations in Ocala, local economic development officials say, bringing up to 175 new jobs over the next few years. Those jobs, if the company eventually does set up shop in Ocala, would pay on average $36,375 a year, according to public records.
The deal with Integrated Manufacturing Co. depends largely on the County Commission and the Ocala City Council providing about $200,000 in taxpayer-funded support, officials involved in the negotiations said. A key step in that process occurs tonight, when the County Commission will consider a $105,000 economic development grant.
If approved, that funding will boost Integrated Manufacturing's chance of qualifying for another $420,000 from the state through Florida's Qualified Targeted Industry program — for a total of $525,000. That money hinges on the company meeting its hiring goal.
› Tyco's new Boca Raton building offers employee amenities
Tyco International officially left behind the opulent offices at One Town Center Road on Monday for a smaller, but amenity-filled building at 1501 Yamato Road in Boca Raton.
Employees seem enthused about the ergonomic desks, which can be used standing up as well as sitting, and a "main street" of shops where they can buy Starbucks coffee, get a massage, work out in the fitness center, or find in-person help with technology issues.
Offering more amenities to workers is common among companies that move into a smaller office space, said Eric Anderson of Anderson Architecture in Boca Raton, which renovated the 171,000 square foot building. "The way people work you don't need as much space anymore," he said. About 700 employees will occupy the new office, a former bank building where Tyco has a long-term lease. The building will house the North American headquarters for ADT Security Services as well as Tyco's ADT Latin America unit, SimplexGrinnell fire protection business, and corporate employees.
› Massive art 'Big Max' is headed for St. Petersburg
At last, Big Max is ready to land at its new home in St. Petersburg.
The sculpture, which looks like giant red pickup sticks, had been on display at MacDill Park in downtown Tampa since 2008. But the agreement that kept it there expired in May 2010, and city officials did not renew it.
Although it had been announced in October that the sculpture would move to Straub Park, it wasn't until last week that details emerged of exactly where the mammoth -- 33 feet high by 75 feet long by 38 feet wide -- steel sculpture would go.
The move to South Straub Park, at the corner of Beach Drive and Second Avenue NE, will begin Tuesday and will take about five hours to complete. Once installed, it will be on display for 18 months. That's the agreement the piece's creator, sculptor John Henry, made with the city. Officials are hoping they might be able to raise private funds to make the move permanent.
› Hundreds of new homes planned for South Florida amid housing slump
GL Homes is clearing land west of Delray Beach with plans to start building a 656-home development this fall.
The 300-acre community to be called The Bridges is the latest in a handful of housing projects started in Broward and Palm Beach counties even as the home-building market shows few signs of recovering soon from a descent that's well into a sixth year.
With prices from $500,000 to more than $1.5 million, The Bridges, on Lyons Road south of Atlantic Avenue, will target young families, international buyers and older adults with grown children. So far this year,Sunrise-based GL has sold 400 homes, including 250 in southern Palm Beach County. And prospective buyers call constantly, asking about new projects the builder is considering, said Marcie DePlaza, division president for GL.
"All that gives us the confidence we need to pull the trigger," DePlaza said.
› Hudson takes over as Stearns' Florida president
Veteran Sarasota banker Tramm Hudson has been named Florida president of Stearns Bank.
Based in St. Cloud, Minn., Stearns bought the failed First State Bank in Sarasota and Community National Bank of Sarasota County in Venice in August 2009.
Stearns closed 10 of the 13 offices it acquired in those deals.
Hudson most recently was the local market president for Whitney Bank, the New Orleans bank that on Saturday was absorbed by Hancock Holding Corp.
He will "spearhead the initiative to build the Stearns Bank franchise" in Florida, according to a news release.