Monday's Afternoon Update

Florida Senate ethics bill appears doomed this year

A proposal to ban state lawmakers from influencing bills that could earn or cost them money is headed to the cutting-room floor for the fifth consecutive year. Why? Because of the process, not the policy. Senate President Mike Haridopolos and his staff effectively deep-sixed the ethics bill for 2012 by assigning it to five different committees before the beginning of the legislative session. Moving the bill through five different committees is an impossibly high hurdle in a nine-week session. Rules that ban conflict-of-interest voting exist in the House and in 44 other state Legislatures. More at the Tampa Bay Times.

Gas prices set record high in January

According to AAA, the average price per gallon of gas in January (nationally) was $3.37, which was 28 cents more than during January, 2011 and 66 cents a gallon higher than in January, 2010. Prices are averaging $3.50 a gallon across the country now and have already hit an average of $3.60 a gallon around Florida. In Florida, a week ago gas was at $3.543/gallon, a month ago gas was at $3.405/gallon and a year ago $3.125/gallon. More from the Ocala Star-Banner.

Manufacturing in decline? Hialeah missed the memo

For decades, Hialeah has been a major producer of goods. And even though manufacturing in the city slowed significantly since it boomed in the 1970s, many items are still made in the City of Progress. While the textile industry that once thrived in Hialeah has now moved overseas, other industries are starting to fill the void. Everything from bullet proof vests, manufactured homes, perfume and spices all originate in Hialeah warehouses. More at the Miami Herald.

Small Biz Advice
Accountability needed at all levels

People are constantly talking about accountability, yet so few businesses really make their staff accountable. According to my dictionary, “accountable” is defined as an obligation to report, explain, or justify something; responsible; answerable. For me, accountability means that you lay out your expectations for your staff and measure their progress, both rewarding their success and taking appropriate action when they fall short of the desired results.
» Continued: Full column from Jerry Osteryoung is here.

2003 mortgage warning from Florida businessman went unheeded

Years before the housing bust -- before all those home loans turned sour and millions of Americans faced foreclosure -- a wealthy businessman in Florida set out to blow the whistle on the mortgage game. In 2003 Nye Lavalle began investigating what looked like fraud on Fannie Mae. Lavalle cooresponded with Fannie lawyers, but in 2006, after issuing an internal report of abuses, the trail went cold. Since then, almost all the abuses that Mr. Lavalle began identifying have come to attention. The revelations have roiled the mortgage industry and left Fannie, Freddie and big banks with potentially enormous legal liabilities. More at the New York Times.