March 29, 2024

Thursday's Afternoon Update

What You Need to Know About Florida Today

Will Short Gorham | 8/18/2011

Citrus growers worried over labor restrictions

Labor could become the "new greening" as the top concern in the Florida citrus industry if state or federal lawmakers succeed in enacting tough, new immigration restrictions. "With e-Verify and no workable system to provide labor, we'll have a problem," said Frank Hunt III, president of Hunt Bros. Cooperative in Lake Wales, a grower and packinghouse operator. "Without immigrant labor, we won't be getting the fruit picked." Hunt was referring to the federal government's e-?Verify system, an online database that can be used to establish the citizenship status of workers. The state Legislature this year rejected requiring Florida employers use e-Verify for new workers, but Gov. Rick Scott and supporters said they would try again next year. Read more from the Lakeland Ledger.

Related:
» Two Abruptly Resign From Florida Citrus Committees
» Putnam Fires Shots at Federal Water Policies
» Citrus industry confronts disease, water and labor challenges


Business Profile

Floridian

Since founding Celebration Golf Management in 2007 to oversee Celebration Golf Course, Gene Garrote has taken on five more central Florida courses and two in South Carolina and Tennessee.

Garrote, who grew up in Miami, started out as a bag attendant to earn playing time at local courses as a teen. Golf was his passion, and course management became his ticket to stay in the field.

» Full Profile
» Official Site

Think your job's crappy? They scoop dog poop for a living

Ask Scott Chapman how he got into the dog poop removal business and he fires back, "I sort of stepped into it.'' Chapman, 49, owner of Scoop da Poo LLC in Boca Raton, said his wife saw a posting for a poop scooper about nine years ago and considered hiring one for their four greyhounds. Instead, Chapman, a former chef, decided to try his hand at it. Working in Broward and Palm Beach counties, he said he removes the waste of 300 dogs a week, which adds up to about 400 pounds of the smelly stuff. In good times, he said, he clears $50,000 a year — but it took years of networking and client building to get here. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]


Seniors, beware: 'Medicon' same scam, different twist

The caller asks for you by name and says you've qualified for free diabetic-testing supplies if you'd just confirm your Social Security number and doctor's name. Whether your blood-sugar level is sky-high, dangerously low or you're not diabetic at all, that person on the other end of the phone line is fishing for details that classify the call as a "medicon" -- a scam centered on health care issues or concerns. These are persistent scams in Florida, as they are nationwide, and the targets are often seniors. [Source: Florida Today]


Gainesville video game company releases first game

Another new video game company formed by former employees of the closed Ignition Entertainment Gainesville studio has released its first game. Tribase Studios released Requiem earlier this month for iOS devices including the Apple iPhone and iPad. The game has sold nearly 4,000 downloads into its third week at $1.99 each through Apple's App Store, said co-founder Brian Manning. It also received good reviews on several gaming blogs. [Source: Gainesville Sun]


Brevard companies sit on defense-cut hit list

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down, Osama bin Laden is dead, and the federal government is deeply in debt. This spells the end of what was a golden decade for the defense industry. That lucrative stretch reached to Brevard County, where defense spending provided a huge boost for the local economy thanks to Harris Corp., DRS, Northrop Grumman and many smaller operations. After facing 7,000 to 8,000 job losses from the space industry, Brevard might take more hits as contracts for defense companies shrink or disappear altogether. [Source: Florida Today]

Related Florida Trend Archived Content
» War Business
» Florida Contractor Profiles


Crisis/Opportunity
tag Got mail? Businesses hope so.
Bob Groppe, owner of a Mailman Joey's franchise in Melbourne, can boast about going head to head with the U.S. Postal Service. His business is open more hours than the post office, and more often than not the lines there are shorter than at the post office. And that's before the federal agency closes hundreds of offices, including several in Brevard County, even as it ponders eliminating Saturday mail delivery. Groppe and other owners of small shipping and packaging operations see opportunities to grow their customer base and snare more business. In essence, they see their businesses fulfilling much more of the role once provided by neighborhood post offices. More from Florida Today and video below:


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Florida Trend Video Pick

Facial recognition cameras in Florida city spark privacy concerns
Facial recognition cameras in Florida city spark privacy concerns

New security cameras in downtown Lakeland are raising concerns about privacy. The Lakeland Downtown Development Authority has begun installing 13 new security cameras on streets, sidewalks, and alleyways, and there are mixed feelings about them.

Video Picks | Viewpoints@FloridaTrend

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