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Miami-Dade County Business Briefs - Dec. 2006
MIAMI BEACH
Fighting an escalating battle with concert promoters eyeing a long-term lease for the city's Jackie Gleason Theater, Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil has withdrawn its proposal to house a permanent troupe here.
? Dole Fresh Flowers, the largest producer of fresh-cut flowers in Latin America, has laid off about 50 workers at its Miami headquarters.
MIAMI-DADE
The Italian Trade Commission has opened an office in Miami to help promote trade and business opportunities between Italian and U.S. companies in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and parts of the Caribbean.
? The Miami-Dade Inspector General's Office has issued a scathing report on the county's beleaguered housing agency, pointing out that administrative and management expenses in one of the agency's largest programs accounted for 85% of total funding, leaving little for needy families. The report comes after revelations that millions of dollars of public money intended for low-cost housing have been wasted or misspent. In the wake of the scandal, four county officials have been fired. A private developer is under indictment.
? Despite repeated rebuffs from state lawmakers for help financing a new baseball stadium, the Florida Marlins are reviewing competing proposals for a new state-of-the-art domed facility. Hialeah officials are proposing a $430-million ballpark, while officials in Broward County's Pompano Beach have floated a similar plan adjacent to the Pompano Park Harness Track. Meanwhile, Major League Baseball, which has said it would like to see the team remain in Miami, is putting its weight behind a downtown site near the Miami River.
? A former Miami- Dade Water and Sewer Department employee is being charged in an embezzlement scheme that netted more than $1 million, prosecutors say. The department is also under scrutiny over revelations that it paid more than $4 million the past two years for 4,200 cell phones -- even though fewer than 500 employees are authorized to use them.
