March 28, 2024

Thursday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today.

Will Short Gorham | 4/12/2012

Florida foreclosures taking longer than ever

Florida foreclosures are now taking longer than ever — almost two-and-a-half years on average during the first three months of this year, according to a new report by the research firm RealtyTrac Inc. From the time a Florida homeowner gets the initial, "lis pendens" notice until the banks take the property, an average of 861 days transpire. Nationally, the process gets completed in less than half that time. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Investment Sounding Board
Where are you advising clients to invest while still remaining cautious?

Floridian

Joe Krier, President of Krier Wealth Management tells us:

"We're staying conservative. We have 30% to 40% invested in the equities market. The areas we like are dividend-paying stocks mostly in oil and gas and healthcare. We're believers in biotech, pharmaceutical and North American energy, particularly in an election year."

» Read more from Krier and others...

Matlacha evolves into shops, galleries

Matlacha, the little island at the gateway to Pine Island, is a business district unlike any other in Lee County — born of a ban on commercial net fishing and unusual zoning that lets shop owners live and work on the main thoroughfare. Today the island is known for its art galleries, seafood restaurants and colorful shops — but it wasn’t always that way. [Source: Fort Myers News-Press]


Florida company seeking 3 more adult-themed domain names

The Florida company that brought the “.xxx” domain to the Internet has applied for three more adult-themed domains. Palm Beach Gardens-based ICM Registry says it’s applying for “.sex,” ‘’.porn” and “.adult” domains. ICM launched its “.xxx” domain in December 2011 and says it now has 215,000 sites registered in it. [Source: AP]


Fort Lauderdale’s PrimeTime Amusements turns fun and games into a profit

David Goldfarb started his multi-million dollar arcade business with a simple goal: escape the jock dorm to which he had been consigned in college. Today, the owner of PrimeTime Amusements based in Fort Lauderdale has deals going all over the world, with revenues he says exceeding $5 million annually and estimated growth of more than 10 percent a year. [Source: Miami Herald]


AIF grades legislators on pro-business voting

Associated Industries of Florida issued its annual report Wednesday on legislators' support for business issues, as reflected in their voting from the session just ended. The business trade association analyzed more than 13,200 votes cast on 114 business-related bills. Its "2012 Voting Records Report" shows that the Florida House of Representatives was the most business friendly it has been since 2008. [Source: Tallahassee Democrat]


Out of the Box
metropole Fort Lauderdale signal box art
Some of Broward County's traffic signal boxes are now works of art. About 15 of the vinyl-wrapped boxes, which stand 3 feet high, dot downtown Fort Lauderdale. The county has about 1,400 intersections with signal boxes. To create the art, the Downtown Development Authority of Fort Lauderdale partnered with the Fort Lauderdale Historic Society for some images and local artist Joe Scott for other images. Chuck Black of Signs by Tomorrow did the printing and installation.

» See a slideshow from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel


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Florida Trend Video Pick

Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices
Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices

Central Floirda chocolate shops are left with a bitter taste as cocoa prices hit an all-time high earlier this week.

Video Picks | Viewpoints@FloridaTrend

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