Thursday's Afternoon Update
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 [Lakeland Ledger]
» Putnam Fires Shots at Federal Water Policies [Lakeland Ledger]
» Citrus industry confronts disease, water and labor challenges [Fort Myers News-Press]
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]
» War Business
» Florida Contractor Profiles
Crisis/Opportunity |