Thursday's Daily Pulse
Florida's business heavyweights side-by-side
The Florida Chamber and Associated Industries of Florida are the Sunshine State's two most influential business groups. With a degree of overlap in their memberships, the two organizations are frequently on the same page and collaborate on many business-related issues like unemployment compensation reform, job creation and some legal reform bills. That said, one group will often take more of a lead on a particular issue. While AIF, for instance, calls the shots on workers' compensation, the Chamber is in the saddle when it comes to tort reform. The different dynamics of the two groups guarantee that their interests will not always coincide. The Chamber's range of membership means it has to aim to maintain a broad consensus around general business-related themes. AIF, by contrast, is likely to be more micro-focused on the specific concerns of its members. "We don't feel obliged to be with anyone else on any other issue because we focus on what our membership wants, whether it's popular or not," says AIF President & CEO Barney Bishop. "If that is in the same vein or issue arena where the Retail Federation and the Chamber are, great. If not, we let them do that, and we do our own thing." Read Florida Trend's three-part special report on Florida's Business Heavyweights:
Associated Industries of Florida
Florida Chamber of Commerce
A Side-by-Side Comparison
State employees rush to beat retirement program changes
Hundreds of state and local employees are rushing to enter a popular retirement program to beat a July 1 deadline that will substantially reduce lump-sum payments some receive when they retire. Employees who enter the DROP, or Deferred Retirement Option Program, by the end of June will continue collecting 6.5 percent interest on all retirement funds instead of being forced to accept the 1.3 percent rate recently approved by legislators and Gov. Rick Scott. State retirement officials at a press conference Wednesday said the difference will probably be about 12 percent of the money that accrues in retirement accounts opened for each employee. Sarabeth Snuggs, director of the division of retirement, said about 3,000 public employees have filed the paperwork to enter DROP at the end of this month. Retirement officials expect the number of DROP participants to increase by 300 to 400 percent. There are currently about 32,000 employees in the DROP program. [Source: St. Petersburg Times]
Florida graduates get more job offers
Parents and their adult children have more reason to celebrate this graduation season: Student job offers are up for the Class of 2011. Some seniors even have multiple offers.
 Florida Trend spotlights research and innovation in Florida, including: » The Numbers a by-the-numbers look at venture capital, grants and patents Also, read Virtual Reality Check, about the University of Central Florida's leading-edge experiments in simulation and training. |
ACLU challenging drug testing for state workers
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to halt Gov. Rick Scott's executive order mandating drug testing for state employees regardless of suspicion in what the organization called an extreme overreach of Scott's powers. Scott ordered drug testing of new hires and spot checks of existing state employees under him in March and gave state agencies 60 days to decide how to implement the plan. The state already has the power to test employees if they suspect drug abuse, but this order could apply to state employees regardless of suspicions. "This is a governor who is willing to use the power of government to intrude upon your rights in Florida," said Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida. Simon said the lawsuit was the first of several the organization plans to file against Scott and the Republican-led Legislature after a session Simon said trampled on civil rights. [Source: AP]
National Hurricane Center seeks fans
Nobody is going to push the "like" button for a hurricane, but the National Hurricane Center hopes to get some Facebook fans for its storm advisories. The hurricane center joined the online social network in January to give a behind-the-scenes look at Director Bill Read and hurricane specialists at work well before any storm starts brewing in the tropics. The new outreach effort comes as the nation's emergency management chief urges Americans to make social media part of their disaster preparedness plans. People should know which local agencies disseminate information on Twitter or Facebook, and they should set aside extra batteries or solar chargers so that even in a power outage they can update their status with a simple "I'm OK." That can help reduce the volume of phone calls in a disaster-stricken area, leaving vital communication lines open, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate testified May 5 before a Senate subcommittee. Fugate also urges local emergency managers to develop mobile websites to be viewed on cell phones, so that residents can both receive and contribute real-time updates during a disaster. "Rather than trying to convince the public to adjust to the way we at FEMA communicate, we must adapt to the way the public communicates by leveraging the tools that people use on a daily basis," Fugate said. [Source: AP]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› TV ads with Heat stars likely to continue to air for weeks [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Get ready to see more TV commercials featuring LeBron James and Dwyane Wade during the next two weeks of the NBA Finals — and not only during the games themselves.
Sports marketers say companies score extra points when celebrities in their ads are hot, and that means a chance to cash in for State Farm insurance, Nike Jordan shoes, Energy sheets and other businesses that feature the Heat stars in their ads by airing those commercials more often on different channels.
"The Heat is generating a lot of excitement, and the ability to segue from the Heat brand to another brand is very powerful," said Kathleen Davis, president of the West Palm Beach-based Sport Management Research Institute. "It's all about striking while the iron is hot." What's more, companies know they'll probably pay more for the duo in new ads later, marketers say.
› Developer: Tampa Yankees would draw 77% more in Orlando [Tampa Tribune]
The minor-league Tampa Yankees would draw nearly double the number of fans if they moved to Orlando, according to projections by the man hoping to buy the team.
Orlando developer Armando Gutierrez Jr. made a splash in both Tampa and Orlando in September, when he proposed buying the Tampa Yankees, a Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees and relocating them from Steinbrenner Field to Orlando.
The deal would not affect the major-league Yankees' spring training, which would remain in Tampa.
His plan counts on Orange County providing 12 acres for a new stadium complex, something the county hasn't yet agreed to do.
Gutierrez's firm, Baseball Enterprises LLC, recently filed documents with Orange County revealing more about his plans.
He proposes building a complex called Yankee Town next to the Orange County Convention Center on International Drive, featuring a 5,000-seat ballpark, baseball museum and retail and commercial space. Private developers would cover the $47 million cost of Yankee Town, the documents show.
He would give Orange County 75 cents for every baseball ticket he sells in exchange for use of the land.
› A-frame signs stay on downtown Melbourne sidewalks [Florida Today]
Alfie Silva estimated about four out of every five new customers into Dead Sexy Hair in recent weeks came because of the A-frame sign that he places down the street from his salon each morning.
Technically, where he places the sign -- on the corner of New Haven Avenue and Municipal Lane -- isn't allowed under Melbourne's sign and zoning law.
But Silva and other downtown business owners, who say the A-frame signs are crucial to draw in business on side streets, will get a reprieve on the rules until the new directional system is in place. That new "wayfinding" system isn't expected until September.
"It bothered me because I have other friends who own businesses on the side streets. They depend solely on people knowing where they are," said Silva, who convinced city leaders to loosen rules temporarily on the A-frame signs.
› Pinecrest shoe debut [Miami Herald]
Xiomara Arroyo always knew she would start her own business, so she began from the ground up — literally.
The diminutive Arroyo launched her line of chic women's shoes, geared to give herself a boost, while staying in tune with fashion.
"I've always had a passion for shoes,'' Arroyo said. "I'm five-one and my husband is six-two, so I'm always in high heels and wedges, and I wanted to make sure I had something comfortable and that looks good.''
Arroyo, 32, is married to former Miami Heat and Boston Celtics player Carlos Arroyo, with whom she has two daughters, ages 6 months and 5. She started her line, Xiomara Lisette (Arroyo's first and middle names), a year ago, and officially launched it in February at New York Fashion Week.
This month, she is debuting her summer collection, mostly elevated platforms — and her first set of flats.
› Comprehensive care for the elderly [St. Petersburg Times]
LifePath Hospice provided end-of-life care for nearly 65 percent of those who died last year in Hillsborough County. Now its nonprofit operator wants to serve residents long before they need hospice.
The company, which on Wednesday announced it has changed its name to Chapters Health System, announced plans to be a one-stop destination for frail and elderly people who are not critically ill, but still need supportive health services.
"We're expanding that continuum to include the last few years of a patient's life and not just the last six months," said Kathy Fernandez, president and chief executive of the company, formerly known as HPC Healthcare. "We feel these patients have fallen through the cracks over the years."
LifePath Hospice will continue to offer services in Hillsborough under its existing name. So will its sister organization, Good Shepherd Hospice, serving Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties.
But the parent company is expanding in response to a convergence of health care trends: The growing numbers of seniors with complex, chronic diseases. The push for higher-quality, more cost-effective care. The struggles of caregivers trying to navigate a fragmented health landscape.
› Back-to-school purchases retain silver lining [Florida Today]
Shoppers, rejoice.
And retailers, you can get happy, too.
Gov. Rick Scott signed an economic incentive package (HB-143) late Tuesday that for a second year in a row revives the back-to-school sales tax holiday.
From Aug. 12 to 14, the state's 6 percent sales tax will not be charged on clothing worth $75 or less and school supplies worth $15 or less.
"It's great for Florida families, and it's something legislators really like to bring home to their constituents," said Florida Retail Federation president and CEO Rick McAllister.
Facing crippling budget shortfalls, lawmakers canceled the holiday three years ago. Retailers loved the original version, which included two weekends, but they have been happy in the past two years to take what they can get.
Related:
» Florida's back-to-school sales tax holidays make merchants happy
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
› Gainesville businessmen admit paying bribes to Florida prison officials [St. Petersburg Times]
Two Gainesville businessmen have admitted paying bribes to state prison officials and officers of Keefe Commissary, the St. Louis company that provides snacks and other items to Florida's prison inmates.
Joseph Arthur Deese, 38, appeared in federal court in Jacksonville on Wednesday and pled guilty to conspiracy to pay kickbacks to former Corrections Secretary James V. Crosby and Allen Wayne Clark, another high-ranking prison official.
Edward Lee Dugger, 64, entered a similar plea in March. Both men face sentencing July 27. Dugger, owner of an Allstate Insurance agency in Gainesville, befriended Crosby shortly before he was appointed in 2003 to run the state prison system by Gov. Jeb Bush.
›
Jacksonville-based PSS broadens its reach in the medical market
[Florida Times-Union]
PSS World Medical Inc. grew into a $2 billion-a-year business by distributing medical supplies to physician offices and elder care facilities.
But as the Jacksonville-based company laid out a new three-year growth plan for investors, its top officials wanted everyone to know that PSS is more than a product distributor.
"We are a professional services company," says President and CEO Gary Corless.
In an era where health care reform is a continuing topic for debate nationwide, PSS is focusing on helping its customers manage their businesses by offering a broader range of services than they have in the past.
"There's a lot of pressure on caregivers," Corless said.
"We're not naive about the challenges out there. But that creates opportunity," he said.
› Focus put on future as space shuttle program's terminal flight nears [Florida Today]
The shuttle program's end next month is a difficult but necessary step to enable human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit, where the shuttle can't go, astronauts flying the final missions said Wednesday at Kennedy Space Center.
Endeavour's return from its last flight early Wednesday and Atlantis' move to a launch pad for the final shuttle mission -- targeted to blast off July 8 -- pushed the program to the brink of retirement.
Members of both flight crews said these final milestones, while bittersweet, should focus not only on the loss of the shuttle.
Instead, they should celebrate three decades of shuttle achievements while also accepting that if humans want to some day explore the moon, asteroids or Mars, it's time to move on.
› Digital twist to old-school tradition [St. Petersburg Times]
It's that time, when seniors from Florida high schools hustle to finish exams, attend senior breakfasts and grad nights, and don their caps and gowns. Pinellas County public school seniors begin collecting their diplomas on Friday when Palm Harbor University High School graduates its Class of 2011.
This year, however, one of the oldest high school traditions got a new digital twist in Pinellas: yearbooks with barcodes linking to a video memory.
St. Petersburg High School is among the first in the Tampa Bay Area to use QR, or quick response, codes, said Steve Ferguson, a representative of yearbook publisher Balfour. (A Broward County school is also using the codes.)
Smartphone users can download a free application that reads the code, which takes them to a website with more school highlights.
"This really advances our yearbook and sets it apart from all other yearbooks," said Kellam Davis, a St. Petersburg High junior who's on the yearbook staff. Teachers and students say the codes could help jazz up slumping yearbook sales and allow more content to be included in the book even after it's printed
› Former Broward power broker Mendelsohn gets prison [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Onetime Broward power broker Dr. Alan Mendelsohn was sentenced Wednesday to four years in prison for what federal prosecutors characterized as a fraudulent political fundraising and lobbying scheme designed to enrich himself.
Mendelsohn had hoped for leniency, a light sentence of home confinement, community service and probation.
Prosecutors argued that Mendelsohn's influence peddling cynically corrupted the political process and undermined public confidence in elective office, and that sufficient punishment would be a minimum two years in prison.
A composed Mendelsohn, 53, stood before U.S. District Judge William Zloch in federal court in Fort Lauderdale and asked for compassion, but the judge determined the Hollywood ophthalmologist deserved to be locked up long enough to serve as a deterrent to those tempted by corruption. After the judge pronounced the sentence, Mendelsohn almost imperceptibly shook his head. "Oh, my God," his wife, Caryl, exclaimed. One of his daughters began crying. For now, Mendelsohn will remain free — he does not have to surrender to prison authorities until early January.
› Tuition hikes, cuts in aid pinch Florida college students [Orlando Sentinel]
College students across Florida will return to classes this fall facing steep tuition increases and a variety of other cost hikes — all at a time when they'll be seeing less financial aid from the state.
A number of state-funded aid programs, including the popular Bright Futures scholarships, were among the victims of this year's wave of legislative cutbacks.
"It looks pretty grim," said Brad Honious, director of financial aid at Valencia Community College. "Students are getting hit from all levels."
Here are details about the changes and some tips on how students can afford to stay in school.
› Legoland seeks to fill 800 seasonal jobs [St. Petersburg Times]
The Legoland family theme park that opens Oct. 15 at the former Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven has dramatically stepped up hiring. The park, which already hired 200 people, on Wednesday posted job openings for more than 800 seasonal positions that will be filled by late August. Starting pay is $7.75 an hour with no other benefits. Most unfilled jobs are for park operations, restaurants and retail shops. The rest of the full-time staff will be filled from the initial seasonal workforce. Applications for an interview can only be filed online at florida.legoland.com. In the first day, 700 applied.