Tuesday's Daily Pulse
Visit Florida fares well in session
Visit Florida appears to have won more than it lost in the recently ended legislative session. To be sure, it now has a contractual relationship with a different state agency. The state marketing arm retained its day-to-day autonomy, however, and also scored a 31 percent gain in state funding for the fiscal year. "I'm pretty confident things will work out," said Tony Lapi, president of the parent firm for 'Tween Waters Inn, Captiva Island. Lapi becomes chairman of Visit Florida's board of directors starting in June. The outlook for Visit Florida wasn't so bright about a month ago, when agency-consolidation bills in the state House and Senate alarmed members of the tourism and hospitality trades. Visit Florida is a public-private partnership. Businesses across the state contribute money and expertise to its mission of promoting Florida to visitors. Last year, Visit Florida raised more than $40 million in private-sector matching funds. Additional dollars come from a portion of a state surcharge on car rentals. [Source: Fort Myers News-Press]
Florida Agriculture: Growing Numbers
For years, the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services has reported that agriculture is Florida's second-largest industry, generating more than $100 billion a year in economic impact. But lately, that figure — calculated by the University of Florida's Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences — has been questioned by Tom Swihart, longtime water policy chief at the Department of Environmental Protection. Swihart, who retired last year, has written a book, "Florida's Water: A Valuable Resource in a Vulnerable State," in which he says agriculture uses nearly half of Florida's water but generates only about 1.5% of gross state product. Swihart points out that IFAS' calculation includes activities such as "food and kindred product manufacturing" — which adds the impact of grocery stores and restaurants, for example, to arrive at the $133 billion total for agriculture.
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Florida Highwaymen's stories are told with bold strokes
Years ago, when Geoff Cook was a local boy selling newspapers outside Ivey's in downtown Orlando, some of the Highwaymen could have been selling their paintings just blocks way. It would be decades before Cook learned about the then-unknown artists, but his interest became so great that last week it took him to Washington, D.C., to the First Lady's Luncheon at the Congressional Club — an august annual event with roots going back a century. "I am so excited to be invited and going," he wrote in a quick email. "This will be my first time on an airplane since 1999." In the late 1950s and '60s, air travel would have been unthinkable for the Highwaymen — the name given to more than 20 black artists from Fort Pierce who took to Florida's roads, marketing their art to small businesses. Theirs is an extraordinary story: These men (and one woman) came of age in a time and place in which they were expected to be grove workers, garbage collectors or gardeners. They became working artists. They painted on gypsum board, made their frames out of crown molding and sold paintings for $20 or so; now, the painters are in the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
University moves toward powering Florida with the Gulf Stream
Florida's expansive coastline has long drawn surfers and sunbathers, and now, some university researchers are dipping their toes into the surf with an experiment to generate tidal power, regulators announced today. Florida Atlantic University has applied to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) for permission to test a prototype hydrokinetic technology on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) approximately nine to 15 nautical miles offshore Fort Lauderdale. "This is the first lease application BOEMRE has received to test ocean current equipment on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf," said BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich in a prepared statement. "Before a leasing decision is made, we are preparing an environmental assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act and are providing an opportunity for public input concerning these activities." The assessment will consider the technology's impact to life on the ocean floor, wildlife, and existing human uses such as commercial fishing. BOEMRE says that it has identified four other areas off of Florida for testing ocean current technology and collecting resource data. Florida Atlantic University's (FAC) interest lies in tapping the energy potential of the Gulf Stream, which flows continuously along the state's eastern coast before shifting its direction toward Europe. [Source: Smart Planet]
» Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement
Florida food banks benefit from $255 million settlement
A Jacksonville-based food bank and seven others are sharing part of a $255 million settlement in a 22-state class-action lawsuit on behalf of consumers and businesses that indirectly purchased certain vitamin products between 1988 and 2000.
Second Harvest of Northeast Florida got its $174,983 windfall a week ago, said interim Executive Director Karen Rieley. She said it will pay for the gas and maintenance for the fleet of trucks that picks up and delivers an estimated 23 million pounds of donated food to about 400 agencies in an 18-county service area. It'll also go toward new trucks and even drivers, she said.
"We have 13 trucks of various sizes and we are picking up from grocery stores several times a day, and our costs to do that are tremendous," Rieley said. "It also helps the general cost of bringing it in, storing it and transporting it."
Second Harvest collects, sorts and packages fresh produce, meats, frozen and canned goods and other staples for its food bank clients out of its Jessie Street warehouse. Most of the food is surplus donated from area grocers, but Second Harvest has to pick it up.
Almost $1.7 million in grants were divided among eight food banks after the settlement was reached by the state Attorney General's Office in the vitamin price-fixing case.
[Source: Florida Times-Union]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Sun Hydraulics to remodel and enlarge headquarters [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Fresh off posting stellar first-quarter earnings, Sun Hydraulics Corp. will expand its 31-year-old Sarasota headquarters.
Office space will be added for design and engineering personnel who will be hired on an as-needed basis to support Sun's growth, spokesman Richard Arter said Monday.
"We've always maintained a lean-and-mean business model, and our offices are pretty small," Arter said. "As we've grown, we've added more design and engineering talent but we don't have any place to put them."
The maker of screw-in hydraulic valve cartridges and manifolds also plans to spruce up the exterior of its 65,000-square-foot building on West University Parkway.
Holland Construction in Sarasota has been awarded the contract for the project, which is expected to begin this summer and be completed before year end.
The project will create jobs for more than 35 construction workers, said Holland vice president Craig Campbell.
Sun will add 1,900 square feet of new space and convert 1,700 square feet of existing space for the office expansion, Arter said.
› Orlando leaders OK plan to start arts center [Orlando Sentinel]
Four years after celebrating approval of a new downtown performing arts center, the Orlando City Council on Monday signed off on a new, post-recession financing plan that allows the stalled project to start construction.
The council's 6-1 vote sets the stage for a June 23 groundbreaking for the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts' first phase — a 2,700-seat amplified auditorium for touring Broadway shows and a 300-seat theater for local groups.
After the vote, more than 200 people gathered in the City Hall rotunda for an impromptu celebration. Mayor Buddy Dyer and others raised their hands and cheered in triumph over what they hope is the end of years of trials and tribulation for the arts center.
Jim Pugh, who chairs the arts center board and donated $7.5 million of his own money to the project, wiped away tears.
"When you put so much of your heart into something for so long, that's going to happen," Pugh said. "I had the confidence we could pull it off, but I never thought it was going to take this long."
› Jacksonville small businesses getting access to capital [Florida Times-Union]
Nearly three years after a financial meltdown that left small business lenders skittish, at least one Jacksonville financial institution reports that its total Small Business Administration lending rose 27 percent in 2010.
Some experts say it's a sign that lending to small businesses is loosening after a punishing recession. But most of the capital is going to established businesses; many new businesses are still struggling to get loans.
SunTrust's lending in Northeast Florida was up "significantly" in the fourth quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of this year, said David Mann, Chairman, President and CEO of SunTrust Bank North Florida, the area's leading SBA 7(a) lender for 2010.
Although small business lending hasn't reached the level it was at during the real estate boom, it's up from the doldrums of 2008 and 2009, he said.
› Businessman to run for Pinellas sheriff [St. Petersburg Times]
The Pinellas County Sheriff's race is heating up early.
The first Democrat interested in the position — Randy Heine — threw his hat into the ring Friday when he filed his intent to run with the Supervisor of Elections office.
Heine, 59, owner of Rockin Cards & Gifts store in Pinellas Park, used to be a fixture at Pinellas Park city council meetings. He ran unsuccessfully for sheriff in 1984, for Pinellas Park mayor in 2006 and for a seat on the city council in 2008.
He's the third to announce a campaign in the past week and a half. Former longtime sheriff Everett Rice is in; current sheriff Jim Coats is out. With Coats' backing, his chief deputy Bob Gualtieri announced his candidacy last week.
› Harris Corp. chief executive officer to retire [Orlando Sentinel]
Harris Corp. Chief Executive Officer Howard L. Lance is retiring — though he may remain at the helm for another year, the company said Monday.
The 55-year-old chief executive and chairman of the largest high-tech company based in Central Florida recently informed Harris' board that he wants to retire by mid-2012, but will do so earlier if a suitable replacement is found, the company said.
Harris has hired an executive recruiting firm to begin the search for Lance's successor. He has been its CEO since January 2003.
Harris employs more than 6,500 in Melbourne and Palm Bay in electronics and communications work for the defense and national security sectors. Under Lance's watch, the company's annual revenue has nearly tripled to about $6 billion; its stock price has tripled to almost $49 a share; and its work force has increased 65 percent to 16,500 worldwide, according to company data.
» Harris Corp: Well-Grounded
› Koppers lawsuit raises questions about disclosure [Gainesville Sun]
A lawsuit filed last month by the owner of a home near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund site has raised the stakes on questions about the obligation of home sellers and their real estate agents to inform buyers about the presence of the site. Carla Melgarejo filed a lawsuit April 26 against Robert and Robin Evans and their Realtor, Bosshardt Realty Services and its agent David Ferro, contending they committed fraud in intentionally concealing knowledge of the federal Superfund site and were negligent in misrepresenting the value of the property she bought from them in 2004.
One house and less than 100 feet separate the house at 444 NW 30th Ave. from the Superfund property that is obscured by a tall, wood-plank fence. Small "No trespassing" signs are posted outside the fence with the words "City of Gainesville/Beazer East Inc." in small print.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
› Plastics firm seeks tax-free loan to hire and expand [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Custom plastics maker Octex Holdings will beef up its operations and nearly double its payroll, using Sarasota County government as the conduit for a $7 million low-interest, tax-free expansion loan.
Octex, owned and managed by James Westman, is operating at capacity in its 34,000-square-foot building in the International Trade Center, an industrial park off Fruitville Road two miles east of Interstate 75.
Assuming its bond proposal is approved by county commissioners, Octex will use the preferred-rate loan from BB&T Bank to buy and renovate the building it currently leases, acquire an adjacent 2.6 acres, and expand by 22,000 square feet.
Westman did not return a call Monday seeking more information.
The company, which now employs 61, will add "over 50 additional people" during the next three years, its application states.
In the manufacturing operation, the company runs the raw material -- plastic pellets -- through precision robotic injection molding machines to create exactly what the customer wants. That could be anything from boat decking to beverage tumblers. Sales last year hit $14 million, up from $9.8 million in 2009.
› One airport celebrates while another ponders its future [USA Today]
The Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport celebrates its one-year anniversary today with music, food and giveaways, according to the Panama City News Herald.
The airport is one of a select few brand-new airports that have opened for business for the first time in recent years. Southwest was the first airline to serve the new airport from day one, according to the News Herald. Delta joined after Southwest. Load factors have exceeded Southwest's original projections of 50%.
While one Florida airport celebrates, a different Florida airport is concerned about its fate now that Southwest has acquired AirTran. According to the Herald Tribune the merger means Southwest will expand service in Southwest Florida, but it is uncertain if the combined airline will continue to fly from the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, or consolidate its operations into the much larger Tampa and Ft. Myers airports, both of which Southwest already serves.
› COLUMN: A plan to boost the
bay area's economy [St. Petersburg Times]
Another report came out Monday that offers the latest strategy for the Tampa Bay area to diversify its economy and focus its economic development firepower on those few industries deemed most likely to succeed here and generate better-paying jobs in the coming decades.
We've asked Mission: Impossible's Mr. Phelps to take on this assignment because it really is starting to feel like an insurmountable task for this area. How do we stop issuing reports — even a gold-tipped one like this $500,000 beauty from the consultants at SRI International — and take the plunge to make it happen?
The economic development powers will frown at my impatience, but many in the business community may appreciate it.
› Tampa to receive steel from the World Trade Center [St. Petersburg Times]
Two pieces of steel from the wreckage of the World Trade Center are headed to Tampa.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is donating the artifacts, one an I-beam about 8 feet long and the other a flange nearly 4 feet across.
Rusted and battered, each is powerful symbol of a day that changed the nation.
"It's something you just feel is charged," said Robin Nigh, who manages arts programs for the city of Tampa. "It was there when. ... I think it'll be important for us for a long time."
City officials have not decided how to display the steel. But Nigh said one piece could go to a corner of Bayshore Boulevard where the Bayshore Patriots regularly wave American flags at passing motorists. The other could go to the Tampa Firefighters Museum on Zack Street.
Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. Matthew Rametta, the museum's president, said it would be an honor to have a piece of the towers. Visitors sometimes ask whether there is a memorial in downtown Tampa to firefighters killed in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
› Panel: Diocese likely discriminated against Hispanic employees [Gainesville Sun]
The Diocese of St. Augustine likely discriminated against Hispanic employees in Gainesville who bore the brunt of last year's restructuring as a result of a budget shortfall, a state commission determined.
The Florida Commission on Human Relations found reasonable cause that the diocese, based in Jacksonville, discriminated against the employees based on national origin. The commission found no cause to complaints that the employees also faced age discrimination.
Records provided to The Sun show the commission found on behalf of two employees May 13, and attorney George Harth confirmed the same results for a third client. He said the commission told him about a fourth complainant, but he said he is not aware of the results of that case.
Other affected employees are not protected under civil rights laws because of exemptions for church ministerial workers, he said.
› Coyote sightings in Florida's urban areas increase [Tampa Tribune]
Game officials are working on a statewide effort to better track how often Floridians encounter coyotes that have made themselves at home from the Keys to the Georgia line since migrating into the Panhandle 40 years ago.
One main goal of the year-long work group set up by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is to educate people on how to live with coyotes that are now as permanent a Florida fixture as alligators and mosquitoes.
The group that includes the University of Florida and U.S. Department of Agriculture also hopes to develop a policy for what to do with aggressive or nuisance coyotes in neighborhoods and come up with a game commission trapping program.
"Honestly, we don't have a protocol to respond to an aggressive or a problem coyote," said Karen Parker, a game commission spokeswoman.
There have been no reports of a coyote attacking a person in Florida, she said, but has been reported in western states where coyotes are more common.
Getting rid of coyotes is not going to be an option.
"Coyotes are here to stay. Increasingly they're moving into suburban and urban neighborhoods. Eradication is next to impossible from what the biologists tell me," Parker said.
› New chamber does business with faith [Fort Myers News-Press]
A new Fort Myers-based chamber of commerce has captured the attention of businesses that want to operate above board.
Jeanne Sweeney, the former executive director of the Christian Chamber of Southwest Florida, left the chamber in November and began to lay out plans for the Above Board Chamber of Florida in January.
The faith-based chamber helps businesses operate to their full potential with integrity while setting an example for clients, employees and family members, Sweeney said.
The new journey has been an exciting experience for Sweeney. After 13 years with the Christian Chamber of Southwest Florida, she felt it was time for a change.
"God just opened up a new path and a new opportunity so I could go out in the community and talk to new businesses about being above board," she said.
› Sunovia to light up part of Sarasota [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Sunovia Energy Technologies Inc. is collaborating with Siemens Building Technologies to replace 200 traditional streetlights in the city of Sarasota with light-emitting diode products.
The replacement lighting fixtures are produced by Sunovia's light division, EvoLucia Inc.
The Sarasota County-based Sunovia did not disclose the terms of the deal.
The project, scheduled to begin this month along the Ringling Bridge Causeway and St. Armands Circle, is expected to reduce the energy costs for the lighting by 60 percent.
Sunovia recently announced that it would provide its LED lights in a contract with Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colo. Other military customers include the U.S. Navy's Souda Bay base in Crete, Greece, and the Marine Corps' Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.