Thursday's Daily Pulse
Florida foreclosures climb 14% as lenders resume home seizures
Foreclosure filings rose for the first time in more than a year in Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Illinois as lenders resumed property seizures after a probe of documentation, according to RealtyTrac Inc. In Florida, one of the hardest-hit states in the housing crash, notices of default, auction or seizure rose 14 percent in January from a year earlier, to 12,102. They increased 69 percent in Indiana, 24 percent in Pennsylvania and 9 percent in Illinois, RealtyTrac said today. All are so-called judicial states, where courts supervise property seizures and add time to the process. [Source: Businessweek]
Florida ranks fourth in U.S. for public corruption
It turns out Florida is pretty damn good at letting the easily corruptible get into positions of power. Since 1976, the state's federal courts have handed out nearly 1,800 public corruption convictions, the fourth most in the country. That's an average of 49 public corruption convictions a year, or about one a week for 35 years. Read the report from the University of Chicago here. [Original source: Broward/Palm Beach New Times blog]
Chances dim for industry-friendly online travel bill
Prospects dimmed Wednesday for the passage this session of industry-friendly online travel legislation pushed by state Rep. Jason Brodeur. The Sanford Republican authored a bill that would allow Internet hotel booking companies to continue to avoid paying taxes on the full retail price of hotel rooms that they charge customers. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Favorite apps and gadgets for Florida professionals
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Loren Ridinger Senior vice president / Market America and Shop.com Miami Beach "I'm obsessed with generating buzz and using the latest and greatest products. Besides using my BlackBerry, I also carry my iPhone with me whenever I am out. The iPad and laptop are mandatory when I'm traveling. Each product serves a different purpose and functionality. I like to take full advantage of all social media aspects of the web, including video, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc." Favorite Apps Analytics App: It allows users to get a wide variety of Google analytics reports. SG Project Pro: "It helps me create reports, charts and schedules so that I can easily view any projects with up-to-date information. I love this app because it allows me to stay connected with what is going on with all the different projects my team and I are working on, and I can see the progress that is taking place." |
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Miami talks to help 30 French firms launch in US
Tourism, airports and luxury goods are strong points in the French economy as well as South Florida's, which is one reason French businesses see Miami as a cultural and economic hub, France's secretary of state for trade said at a global Miami Beach symposium last week that laid foundations for 30 French firms to open in the US.
[Source: Miami Today]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Driftwood BBQ food trucker confident he'll find clientele [Florida Times-Union]
Last year, Patrick O’Grady made his living as parts manager at an Audi dealership. His life revolved around fuel injectors, alloy wheels and LED headlights.
Now, it’s pulled pork, ribs and beans.
He’s part of the still-small-but-growing world of Jacksonville’s food trucks.
› Fla. spring training is laid-back fun in the sun [AP]
Major league baseball teams started coming to Florida for spring training almost a century ago, traveling by rail from the often still-frozen North to get in shape and play some exhibition games in the sun.
For baseball fans needing an early fix after a long winter, spring training is hard to beat. And spring training and some of the stadiums are as much a part of the fabric of their Florida communities as the teams are back in their permanent cities.
› American Airline’s top man in Miami announces retirement [Miami Herald]
The man who oversaw American Airlines’ growth into Miami’s major air carrier — and one of the county’s largest private employers — announced Wednesday that he is retiring.
Peter Dolara, who has spent more than four decades with the company, retires June 30.
› Trader Joe's grocery store coming to Sarasota [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Trader Joe's, the eclectic grocery chain with a rabid following, will open a store in Sarasota this year.
Trader Joe's has been scouting the Sarasota area for years, according to rival stores and commercial real estate brokers.
The chain opened its first Florida store last Friday in north Naples.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
› International pilot shortage has South Florida flight schools buzzing [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Once-struggling South Florida flight schools are seeing the largest influx of foreign students since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the result of a severe shortage of airline pilots worldwide.
› Sands pulls back its Miami casino bid, criticizes Disney, Genting [Miami Today]
When Malaysia's Genting Group took the lead in the push to bring mega-casinos to Miami, Las Vegas Sands Corp. was in the background, planning and waiting.
Now, Las Vegas Sands is preparing to wait until next year.
› Visitors keep spending in Universal theme parks [Orlando Sentinel]
Travelers aren't yet showing any signs of chocolate frog fatigue.
Comcast Corp. said Wednesday that sales at NBCUniversal theme parks rose 4 percent during the final three months of 2011, propelled by higher per-guest spending at Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood.
› Premium cocktails back in vogue [Miami Herald]
Time to belly up to the bar for a martini or a Manhattan. Go ahead and splurge — make it with Grey Goose or Crown Royal.
The economy may not have rebounded enough to justify a luxury car or exotic vacation, but the affordable luxury of a super-premium cocktail is back in vogue in Miami and across the country.
› Obama putting $232M in 'Glades [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
President Barack Obama's proposed budget on Monday called for spending $232 million on the Everglades in the next fiscal year, a sign that the massive restoration work in South Florida remains a high priority even when federal money is tight.