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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2008
FLORIDA:
Crist Delivers State of the State Address
Gov. Charlie Crist largely brushed past the challenges facing Florida in his State of the State address Tuesday, instead highlighting successes and his optimism for the future. Lawmakers are scheduled as early as this week to begin chopping $3-billion from the state's budget, cutting services and education funding and possibly laying off court employees. But Crist told a joint meeting of the Legislature, "The state of the great state of Florida is strong. "Pessimists see problems, while optimists see opportunities. You know I am an optimist, but no matter the perspective, we can dare to be great."
[Source: St. Petersburg Times]
More on this topic:
BOCA RATON:
Developer Sues Over Disclosed Land Deal
Fifth Third Bank and its investment bankers blew the lid off a secret land deal between Boca Raton developers Greg Talbott and Tom Crocker -- and for that the bank should pay Talbott more than $180 million, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday. The lawsuit was filed by Talbott and his wife, Mimi, in Palm Beach County Circuit Court. In their complaint, they allege Fifth Third and Mission Capital Advisors of New York wrongly disclosed a $50 million deal to sell four of Talbott's downtown Boca Raton parcels to Crocker, who is assembling land for a downtown pedestrian corridor known as "the spine."
[Source: Palm Beach Post]
ORLANDO:
Fed Chief Bernanke Comes to Town
Mortgage lenders must step up the pace of helping troubled homeowners avoid foreclosure or the housing and mortgage crisis will certainly worsen, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told an Orlando audience Tuesday. Absent a stronger effort, the rising foreclosure rate could easily send hundreds of thousands of additional unsold homes into the nation's already glutted inventory, further eroding home values and prices, the Fed chief said at a community bankers convention. "This situation calls for a vigorous response," he said. "Measures to reduce preventable foreclosures could help not only stressed borrowers, but also their communities and the broader economy." [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
IMMOKALEE:
Farmworkers Raise Stakes
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is bringing out its big guns: a high-profile, multi-faceted national campaign and the threat of a boycott designed to persuade Burger King to pay a penny more a pound for tomatoes and "eliminate slavery and human rights abuses from Florida's fields. [Source: Fort Myers News-Press]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
›Top Education Officials Oppose "Shake-Up" Plan [Miami Herald]
Despite a warning that it could be the ''worst thing'' to hit Florida's public universities, state lawmakers are moving ahead quickly with a plan that could once again alter who has ultimate authority over state schools.
Senate President Ken Pruitt wants voters to approve a constitutional amendment that would end the legal wrangling over who has the power to set tuition rates at the colleges, placing day-to-day control over all levels of education under an elected education commissioner.
›Florida Trend Editor's Book Wins Award [Florida Trend]
Florida Trend associate editor Cynthia Barnett's book, Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S., was named Gold medal winner for best nonfiction in the Florida Book Awards on Tuesday.
›Flying to Tallahassee a Capital Expense [St. Petersburg Times]
Major carriers snub Tallahassee for bright lights and big cities, resulting in fares exceeding those to New York and Chicago.
›Jeb Bush, Colin Powell to Appear at Southeastern [Lakeland Ledger]
Leaders in the political, religious, military and business worlds, including Colin Powell and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, will be at Southeastern University this week as the private Lakeland school hosts its second National Leadership Forum.
›B/E Aerospace Lands $200M Contract [Palm Beach Post]
Shares of B/E Aerospace shot up $2.92 to $36.03 on news that the Wellington manufacturer has secured contacts valued at $200 million. The world's largest maker of aircraft seats and other cabin equipment, B/E declined to identify the airlines involved.
›Orange County Fast-Tracks Energy-Conscious Projects [Orlando Sentinel]
Orange County developers who go green could avoid regulatory red tape. Commissioners decided Tuesday to streamline the construction permit process for projects that embrace eco-friendly and energy-saving designs.
Related from Florida Trend: Shades of Green
›House Bill Would Delay Class Size Restrictions [Palm Beach Post]
Smaller class sizes in Florida public schools would be delayed for two years under a bill being considered by the Florida House.
›Florida Considers Apology for Slavery [St. Petersburg Times]
More than 140 years after slavery thrived in Florida, some lawmakers from both parties believe now is time for the state Legislature to apologize.
›Three Imprisoned for Hiring Illegal Immigrants [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
A West Palm Beach man was sentenced Monday to more than four years in prison and ordered to pay $16 million in unpaid taxes for his role in a nationwide tax scheme that employed illegal immigrants as janitors to clean for restaurant chains like Hard Rock Cafe, Dave & Busters and Yardhouse.
›Ethanol and Water Don't Mix [Economist]
Officials in Tampa got a surprise recently when a local firm building the state's first ethanol-production factory put in a request for 400,000 gallons a day of city water, at a time Florida is suffering from a prolonged drought.
›Southwest Florida Tourism Remains Strong [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Despite a struggling housing market, high gas prices and fears of a recession, visitors were turning out in droves and spending money, the most recent statistics show.
›Venice Windowmaker PGT Sheds 300 Jobs [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
The job cuts, coupled with the 180 employees who were let go in October and earlier layoffs, result in a staggering 40 percent work force reduction in 18 months at Sarasota County's largest manufacturing employer.
›Lou Pearlman to Tell All in Plea Deal [St. Petersburg Times]
The former boy band producer agrees to cooperate fully to untangle his web of lies.
›Lending Leader in a World of Trouble [St. Petersburg Times]
Tampa man behind Academic Financial Services racks up debts, bad check charges and also faces a federal investigation.
›Florida Agriculture a Boon in Tough Times [Orlando Sentinel]
The farm sector has been growing steadily at about 4 percent annually, keeping pace with the state's economy in recent years and providing some stability as Florida appears to be tipping toward recession.
›Measure Imposes Limits on FCAT Preparation [Palm Beach Post]
Lawmakers have proposed a bill to prevent school administrators from spending state money on test preparation materials and to prohibit them from dropping regular curriculum to prepare students for the test.
›Option Capital Secures Acquisition Loan [Florida Trend]
Orlando-based commercial brokerage firm secured $1.5 million on behalf of Compton Development to acquire Ellis Building in downtown Orlando.
›Fuel-From-Sugar Project Gets $866,000 Federal Grant [Palm Beach Post]
Researchers in Belle Glade will soon get a federal assist in getting alternative fuel out of sugar cane. The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy announced today $18.4 million in biomass grants for 21 projects across the country.
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