I concur with most of Executive Editor Mark Howard's observations in his recent editorial ["It's Still Miami, Florida," July 1999]. I feel that our community is growing up, taking ownership of our shortcomings and healing the wounds of the past. As an Hispanic, born and raised in Miami, I am especially proud of our recent success stories. Miami is the gateway to Latin America, an international business center with growing influence in the financial arena, and this is partly due to our diversity as a community.
Where I might disagree with Mr. Howard is with respect to assimilation, or the need thereof. As the CEO for a national Hispanic advertising agency, I can tell you that as long as the American dream is alive, we will have new arrivals from Latin America. That will mean that while a segment of the population, mainly the youth, will indeed learn English and become part of the mainstream, there will always be senior generations that will not. Perhaps that is because in all major markets throughout our country business can be conducted in Spanish.
The Hispanic media universe is rather large, and major advertisers, in all product categories, are spending their share of dollars in the Hispanic market. If you look at my generation, for example, I find that many of my peers are identifying with their Hispanic roots more and more, and that we like to listen to and speak Spanish as well.
As I glanced through the July issue of Florida Trend, I was disappointed to see little coverage as it relates to Hispanics. I think that to properly address the south Florida market, you might entertain including editorial material on Hispanics. I know our firm has not be successful in pitching to Florida Trend our own success story and our recent assignment for the National U.S. Hispanic business for Sprint PCS.
Manuel E. Machado
Managing Officer/CEO, BVK/Meka
Miami
As a native of Miami, I appreciate Mark Howard's balanced viewpoint of Miami's past and present civic status in Florida. It is unfortunate that Miami's progress is still hampered by leaders and citizens who see life only through ethnic glasses. I would like to believe Michelle Brown's comment in the article "Southbound" in the July issue that "this part of Florida with its Cuban and Caribbean influences is more accepting of persons of color." But then Miami mayoral candidate and current commissioner Miriam Alonso's statement that "the mayor of Miami belongs to a Cuban" all but shattered that dream. I sincerely hope that we continue to make progress so that Mr. Howard's future viewpoint on this subject is not titled "It's Still the Same Miami, Florida."
Kevin Guske
Pembroke Pines
I just read Mark Howard's editorial and I wanted to express my appreciation. I am not a long time Floridian (I hail from California), but one of the things I love about Florida, and the Miami area in particular, is the Latin culture. I do quite a lot of business in Miami, and I enjoy the difference in the customs and the subtleties of doing business with people from a different culture. I do read and hear a lot of discouraging things about Miami, and I get angry at what I perceive to be simple close-mindedness. It was refreshing to read such a positive editorial about my new hometown.
Ruth Lys Margolis
Coral Springs
Mark Howard's column on Miami-Dade County was the best analysis of our civic experiment that I can remember. As the group spearheading the Downtown Kendall project, we're proud that our effort has caught the attention of Florida Trend ["A New Urban Florida," May 1999]. With many challenges and threats to the project remaining, outside voices telling our story are very useful.
I moved to Miami nine years ago from Largo and people thought I was crazy. My family in North Carolina could not understand it, and I still see the nonverbal shock expressed by people there when I tell them where I live. Unfortunately, they will never understand that the human experience is so much richer when it has more depth and diversity. Say what you want about us, Miami matters. I always tell people: "We don't do normal very well," at least not in Mainstreet USA terms. "But we do the extremes better than anyone." That makes for a lifetime of amazing discovery. Viva Miami!
Paul Vrooman
Marketing Director, Chamber South
Greater S. Dade, S. Miami, Kendall
Chamber of Commerce
Drug War Victims
I agree with the letter in the July issue from James McDonough, director of Florida's Office of Drug Control, that praised Florida Trend's May cover stories regarding drug traffickers. He is correct that raising people's awareness is key, and that banks and businesses can support the government's anti-money laundering efforts by watching for suspicious deposits and payments from overseas.But I am distressed when innocent business owners are imprisoned and their assets seized.
Frank Pellecchia and Alexander Blarek conducted a legitimate interior design business for more than 20 years. Their work appeared in Designers Quarterly and Architectural Digest. Now these reputable men have lost everything and are in prison because they performed design services for a Colombian drug criminal. The U.S. government watched them for years; agents spoke with them and never warned that their actions were criminal.
So, while I agree that awareness of the drug problem is important, business owners in Florida, the Gateway to Latin America, where so many companies big and small have international clients, need to be aware of something more. We need to know, those of us in the service industry particularly, that we can become innocent victims of the government's efforts to crack down on money laundering.
Eileen Sisto
Fort Lauderdale
Abortion Doctor
I would caution you about pushing legal murder like abortion ["The Specialist," May 1999]. Florida Trend has been a good business magazine, but when you push Dr. Pendergraft's legal murder I find it totally lacking in common sense. Yes, women have been given a legal right to murder their children, but that sure doesn't make it right. I urge you to push businesses that are acceptable.
Richard Claridge
New Smyrna Beach
This letter is in response to one published in the July issue by Charles A. Dehlinger from Altamonte Springs. Mr. Dehlinger was upset that Trend selected Dr. Pendergraft for its article entitled "The Specialist." He stated: "This was obviously a political statement of the editor to profess his/her pro-choice views disguised as a business article" and "the fact that Florida Trend did this article shows a lack of morals."
Gimme a break! Besides thoroughly disagreeing, may I remind Mr. Dehlinger that Florida Trend is a business magazine designed to discuss business and business practices -- not morals! Mr. Dehlinger's pro-life opinion is one many people share, but just as many people (including myself) share a pro-choice opinion. Mr. Dehlinger ended his letter with "I hope God burns this 'doctor' in the fires of hell for the next 10 million years." OK, now I understand. A religious fanatic trying to spread his/her beliefs and values to every person in the world. The key word here is business. Not God. Not morals. Business. That's what Florida Trend is based on. That's why people read it. So Mr. Dehlinger can feel free to voice all the opinions he wants in this free country of ours, but he should keep his religious values out of my life, my free choice and my business magazine.
Cal Cole
Altamonte Springs
Dick Nunis
Amen, to Publisher Lynda Keever's column on Dick Nunis in Florida Trend's July issue. As Executive Vice President of the Orlando Area Chamber of Commerce in 1978, I witnessed not only the organizational abilities of Dick Nunis in planning the International Chamber of Commerce meeting at Disney World, the creation of the Orlando Convention Center, new airport facilities, etc., but the high esteem in which he was held by not only his peers, but the entire Disney organization, employees as well. Few people commanded the respect he earned as a captain of Florida industry, and his leadership will not easily be surpassed.
Barry R. Epstein, APR
President, Barry R. Epstein Associates
Boca Raton
The Florida Quiz
"The Florida Quiz" [Editor's Page, April and May 1999] states that Florida ranks 46th in the nation in the amount of money the state spends on education per student. In July there was a two-page spread paid for by the Florida Chamber of Commerce in effect bragging about how it got everything it wanted out of this year's Legislature. When will the chamber and all those senators and representatives, Republican and Democrat, realize that sooner or later Florida will run out of competent workers if it continues to offer poor quality education to our youth? I'd like to see the chamber make modern, competent, high-level education its number one priority for the next decade. Then everything else will fall into place.
Irwin Rubenstein
Plantation
Flagler County
The Flagler Beach Chamber of Commerce has concerns about some of the content and the persuasion of the article "Hub-less in Flagler County" [July 1999, Around The State/Northeast]. There are many misstatements and/or innuendoes that are less than complimentary. As an example, neither Palm Coast Holdings nor Minnesota Power has any involvement in the building of a new hospital and office park north of I-95 and Route 100. The location of the property was also reported incorrectly.
Regarding the reference to our isolated existence and our accessibility to conveniences such as grocery stores, Palm Coast has had a Publix market for the past 17 years, two Winn-Dixie stores, Food Lion, Wal-Mart and Kmart Foods for more than 10 years. We welcome a return visit from Florida Trend and offer any assistance the chamber can give to correct the negative tone of the article and to explain why we are the "fastest-growing county in Florida."
Mary A. Stetler
President
Flagler Beach Chamber of Commerce
I was surprised by the article "Hub-less in Flagler." The reporter didn't draw her opinions from the people I know. Most people have chosen to live in Flagler County because of the way it is today, not the way it's going to be tomorrow. We have been buying groceries at Publix, Food Lion, Winn-Dixie and Wal-Mart for many years and never had to leave the county to do it. Our airport, while small, is hardly decrepit, having an international aerobatics school, international flight school and more. No mention was made of the city of Flagler Beach, a wonderful, thriving beach town, with unique shops and restaurants, including a Florida Trend Top 200 restaurant. We have low crime, low unemployment and lots of protected, unspoiled public land. I'll stick around, hub or no hub.
Chris Tipton
Flagler Beach
Editor's note: A new Memorial Health Systems hospital and medical office complex in Flagler County will be built on land owned by the healthcare firm at the northwest corner of State Road 100 at I-95, not on contiguous property owned by Palm Coast Holdings, as reported in the July issue.
corrections & clarifications
EPIX, the nation's largest privately held PEO, had first quarter earnings of $1 million, before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, and a 40% increase in revenues over the same period last year, on a pro forma basis.