Florida doctors who lost DEA licenses remain active
Two dozen Florida doctors who lost their Drug Enforcement Administration licenses as part of a federal crackdown on pain clinics still have clear Florida medical licenses. The state Department of Health consumer web site, which patients can use to look up doctors' histories, lists them with clean records. The DEA licenses are entirely separate from state licensure actions. At least four of the doctors are still in active practice, a Health News Florida reporter discovered: David Dreszer of Aventura, Beau Boshers of Delray Beach, and two doctors in Deerfield Beach, Gary Blumberg and Rene Casanova. Patients may be unaware their doctors are in trouble with federal drug authorities. "I had no idea," Martin Freeman told a reporter who encountered him as he left Casanova's office. The DEA released the doctors' names to the media in February as part of a sweeping investigation of South Florida pain clinics called "Operation Pill Nation." The investigation, which resulted in emergency suspension of narcotics licenses for 32 doctors, is still under way, DEA spokesman David Melenkevitz said. At least five doctors have been arrested on state or federal charges, including Zvi Perper of Delray Beach, the son of the Palm Beach County medical examiner. He was charged with 18 counts that range from drug trafficking to racketeering. [Source: Health News Florida]CEO SOUNDING BOARD
Iyad "Andy" Hammad, President of Hair & Accessories in Opa Locka: "The market we're trying to open up is Africa. Enterprise Florida helped us find a big buyer in South Africa, and we sold $60,000 in one shot." |
St. Petersburg as top arts destination for second straight year
A year ago, AmericanStyle magazine placed the Sunshine City at the top of its list of 25 Arts Destinations for midsize cities.
Earlier this year, city officials urged residents to defend the title by voting online. And for the second year in a row, St. Petersburg is tops.
"We're certainly proud of the arts scene and the city of St. Petersburg, and we're extremely proud of the trend of being an arts destination in these strenuous economic times," said Mayor Bill Foster.
"When it comes to arts and culture, we really do shine."
In the issue due out June 8, AmericanStyle cites the opening of the new Salvador Dalí Museum as one of the high points for the arts community here. [Source: St. Petersburg Times]
'Hidden' $25 daily fee at PGA National Resort & Spa spurs federal lawsuit
Add resort fees to the list of unpopular vacation costs.
Hotels are simply following the lead of fee-charging airlines, said Robertico Croes, associate director of the Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. It's the product of a hyper-competitive market, he said.
"When you go on the Internet, you look at the prices," Croes said. "You compare the room rates of hotel A with hotel B. It is difficult for a hotel to increase its room rate."
Now, a federal lawsuit alleges that the PGA National Resort & Spa hides its $25 daily resort fee when clients make reservations.
Steven Wittels, an attorney based in New York, said his clients Alison Handwerker and Jeffrey Greenberg are among thousands of guests who have paid the $25 fee plus close to $3 in taxes each day of their stay at the resort.
The lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York seeks class-action status and damages in excess of $25 million. It alleges guests are not informed about the fee when making reservations online or by telephone.
[Source: Palm Beach Post]
Fast-food industry is quietly defeating Happy Meal bans
The restaurant industry is quietly — and successfully — fighting back against the enactment of so-called Happy Meal bans, which forbid restaurants like McDonald's to hand out toys with children's meals that are high in calories.
Moving under the radar so stealthily that in some cases local politicians and anti-obesity activists missed it entirely, lobbyists in Florida and Arizona backed successful efforts to take away the power to enact such bans from cities and counties. In Nebraska, a proposed statewide Happy Meal ban died in February, even before its first legislative committee hearing. In Florida, pro-industry legislators inserted language banning cities and counties from regulating the nutritional content and marketing of restaurant food into three bills. Two failed in committee. But one version, slipped into an 18-page bill mostly about licensing for vacation rentals and rooming houses, passed May 6. The measure is awaiting the signature of Florida Gov. Rick Scott.
[Source: LA Times]
Broward chief judge resigns to join so-called "foreclosure mill"
Broward Chief Judge Victor Tobin will resign his post June 30 to work for the Law Offices of Marshall C. Watson in Fort Lauderdale.
In an e-mail sent Tuesday afternoon to judges and judicial assistants in the 17th Circuit Court, Tobin said he notified Gov. Rick Scott of his pending resignation earlier in the day.
Read letter to governor here.
Read Tobin's letter to judges here.
"I wish to express my sincere thanks to each judge for permitting me the honor of being your Chief Judge during the last four years," Tobin wrote. "I appreciate the confidence you placed in me."
The Law Offices of Marshall C. Watson settled a Florida attorney general's investigation into its foreclosure practices in March, agreeing to pay $2 million but admitting no wrongdoing.
The settlement came two weeks after federal mortgage backer Freddie Mac pulled its cases from the Watson firm, which filed thousands of foreclosures throughout Florida.
[Source: Palm Beach Post]
Seasonal Trend |
