Pill Mills: Snapshots from the Prescription Drug War
Florida leads the nation in prescriptions for oxycodone. "Pill mills" disguised as pain clinics have become popular destinations for prescription drug seekers from other states who load up on scripts and pills in Florida and haul the drugs back to places like Kentucky and Ohio, where they resell them on the streets. Prescription drug deaths climbed to 2,488 in 2009 — a rate of seven deaths per day — making prescription drug abuse the No. 1 killer of middle-aged Floridians. In Broward County alone, 415 people died with prescription opiates (including oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone and morphine) in their systems. Continue reading Pill Mills: Snapshots from the Prescription Drug War
A New Chapter Opens for Urban Think! as a Workplace
The spirit of downtown Orlando bookstore Urban Think!, which closed last year, will live on in a new Thornton Park project for writers, graphic artists and Website designers.
TIME'S RUNNING OUT to be recognized as one of Florida's "Best Companies to Work For 2011" |
Gov. Scott Considers "Destination Casinos" for His Economic Plan
Gov. Rick Scott said Thursday he is open to allowing Las Vegas-style casino resorts in Florida, opening the door for promoters to move swiftly ahead with legislation this year that would end the decades-old ban on the high stakes games. Promoters expect a hearing as early as next week in the Florida Senate on a proposal that could bring "destination casinos'' to Miami Beach, Tampa and as many as three other locations. The term refers to the high-end casinos being built around the globe that feature entertainment, retail malls and convention space in addition to blackjack tables, roulette wheels and slot machines. Scott said Thursday he is open to the proposal, even though while running for governor he rejected the expansion of gambling. "As you know, I've said in the campaign that I don't want our revenue dollars to be tied to gaming," Scott told the St. Petersburg Times /Miami Herald. "We've already approved gaming in the state, so we'll look at it going forward." Scott's turnabout may be rooted in his campaign promise to pump hundreds of thousands of jobs into Florida's struggling economy and a meeting he had with a major casino executive last November. [Source: St. Petersburg Times]
Journal Publishes Report on Miami Alzheimer's Test
A simple blood test to detect Alzheimer's that is being developed by a Miami company generated excitement from Australia to France on Thursday with the publication of a research paper in the scientific journal Cell. ``This will get a lot of attention,'' said Phillip Frost, the Miami physician-entrepreneur who is chief executive of OPKO Health, the company financing research into the tests. The research is led Thomas Kodadek, working out of an OPKO laboratory in Jupiter. The Miami Herald reported on his Kodadek and OPKO purchasing rights to his technology in June 2009, but his work has received little attention outside the scientific community until the publication Thursday. ``This is the first report of this technology in a scientific journal,'' Kodadek said in an e-mail to The Herald. He noted that the journal, Cell, is considered the premier biology journal in the world. Word of the research spread quickly. In Australia -- where it was already Friday -- the Advertiser Newspaper quoted Bryce Vissel, head of research into neurodegenerative diseases at the Sydney-based Garvan Institute, as saying the Cell article indicates the research ``is a step towards being able to develop better treatments because we may now be able to identify people early in the disease and test drugs on them before the disease is too advanced.'' [Source: Miami Herald]
Related:
» More info from OPKO Health
» Miami-Dade Business Briefs - January 2011
Master's Works Make the Move to New Dalí Museum
Eight blocks. Half a mile. That's the distance between the old Dalí Museum and the new one, which opens on Tuesday.
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Easy getting everything from one place to the next, right? Maybe if you're talking desks and paper clips. Not, if you're transferring a collection of art by the Spanish master Salvador Dalí valued at $500 million to $700 million. Though the stroll is only about 10 minutes, you can't just stack the canvases on carts and roll them down the sidewalk. Instead, it was a four-day, $30,000 event with a mammoth, customized semi-trailer truck and a four-man team from U.S. Art, a Massachusetts company that moves art nationally, internationally or, in this case, up the street. The process began Monday, the day after the old building at 1000 Third St. S in St. Petersburg was closed, and five days before the first pre-opening events were scheduled at the new one at 1 Dali Blvd. adjacent to the Mahaffey Theater. [Source: St. Petersburg Times]
Related:
» Dalí Museum Newest Jewel on St. Petersburg's Waterfront
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Billionaire to Open Private High School in Palm Beach County
Billionaire energy magnate Bill Koch isn't satisfied with the quality of high schools in Palm Beach County.
"Some are good, but they're not excellent," said Koch, founder of Oxbow Carbon, a private energy company in West Palm Beach. "And they all have deficiencies."
So, Koch, who has six children, did what most parents and teachers can only dream of -- he started his own school.
The Oxbridge Academy of the Palm Beaches is scheduled to open in the fall on the former site of the Jewish Community Center in West Palm Beach. Koch said he's putting in about $50 million of his own money for the college preparatory private school whose mission will be to teach kids how to think critically and prepare them for the global workforce.
"I didn't want to send my kids away to a college preparatory school," said Koch, who is No. 316 on the 2010 Forbes list of billionaires with a net worth of $3.4 billion. "I'm not only doing some good for my own kids, but hopefully for the community as well."
› CIA Chefs Bring the Art of Fine Cooking to Gainesville Students
Chef Arnym Solomon of the Culinary Institute of America grabbed a pinch of salt and told students at Eastside High School they need to learn to measure by feel. “If you come into my kitchen with measuring spoons in your pocket, I chase you home,” he said.
Eastside High School students and others from schools around the state learned culinary techniques on Thursday from a trio of chefs from the CIA.
Chefs Solomon, Frederic Sonnenschmidt and Jacqui Pressinger did 90-minute demonstrations for more than 100 students from local schools Buchholz, Gainesville and Eastside, as well as students from Bradford, Calhoun, Columbia and Hamilton counties.
Chef Billie DeNunzio, director of Eastside’s culinary arts magnet program, said the event is more than just garnishes and selecting ingredients.
“For them to come to a school and see where they can go in this field is amazing,” she said.
DeNunzio hopes her students learn they don’t just have to work in a kitchen.
“You can, but they’ve also worked with big companies as far as research and development,” she said. “There’s so much, and they need to know that.”
› Secretary of State Browning is Scott's First Double-Dipper Hire
Retirement was going as former Secretary of State Kurt Browning figured it would: a lot of working in the yard, loving on his grandbaby, padding around the barn at his Dade City home.
Then last month, his phone rang. Gov. Rick Scott's transition team was calling. Could Browning come to Tallahassee and meet?
"I really did not know what they wanted to talk about," said Browning, 52. "When I got up there to talk, it was pretty clear that I was one of the candidates."
For his old job.
Browning this week was named secretary of state, a position he held for nearly 31/2 years before retiring in April. Before that, he served as Pasco County's elections supervisor for 26 years.
With his surprise return to state government, Browning has become the first "double-dipper" of the Scott administration. He will draw two streams of income in his new position: one from a salary and the other from the state pension fund that Scott has vowed to reform.
› Oshkosh Move Could Bring 200 Jobs
Oshkosh Corp. is moving its ambulance business to Manatee County and its specialty vehicles business to Pinellas County, a move that could add up to 200 new jobs in Bradenton and Clearwater this year.
The Oshkosh, Wis.-based company will add its Medtec Ambulances business to its Pierce Manufacturing operation at 1512 38th Ave. E. in Bradenton.
It also will consolidate its Oshkosh Specialty Vehicles operation with Frontline Communications in Clearwater, which makes fire and emergency command vehicles.
The existing operations in Florida now employ about 450.
Enterprise Florida and the governor's Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development worked with local officials and economic development organizations to assist the company's moves.
› Gov. Scott Plans to Use His Own Jet for Business Travel
Gov. Rick Scott took to the skies in his personal jet for his first out-of-town appearance after taking office.
The multimillionaire Republican governor traveled to Opa Locka on Thursday to visit a South Florida charter school. Scott, who plans to sell the remaining two state aircraft in a cost-cutting measure, owns a seven-passenger, twin-engine Raytheon 400A.
When asked what other state officials should use for travel, Scott recommended commercial air and driving as suitable options.
Florida elected officials have for years been criticized for abusing state aircraft privileges. That included taking along family members, making frequent trips to their hometowns and making political stops while on official business.
› FC Tampa Bay Considers Playing Soccer at Al Lang Field
The FC Tampa Bay professional soccer franchise could be calling downtown St. Petersburg home this season.
The team is in talks with the city to play its 2011 home games at Al Lang Field, officials from both sides confirmed to the St. Petersburg Times.
"We are in discussions with the city of St. Petersburg and Al Lang Field as a potential option for 2011," said Jeff Kamis, FC Tampa Bay's executive vice president for business development. "We are also looking at other venues in the Tampa Bay area and hope to have a formal announcement soon."
St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster said the city and the club "were in discussions.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
› Wizarding World of Harry Potter Sells One Millionth Butterbeer
Turns out butterbeer is just as popular with Muggles as with witches and wizards.
Universal Orlando officials said Thursday that the one-millionth mug of the delicious frothy, butterscotchy libation was sold over the holidays inside The Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction, which has been open only since June.
The nonalcoholic drink, served cold or frozen, was inspired by the Harry Potter stories of J.K. Rowling, whose characters regularly tipped a pint or two. Rowling approved the secret recipe for the butterbeer now served at the park.
› Playhouse Sets Stage for Self-Sufficiency
When the city of Cocoa reached out to Cocoa Village Playhouse board members about a partnership, they were elated.
More than a year ago, Brevard Community College decided to reorganize its direct support organizations -- which included the playhouse -- in an attempt to gain more fiscal control. Changes included the playhouse coming under new ownership. Without Cocoa taking over, which happens this month, the playhouse might have gone dark.
Little will change under Cocoa. Playhouse staff and volunteers create high-quality performances of Broadway hits like "Man of La Mancha" and "The King and I." The board keeps the playhouse's finances of nearly $1 million sound. But, under its new ownership, the playhouse will get $80,000 annually from Cocoa, unusual for a theater organization to get from a city in which it resides.
But that contribution won't last forever. Its contract with Cocoa states the playhouse must move toward "self-sufficiency." It's a challenge the board is ready to tackle.
› 50-year-old Jax Restaurant Takes Legal Aim at Newcomer
You can get a 16-inch pizza at Joseph’s Pizza locations on the Northside and in Atlantic Beach — or at Joseph’s Italian Cafe on the Southside. You also can get lasagna, bruschetta, shrimp parmigiana or antipasto salad at either place.
They are two separate businesses. One, Joseph’s Pizza Inc., has been in business with that name on North Main Street since 1961. Joseph’s Italian Cafe opened last April on Belfort Road near St. Luke’s Hospital. Their names and menus are similar, but Zek Leci says that when incorporated under the name Joseph’s Italian Cafe in January 2010, the Florida Department of State told him using the name would not be a problem.
“The guy told me, 'You can use it,’ ” he said. “I asked about the law first.”
But the owners of Joseph’s Pizza — Rose Bateh and her daughters Sandra Hanania and Susie Bateh — say there is a problem. They claim the newcomer’s name has confused their customers and hurt their business. They tried talking to Leci, but he refused to change the name. On Dec. 20, they filed a federal trademark infringement lawsuit against him, claiming his business name is “confusingly similar” to theirs.
› Game Maker Works Quietly
Only a tiny sign on the door indicates that a multimillion dollar digital game company resides within these offices on North Tropical Trail.
"We don't make a lot of noise about our presence," said Mark Greenshields, the 44-year-old founder of Firebrand Games.
A little more than three years ago, Greenshields moved his company out of Canada, lured by Florida's warm weather and low taxes.
"We were looking for a place that was on the water with a low cost of living and low taxes. There seemed to be a good talent base within an hour or so," he said, referring primarily to Orlando, which is home to businesses and schools specializing in the video gaming industry.
The company's Florida work force has grown to about 30, while about 30 employees remain in its Scotland headquarters.
"Nobody here has a big commute," he said.
› Broward Company Will Refund Millions to Teeth Whitener, Acai Pill Buyers
A Broward County company will reimburse millions to consumers who bought acai diet pills, teeth whiteners and colon cleansers online through a settlement with state regulators, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday.
State officials had investigated XM Brands, which also did business as XM Labs LLC, on allegations it billed shoppers for products they never ordered or continued charging them monthly for items supposedly offered on a trial basis. The Better Business Bureau of Southeast Florida and the Caribbean received more than 2,800 complaints about XM from around the country.
› Beachside Radisson Gets $6.5M Renovation
Sluggish economy and tepid tourism market be darned, Brevard County's tallest hotel is getting a makeover.
The Radisson Suite Hotel Oceanfront on A1A in Melbourne is undergoing a $6.5 million renovation.
General manager Raed Alshaibi calls the project "a complete makeover." It includes new furniture, a new electrical system and completely new rooms and color schemes. Even fixtures and doors will be replaced. The pool area and the pool bar will also be overhauled.
"We decided to breathe new life into it," he said. "The owners think that the hotel has a promising future."
The Radisson Suite is unique in the U.S. portfolio of Radisson hotels because it is the only oceanfront property, Alshaibi said. All of its 168 rooms offer views of the Atlantic. It also may become eligible for the prestigious Radisson Blue designation after its renovation, which is expected to be completed by the end of January 2012.
› Bealls Hires New President for Department Stores
Bealls Inc., the Bradenton-based retailer, has announced a president of its department store division.
Lorna Nagler, 53, was most recently president and chief executive officer of Christopher & Banks, a women's specialty retailer based in Minneapolis.
She also worked in the Charming Shoppes business as president of Catherin Stores and later president of Lane Bryant.
“I'm excited to be part of Bealls,” Nagler said in a statement late Friday. “It has a long history, a unique Florida identity and a deep, enviable loyalty from its customers. I look forward to our next phase of growth and success.”
Nagler replaces Lana Cain Krauter, who before her stint at Bealls was executive vice president and general merchandise manager of the boy's and men's line at Plano, Texas-based J.C. Penney.
› If My Employer Files for Bankruptcy, Can I File for Unemployment?
Sun Sentinel career and workplace writer Marcia Heroux Pounds answers your questions about surviving in the office, finding a job, unemployment benefits and more. Today's question: If my employer files for bankruptcy, can I file for unemployment benefits? What if I want to start a business? Short answer: Yes, as long as your employer paid into the state unemployment insurance trust fund for you and other employees, you can file for unemployment benefits -- even if the company files for bankruptcy. Read full answer from Marcia Heroux Pounds.