March 28, 2024

Wednesday's Afternoon Update

What You Need to Know About Florida Today

Will Short Gorham | 8/25/2010

Regulators Investigate Rash of Sinkhole Claims

Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has issued a "data call" to the commercial and residential property insurance industry to collect and track claims data related to sinkholes. Regulators are looking into whether public adjusters are encouraging sinkhole claims; whether sinkhole damage payouts are being properly used to fix property; and whether some homeowners are filing sinkhole claims for undamaged property just to get a "free and clear" bill of health from their insurer. [Source: St. Petersburg Times]

MUST-KNOW FLORIDIAN
Floridian
Meet Peter Prichard. Turtle zoologist and the director & founder of the Chelonian Research Institute, he is September's Florida Icon.

Working Together Helps Brevard Businesses Cut Expenses

Some say two’s company and three’s a crowd. But you won’t hear it from businesswomen Katherine McElhinny, Linzi Richer and Christina Walker. The three women say their decision to house their three separate shops in one Eau Gallie Arts District storefront helped them stay afloat in a business market where plenty of others are going under. “Financially, it’s smart for us to come together,” said Walker, who owns Christina’s Space Salon. [Source: Florida Today]


500 Being Hired at Port St. Lucie Call Center

Aegis Communications Group plans to hire 500 people for temporary jobs that will last until at least Dec. 31 and could become permanent positions. The Irving, Texas-based company, which serves three of the country's largest health-care companies along with a variety of other businesses, employs 350 people at its Port St. Lucie center and recently moved into a new building across from Digital Domain Park in St. Lucie West. [Source: TCPalm.com]


AAA: Travel to Increase This Labor Day

More people are expected to hit the road this year for Labor Day, although Florida will see less of an increase than the nation as a whole, according to travel group AAA. More than 34.4 million Americans are expected to take a trip of 50 miles or more away from home for Labor Day, an increase of nearly 10 percent compared with a year ago. More than 1.6 million Floridians are forecast to travel, up 3.9 percent compared with Labor Day 2009. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]


Ferg's Adds Lot to Host Events

The Ferg's Sports Bar & Grill empire on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg has grown by a parking lot. But it's not just for cars. On Oct. 1, for example, it'll host the pep rally for the Susan G. Komen Florida Suncoast Race for the Cure. Think big stage, barricades and $10 tickets. Mark Ferguson is stepping into the venue business. [Source: St. Petersburg Times]


Out of the Box
astronaut scholarship To university...and beyond!
A flag flown to the moon, an autographed transcript of the Mercury Seven's first news conference and a piece of a space shuttle tire are among artifacts up for auction to raise money for college scholarships. Registration for the Titusville-based Astronaut Scholarship Foundation's semi-annual auction of artifacts and astronaut experiences opened Tuesday.

Read more at Florida Today.


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Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices
Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices

Central Floirda chocolate shops are left with a bitter taste as cocoa prices hit an all-time high earlier this week.

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