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THURSDAY, AUG. 7, 2008
STATEWIDE:
Fla. Farmers Face Costliest Season as Fertilizer Prices Soar
Just about every day, Dennis Wedgworth fields telephone calls from worried South Florida farmers, asking what fertilizer will cost them this fall. "I tell them: 'Whatever you spent last year on fertilizer, you can probably double that,' " said Wedgworth, 55, president of Wedgworth's Inc., a fertilizer-blending company founded in 1934 and based in Belle Glade. "The per-ton cost for fertilizer a year ago was $400. By next spring, it could be $1,000 a ton.
"It's going to create a lot of stress."
Consumers will be affected, too, with higher prices at the groceries.
They can't be happy about his answer. [Source: Palm Beach Post]
Speaking of which, Mosaic Co. earnings skyrocket. [St. Petersburg Times]
More on this topic from Florida Trend:
ORLANDO:
Resurgence for Barnie's Coffee
Once upon a time, Barnie’s Coffee & Tea was Starbucks before there was Starbucks. Barnie's now plans to double the number of stores and sales in the next three to five years — concentrating about 75% of the company’s efforts in Florida. Barnie’s wants to position its outlets more like high-end wine stores than by-the-cup cafes. Read on for more ... [Source: Florida Trend]
BONITA SPRINGS:
WCI Allowed to Keep Operating
WCI Communities Inc. -- the developer of housing projects across the state -- said on Wednesday that a bankruptcy court in Wilmington, Del., approved its use of $50 million in cash on hand for operations.
The Bonita Springs-based company said that cash will be enough to run the business until WCI can finalize a deal for a new debtor-in-possession credit line, which the company expects the court to approve on Aug. 27.
A spokesman for the company earlier this week said that WCI plans to complete work on all its local development.
[Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
TALLAHASSEE:
State Attorney's Office Sues AdSurfDaily for Alleged Scam
The State Attorney General's Office has filed a civil lawsuit seeking millions in damages against a north Florida company called AdSurfDaily. It accuses the company of bilking investors out of more than $100-million in a Ponzi scheme.
The suit was filed Wednesday after U.S. Secret Service agents raided the company's Quincy headquarters, northwest of Tallahassee. State officials said federal authorities are also pursuing a separate criminal case against the company, and have frozen $53-million of its funds.
In June, AdSurfDaily, under the name ASD, held a convention at the Tampa Marriott Waterside, where it sold packages of online advertisements to as many as 2,000 customers. Priced at thousands of dollars, the ad packages allegedly promised 150% returns. But the state claims they were a get-rich-quick scheme, where only a few people at the top of the company were getting rich.
Along with another Florida convention in Miami, the state's lawsuit claims the company took more than $100-million from consumers in Florida alone.
[Source: St. Petersburg Times]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
›Brakes Put on Obama Gas Station Ads [Miami Herald]
As the energy crisis continues to dominate the presidential campaign, Barack Obama tried to take his message straight to the pump -- but failed.
Also: McCain campaign apologizes to Tallahassee reporter
›Kegger Nation? UF May Turn Off Tap on Gator Boozing [Orlando Sentinel]
America's top party college is looking to tone down the kegger action.
The University of Florida, just a week after being crowned king of party schools, is considering banning kegs and drinking games on campus to discourage hazardous binge drinking.
›North Port Cuts Building Plans [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Acknowledging the hard economic times facing the region, North Port is cutting $77 million from its construction plans over the next four years, compared with its 2008 plan. Most notably, the city is putting off a bond issue to pay for an aggressive program to expand water and sewer services to neighborhoods.
›Swindler: I Forged Illegal Deal With Tampa Candidate [St. Petersburg Times]
In letters from prison, swindler Matthew B. Cox says he arranged thousands of dollars in payoffs to then-Tampa City Council candidate Kevin White. In return, Cox says, White promised to vote his way on rezoning vacant land in Ybor City and Tampa Heights.
›Scientology Buys Prime Parcel in Clearwater for $10M [St. Petersburg Times]
In one of its biggest purchases in years, the Church of Scientology has added 5 acres to its already defining downtown presence.
›Ryder to Buy Philly Firm's Trucks [Miami Herald]
Miami-Dade-based Ryder System has agreed to buy most of the assets of a Philadelphia trucking firm.
Ryder will buy Gordon Truck Leasing's fleet of about 500 trucks and about 130 customers.
It is a much smaller deal than Ryder's April agreement to buy the assets of Doral-based Gator Leasing, which had 2,300 trucks and 300 customers.
›JaxPort Ends Contract With Controversial Company [Florida Times-Union]
The Jacksonville Port Authority is terminating its contract four months early with Rham Construction, a company with ties to former board member Tony Nelson and was raided by the FBI.
›Democrats Question Whether Crist Friend Used Fake Donors [St. Petersburg Times]
Harry Sar-geant III, an oil company executive and former fraternity brother of Crist, is at the center of questions about "straw donors" used to circumvent federal limits on contributions.
It "looks like some of these donors were not on the up and up, and they may have been reimbursed, they may have been straw donors," said Mike Gehrke, director of research for the Democratic National Committee.
›FIU's Medical School Flooded With Aspirants [Miami Herald]
The new medical school at Florida International University is still a year away from opening, but that hasn't stopped more than 1,600 students from around the country from applying for the 40 slots in its inaugural class. At UCF, over 2,000 have applied.
›Opinion: Arrogance of FPL Is Greater Than Ever [Sun-Sentinel]
It was bad enough last week when state regulators shut down an FPL green energy program, after an audit showed most of the $11.4 million collected from customers who volunteered — at $9.75 a month — for the Sunshine Energy program was used for public relations and marketing efforts..
›1,500-Acre Land Deal OK'd [Florida Today]
Jubilant environmentalists cheered Brevard County commissioners' unanimous approval Tuesday of land purchases that experts said would secure a critical conservation corridor between the
St. Johns River and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
›Land-Use Vote Deserves Ballot Spot, Group Says [Palm Beach Post]
The statewide battle royal over whether the November ballot should include an amendment requiring a citizen vote on changes to community land-use plans landed in the lap of a federal judge Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra heard arguments by amendment proponent Florida Hometown Democracy over the alleged inaccurate tallying of petition signatures by state election officials.
›Former Orlando Resident Suing Chinese Carmaker Over Import Rights
Malcolm Bricklin, a former Orlandoan who first brought the Subaru and the Yugo to American shores, is making news again by suing a Chinese carmaker over his defunct deal to become the first U.S. importer of its vehicles.
›Job Cuts Planned at Tech Data to 'Align Resources' [St. Petersburg Times]
Tech Data Corp., the Tampa Bay area's largest corporation based on sales, said job cuts at the company will put "less than 1%" of its 8,300 employees out of work, but declined to get more specific.
›Hospital Auditor Says He Was Fired for Report of Improprieties in Pay to CEO
The North Broward Hospital District's former internal auditor has filed a lawsuit alleging he was illegally fired for uncovering and reporting inappropriate spending involving the district's former chief executive, Alan Levine.
›Crist Disavows Letters Opposing Tax Swap [St. Petersburg Times]
Gov. Charlie Crist said his aide got it wrong six months ago when he wrote constituents to say the governor would oppose any plans to swap property tax cuts for other tax increases.
Such a position would conflict with Crist's newfound pledge to back Amendment 5, a measure on November's ballot that proposes just such a tax swap.
"He didn't talk to me first," Crist said Wednesday of his chief economist, Christian Weiss.
›Self-Deportation Program Criticized as 'a Fantasy' [Miami Herald]
Federal authorities debuted a new strategy this week for tracking down undocumented immigrants: Turn yourself in and deport yourself.
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