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FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2008
FEATURED
Popping Pills
For hospital patients in pain, the time spent waiting for a prescription pain pill can be agony. But at a few Florida hospitals, patients have more control over pain management with a bedside table-device.
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TALLAHASSEE:
Voters Will Have Say on Tax Cut in November
Florida voters will decide in November whether to cut property taxes by about 25 percent through a dramatic shift in the way schools are funded.
But the plan would lead to a higher state sales tax and put lawmakers under immense pressure to replace billions in lost school taxes. It was placed on the ballot Thursday by a powerful tax commission.
But opposition was already mounting Thursday, suggesting a deeply funded campaign to defeat the measure is in the making.
Business groups pilloried the idea as a danger to the economy, not only through a 1 cent or more sales tax increase, but also because it raises the possibility of taxing services, such as for lawyers and accountants. The measure could also lead to the repeal of some special interests' sales tax exemptions.
[Source: St. Petersburg Times]
LAKE MARY:
Ruth's Chris CEO Ousted: 'I'm Shocked'
The CEO of Lake Mary-based Ruth's Chris Steak House was ousted Thursday as the fine-dining chain suffers in the toughest economic climate restaurants have faced in recent memory.
The decision to fire Craig Miller, which he said took him by surprise, comes after the company's share price has plunged nearly 70% during the past year.
"I'm shocked," Miller told the Sentinel in a telephone interview late Thursday. "It's not every day you get terminated without cause."
Miller, who moved Ruth's Chris to Central Florida in the fall of 2005 after Hurricane Katrina damaged the company's former headquarters near New Orleans, said he was not offered an explanation for the board's decision.
[Source: Orlando Sentinel]
WEST PALM BEACH:
Mining Approved on More Than 11,000 Acres
Trading farmland for rock mining, Palm Beach County commissioners Thursday night approved plans for decades of mining on 11,000 acres of mostly sugar cane that used to be the Everglades.
Despite environmental concerns, commissioners in a 4-2 vote allowed plans for South Bay Quarry 10 miles south of Belle Glade, on the east side of State Road 827.
Commissioners also approved the Lake Harbor Quarry, 7,351 acres four miles south of Lake Okeechobee and three miles west of U.S. 27.
Another mining proposal, the 533-acre Bergeron mine expansion beside U.S. 27 , was postponed until May 22.
The mining proposals followed county zoning rules and the environmental concerns can be addressed through the state's permitting process, Commissioner Mary McCarty said. [Source: Sun-Sentinel]
More on this topic from Florida Trend:
SOUTH FLORIDA:
Rising Cost of Rice, Flour Pressuring Restaurants
South Florida restaurant owners and bakers that use rice and flour say rising costs may soon be served up to customers.
Moreover, two major U.S. retailers this week imposed restrictions on purchases of rice, in response to soaring global demand.
More expensive flour poses a dilemma for restaurants. Flour has doubled in price since a year ago.
"We've eaten most of the cost," said Anthony Bruno, founder of the Fort Lauderdale-based chain, who said he has raised the price of a few items on the menu by 25 or 50 cents. Restaurant owners hesitate to raise prices too much because they don't want to lose diners in a slowing economy.
"This is going to be temporary," said Mark Sulzinski, chef-owner of Creolina's, a New Orleans-style restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, who said the increases are more about the cost of transportation than the cost of food. [Source: Sun-Sentinel]
Read tantalizing restaurant reviews from our Chris Sherman:
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
›Palm Beach Billionaire Snaps Up Wendy's Chain [Palm Beach Post]
Nelson Peltz's Triarc Cos. will buy Wendy's International Inc., a $2.34 billion stock transaction combining Wendy's with Triarc's Arby's roast beef chain.
›Allstate Quietly Offered Millions to the State [St. Petersburg Times]
Hammered by the courts and threatened with a crackdown by Florida's insurance commissioner, Allstate Corp. offered millions to let the company off the hook and retract a pending order that would stop the insurance giant from selling new policies in Florida, state officials say.
Gov. Charlie Crist said he promptly rejected it.
›OMG: Teachers Don't LOL or ;) at Txt in Skoolwrk [Orlando Sentinel]
A study released Thursday confirmed what teachers, parents and academics have long suspected: All that instant messaging and texting teenagers do is creeping into schoolwork. In fact, 64 percent of youngsters ages 12 to 17 have used emoticons, text shortcuts and informal language in school assignments, the survey found.
›Dade Developers Get OK to Cross Development Line [Miami Herald]
Miami-Dade County commissioners ignored the pleas of their mayor, their planning and zoning board, the state -- voting to let developers build a home improvement center and an office complex outside the Urban Development Boundary.
›25% Toll Hike Sought on Turnpike [Miami Herald]
As part of a massive transportation bill, Florida lawmakers have tucked in a provision that would jack up rates on the turnpike by 25 percent starting July 1.
›CSX Rides Out Another Challenge [Lakeland Ledger]
Opponents of a plan to bring a 61.5-mile commuter rail line to Central Florida nearly derailed the $641 million project on Thursday, but in the end their effort was narrowly defeated.
›Actor Snipes Sentenced to Three Years for Tax Evasion [Orlando Sentinel]
A jury in Ocala found Snipes guilty Feb. 1 of three misdemeanor counts of willful failure to file federal tax returns.
›Legislator Drops Attempt to OK Lake O Back-Pumping [Palm Beach Post]
In a move that would have challenged Gov. Charlie Crist and the power of his appointees, a Treasure Coast legislator tried to overturn the South Florida Water Management District's refusal to "back-pump" farm water into Lake Okeechobee.
›Buyers Opt for Cheaper Cars [Miami Herald]
AutoNation's latest financial results were hurt by car buyers forgoing more expensive vehicles with pricey options in reaction to the challenging economy.
Related from Trend: AutoNation's Accelerator
›In Global Crop Squeeze, Big Demand for Mosaic's Fertilizer [St. Petersburg Times]
It's not every executive who can claim to have improved his company's margins from nearly zero to more than 30% in less than two years.
›Shuttle's Retirement Could Leave Space Station Lacking Support [Sentinel]
NASA might not be able to send crews and necessary equipment to the international space station if the space shuttle is retired in 2010 as planned, government investigators said Thursday.
›SBA Lacked Credential for Investments [Palm Beach Post]
The State Board of Administration did not have the proper federal credentials to purchase nearly one of every three securities analyzed in an audit.
The finding, the head of a legislative auditing panel said, opens the door for state officials to pursue refunds of some of the $1.2 billion in local taxes they invested in mortgage-backed securities that were downgraded within days of the sale.
›Column: Can You Believe This Is What's Going on in Tallahassee? [Sentinel]
Scott Maxwell: With Florida facing the worst financial crunch in decades, it's time for another installment of How Your Lawmakers Are Spending Their Time.
We start with "Truck Nutz." And I'll be honest: I feel dirty even writing those two words.
›Research Needed But So Is Water for Parched Florida [Daytona Beach News-Journal]
Seawater could provide Floridians and others an endless supply of fresh water, but a group of national experts called Thursday for more research to make desalination cheaper and more environmentally friendly.
Yet most of Florida can't afford to sit back and wait.
›Fidelity Looking at Share Buyback [Florida Times-Union]
Fidelity National Financial Inc. has grown significantly over the years through acquisitions. But with the weak housing market hurting its title insurance business, Jacksonville-based FNF is now considering selling off its nontitle assets.
›Plastic Bags Could Find Unlikely Pal in Recycling Proposals [St. Petersburg Times]
In case anyone confuses Sarasota with San Francisco, House lawmakers are prepared to act.
No place in Florida would be able to ban the ubiquitous plastic shopping bag — as San Francisco did last year — until at least February 2010 under a proposal heading for debate today.
›Tampa Tourism Marketing Takes Hit [Tampa Tribune]
Hillsborough County's tourism marketing agency reported Thursday that it has lost 8% of its sponsoring members since Oct. 1 in yet another sign of the sputtering economy.
›Jurors Learn a Lesson on Cost of Citrus Trees [Miami Herald]
Figuring it was easier to bring the 14-member panel to the trees than take the trees up to their eighth-floor Fort Lauderdale courtroom, lawyers found four parking spaces in a sun-bathed lot across the street to make their case on the cost of citrus trees.
›Citizenship Backlog to Be Clear By Fall [Miami Herald]
Immigration officials promise they will bring citizenship petitions at the Miami office up to date by September -- but that likely won't be in time to register to vote in November.
›Royal Caribbean Cruises 1Q Profit Up on Increased Capacity [AP]
Miami-based Royal Caribbean said profit rose to $75.6 million, or 35 cents per share, compared with $8.8 million, or 4 cents per share, a year ago.
›Navy Drone Contract Brings More Jobs to St. Augustine Plant [Times-Union]
The new aircraft, known as the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System, is designed to patrol large patches of ocean, feeding surveillance data to an operator on the ground.
›Opinion: Resist 'Cash-Cow Alley' [Palm Beach Post]
Florida lawmakers are driving to the height of absurdity in trying to cash in on state roads at taxpayers' expense. Witness the idea that Senate Majority Leader Daniel Webster wants to stick in the mammoth transportation bill: Have the state lease Alligator Alley to itself.
›Christian Plate Would Be First in U.S. [Fort Myers News-Press]
The Florida Legislature is considering a specialty plate with a design that includes a Christian cross, a stained-glass window and the words "I Believe."
›Superdelegates in No Hurry to Choose Between Obama, Clinton [SP Times]
Forget the fact that more than 30-million people have voted in more than 40 states, others said, or that Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has called on uncommitted superdelegates to start making their preferences known.
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