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MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2008
SOUTH FLORIDA:
Cuban Oil Rigs Could Be Built 45 Miles Off South Florida
Imagine refineries process the oil in Cuba and sell it across the Caribbean and beyond. Canadian and Mexican companies supply billions of dollars in equipment and services.
This could happen, as Havana is inviting foreign companies to explore its probable oil and natural gas reserves while Washington's embargo against the communist-led island keeps U.S. companies locked out.
South Florida is watching closely amid debate over drilling near its shores and concerns about U.S. energy policy. Oil companies increasingly seek to tap Cuba's deep-water reserves now that oil prices are soaring and profits are more likely. "In 34 years following Cuba, I've never seen an issue like this — so strategically important to the United States," said Kirby Jones, president of Washington-based Alamar Associates.
[Source: Sun-Sentinel]
MADISON:
The Profits On Water Are Huge Because the Raw Material Is Free
Nestle has a permit to take water belonging to Floridians — hundreds of millions of gallons a year from a spring in a state park — at no cost. No taxes. No fees. Just a $230 permit to pump water until 2018. But local officials are crying foul especially now since the region is facing a major water shortage. Nestle says Floridians should be grateful. Its bottling plant has generated taxes and created jobs.
[Source: St. Petersburg Times]
More on this topic from Florida Trend:
JACKSONVILLE:
Health Industry Construction Hale and Hearty
Despite a troubled economy, Jacksonville's major health care systems are continuing plans for new buildings, expansions and takeovers. Four of the five major hospitals systems in Jacksonville are pushing forward with multi-million-dollar construction projects. The fifth system is about to take over an existing hospital at a cost of $150 million.
The biggest project will be opening in less than a month. A 650,000-square-foot hospital will open April 12 on the Mayo Clinic campus with 214 beds and 22 operating rooms. [Source: Florida Times-Union]
More on this topic from Florida Trend:
OKEECHOBEE:
These Greenhouses Grow From Friends of the Earth
John Eriksen admits it. He's obsessed with energy consumption.
When he flips on the eight-bulb light fixture in the bathroom of his Okeechobee home, the hand-held tracking device in his grip shows his costs per kilowatt hour spike from 2 cents to 10 cents. Eriksen cringes. He flips the incandescent bulbs back off. State, federal and private-business incentives for solar power and other green features are finally making it a little more affordable to build energy-efficient homes for the everyman, the veteran builder said. At an increasing rate, more builders are choosing the same route. By 2010, up to 10% of new homes in the country are expected to be green homes.
[Source: Palm Beach Post]
More on this topic from Florida Trend:
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
›Tens of Millions Needed to Fix Shallow Spots in Intracoastal [Sun-Sentinel]
Maritime administrators estimate that next year it will cost more than $30 million to maintain navigable depths along 1,300 miles of waterway in five states from Florida to Virginia. It could put a real damper on Florida's lucrative recreational boating industry.
›Lawmakers Push 4-Year Role for Community Colleges [Tampa Tribune]
The concept has had wide support ever since an education consultant last year warned that Florida's public universities worked harder on their expensive research ambitions than on their undergraduate education.
›Despite Fed Cuts, Mortgage Interest Rates Creeping Up [Sun-Sentinel]
Many who bought at the height of the housing boom in 2004 and 2005 can't refinance because they owe more than their houses are worth.
›Sinking Bank Rescued in Sale to a Rival [AP]
JPMorgan Chase said Sunday it will acquire rival Bear Stearns in a deal valued at $236.2 million -- or $2 a share -- a stunning collapse for one of the world's largest and most venerable investment banks.
›Palm Beach Mansion Market Remains Hot [Palm Beach Post]
Palm Beach is one place where prices are still rising, but it's not the only market to buck the national housing downturn. Homes are still appreciating in the New York metro area and in San Francisco and San Jose, Calif.
›Sen. Nelson Floats Plan for Counting Half of Dems Delegates [Orlando Sentinel]
The move, if approved by the Democratic National Committee and the presidential campaigns, would reduce by half Hillary Clinton's 38-delegate margin over Barack Obama among the 188 pledged delegates who normally would be selected based on the Jan. 29 primary. Related: Florida Dems set to nix mail-in vote; now what?
›Florida Ponders Steroids as it Faces Horse Racing's Future [St. Petersburg Times]
In Florida, where the breeding, sale and racing of thoroughbreds is a $3-billion-a-year industry, the state is on the verge of tightening rules that mirror the proposed national guidelines and would ban steroid use in the month before a race.
›Few Agencies Ace Public Records Test [Tampa Tribune]
A Tampa Tribune audit of 10 government agencies in Hillsborough and Pasco counties showed that most agencies asked for requests in writing or demanded names and reasons of those asking, none of which the law requires.
›Surfing Industry Feeling the Pinch [Florida Today]
The surf industry has long been a mainstay of Brevard County's economy, fanning out into tourism, manufacturing and sales to the tune of a roughly $100 million impact in 2007.
But the county needs to get more surfers and surf-related tourists to come this year if it wants to stay ahead of the financial game for 2008.
›Celebrating St. Patrick's Day with a Perfect Pour [Palm Beach Post]
If you plan on raising a glass of Guinness today in honor of St. Patrick, you'll be in good company: About 13 million pints of Ireland's most famous beer are expected to be enjoyed across the globe — 3.5 million in the United States alone — making March 17 the brand's biggest day of the year.
›Quince to be Florida's First African-American Female Chief Justice [Democrat]
Justice Peggy Quince, known for a quick mind and probing questions on the bench, and an engaging personality off, was elected by her six peers for the two-year post.
›Bankruptcy Lawyers' Work Grows [Miami Herald]
The economy's tailspin, the result of ballooning consumer debt levels, shrinking property values and tighter credit markets, means a lot more South Florida consumers and companies will sink into bankruptcy over the next year, experts predict.
›State Panel Considers Property Tax Plans [Miami Herald]
A state tax panel votes Monday on three property tax cut plans vying for the November ballot, but a watchdog group calls two of them "dangerous."
›Inside a Rays Sponsorship Deal: What $1-Million Buys [St. Petersburg Times]
The pact with Academic Financial Services Inc., a Tampa issuer of student loans, is kaput after just one year. It's out of business.
›Market Forcing Trailer Park Residents from Homes [Miami Herald]
Even in a down market, trailer parks remain attractive sites for developers. But when they close, the parks' low-income residents cannot afford other homes.
›Column: Democrats Might Not Need Fla. to Win the White House [SP Times]
Adam Smith: Sorry to say it, folks, but Florida may not be center of the political universe this year.
›Group Forms to Help Fight the Pollution Seeping into Blue Spring [Sentinel]
More than 260 manatees this winter took refuge there, making the spring their crucial habitat. But the waters hold something else -- the residue of lawn fertilizers, septic tanks and other pollutants seeping into the spring water from much of west Volusia.
›By the Bay, a New Cachet [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Within the last few weeks, Sarasota got the official word that both Waldorf-Astoria and Nederlander Worldwide plan to join the Sarasota scene, signing up for a lavish four-star hotel, condos and an 800-seat off-Broadway performing arts center at the $1 billion development to be known as the Proscenium.
›Woman Sues Tampa to collect on 147-year-old Note Worth Millions [SP Times]
Tampa issued a promissory note for $299.58 to pioneer storekeeper Thomas Pugh Kennedy in 1861. And his great granddaughter Joan Kennedy Biddle, 77, who has known about the note since she was a little girl, wants to collect with interest.
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