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THURSDAY, NOV. 15, 2007
Florida Lacked Leverage for Better Deal with Seminoles [Sun-Sentinel]
It's being sold as a windfall for taxpayers and the Seminole Tribe, but Florida's cut from an agreement to expand tribal gambling is dwarfed by some others negotiated around the country. Gamblers could be playing Las Vegas-style slot machines, blackjack and baccarat within six months.
In return, the Seminoles will pay the state $50 million upfront and at least $100 million a year under the 25-year deal. The agreement could be worth nearly $1 billion a year to the state.
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WINTER PARK:
Hospital Review Plan Stirs Debate [Palm Beach Post]
Florida's top health regulator has proposed eliminating the state's lengthy review process for building new hospitals, a move that could speed the establishment of two new medical centers currently under review. Florida is one of 24 states that have a review system for new hospitals and major hospital expansion projects.
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HAVANA:
For U.S. Exporters in Cuba, Business Trumps Politics [New York Times]
Just weeks after President Bush delivered an address calling on the world to isolate Cuba, officials from more than 100 American businesses were working the giant Havana International Fair, trying to secure part of the $1.6 billion the Cuban government spends each year to import sugar, wheat, livestock, poultry and beans, among other staples.
Those business interests clash with the Bush administration’s anti-Castro policies, as well as the need of both Democrats and Republicans to court Cuban exiles in Florida, a crucial voting bloc.
TAMPA BAY:
Builders Brace for Shakeout [St. Petersburg Times]
One builder's stock trades at 25 cents. Another suffered cancellations that chopped two-thirds of its business. A third builder is $2-billion in debt.
Those three builders - Tousa Inc., Beazer Homes and Standard Pacific Homes - have been important props in the economy of the Tampa Bay area.
In the recent housing boom, thousands of their homes spread out over the suburbs of Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando and Pinellas counties. Now they're all the subject of bankruptcy rumors.
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ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
›Alachua Biomedical Firms to Merge [Gainesville Sun]
Two of Alachua County's largest biomedical companies are joining forces. Regeneration Technologies Inc. and Tutogen Medical Inc. announced a merger Tuesday in a $263 million stock-for-stock deal.
›Dollar Losing Social Status Along with Value [AP]
When people start talking about rappers and supermodels shunning the dollar, you know there's a problem.
As the greenback recently hit historic lows against other major currencies, rap mogul Jay-Z released a new video in which he flashes euros, not dollars.
›SEC Widens Office Depot Inquiry Over Vendor Payments [Palm Beach Post]
At issue is when and how the world's second-biggest office supply retailer booked revenue it received from certain suppliers.
›Rays' Stadium Plan Has Foes, Friend in Capital [St. Petersburg Times]
Crist is gung-ho, but legislators say now is not tax-break time.
›United & Delta: Match Made in Heaven? [Wall Street Journal]
The big, legacy airlines either need to consolidate or die. That’s a given.
›Florida's Tax Collections Down Again [Tallahassee Democrat]
The formal report said tax collections for the current fiscal year will miss already lowered projections by a further $1 billion and that the 2008-09 tax take will be $1.4 billion less than forecast in August.
›As Leak Emergency Ends, Who Pays Becomes Issue [Tampa Tribune]
The toxic cloud that escaped through the punctured line prompted an evacuation Monday night of about 300 residents near Tampa and forced one public and two private schools to close.
›Orlando-Area Shoppers Get First Look at New IKEA Store [Orlando Sentinel]
Thousands of shoppers turned out Wednesday for the opening of the first IKEA store in Central Florida, but the crowds were thinner than local officials had expected.
›Luxury Pet Hotel Cancels Grand Opening [Miami Herald]
Mitzi Bitzi, a Brussels Griffon who spent Tuesday at the groomers, was understandably miffed. Her big brown eyes and strawberry blonde locks had earned her the honor of modeling a $118,000 diamond necklace at the party.
›Sub-Prime Loan Collapse Hurts State Investment [Tallahassee Democrat]
The good news is that the state's $138 billion pension fund is fully funded, highly diversified and not at risk.
›Not With Our Aquifer, Firm Told [Lakeland Ledger]
Groveland wants a California company to go elsewhere to find the water it seeks to bottle and sell.
›Max Planck Society Advances Toward State's Approval [Palm Beach Post]
Enterprise Florida, the state's economic development arm, has given the job-incentive grant proposal by Germany's top research institution a thumbs-up.
›Windjammer Cancels Sailings -- Again [Miami Herald]
Miami Beach-based Windjammer Barefoot Cruises' ongoing financial problems have forced it to cancel still more sailings on its Legacy ship.
›Water Chief Urges Tighter Limits on Usage [Palm Beach Post]
Water district managers painted an ever-grimmer portrait of the South Florida's drought Wednesday, recommending stiffer restrictions on residential water use and a series of actions to make the most of a system that has plumbed record-low water levels for 155 days in a row.
›City Budget Forces 100 New Layoffs in Tampa [Tampa Tribune]
They will be given six or seven months' notice that their positions are being eliminated but will not receive severance packages.
›Center Will Help Predict Red Tide [Orlando Sentinel]
A red-tide prediction center is in the works in St. Petersburg after the state Fish and Wildlife Research Institute announced a five-year, $1.25 million contract Tuesday. Related: Research links Mississippi pollution with Florida red tide
›Diplomat Is Pushing for More Growth [Miami Herald]
A developer wants to build another 1,400 condos and town homes in Hallandale Beach, the South Broward city that already has congested streets and at least 1,600 new housing units on the way.
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