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THURSDAY, OCT. 25, 2007
TAMPA:
FBI Raid Shutters Medicare Insurer [St. Petersburg Times]
For the past two years, analysts have been asking how fast-growing WellCare Health Plans of Tampa has been able to make so much money running government health plans for the poor and elderly.
Now government investigators may be asking the same thing.
MIAMI:
Trouble at Sea:
Free-Agent Doctors [Wall Street Journal]
Forty medical-malpractice cases have been filed over the past decade against Florida cruise companies by passengers alleging that they were hurt as a result of poor medical care at sea, or that ship doctors made other injuries suffered on the ship worse.
Nearly all of those lawsuits have been dismissed. Under legal rulings going back to a landmark case in 1823, the owners of ships are considered responsible for the health care provided to members of their crew, but not for medical services provided to passengers.
ORLANDO:
Home Sales Weak in September [Orlando Sentinel]
Florida's existing-home sales fell 38 percent in September from a year ago, tracking the national trend of weaker residential sales in all categories -- new homes, resales and condos. Metro Orlando, however, has the 2nd-best showing in Florida.
Related articles:
LAKE OKEECHOBEE:
Water Shortage Threatening to Cut Off Seminoles [Sun-Sentinel]
An emergency proposal calls for the South Florida Water Management District to take the unusual step of floating a barge bearing a massive pump onto the lake to siphon water to replenish canals that supply the Seminoles' Brighton reservation on the northwest side of the lake.
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
›UF Police Cleared in Tasering [Gainesville Sun]
Two University of Florida police officers who Tasered a student at a recent political forum were justified in their actions, according to a report released Wednesday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
›Legislators Shelve Property Tax Showdown Until Monday [Sun-Sentinel]
That's the last scheduled day of their special session and no one is venturing a guess on what, if anything, they will agree to do. Related: How the House and Senate measures differ
›Worsening Market Greets Boat Show [Palm Beach Post]
Boat builders and yacht brokers from around the globe will dock in Fort Lauderdale this weekend, hoping for a sea change after a year of sinking sales, layoffs and manufacturer cutbacks. Related: Luxury yacht business is good
›Busch Entertainment to Call Orlando Home [Orlando Sentinel]
Anheuser-Busch unit will move corporate headquarters out of St. Louis; SeaWorld's Jim Atchison promoted to No. 2 job.
›Flowers, Herbs, Mushrooms Can Keep Farm Cash Flowing [Pensacola News-Journal]
With an eye toward keeping the agriculture industry viable in Northwest Florida, the University of Florida hosted an alternative agriculture field day at its research facility near Jay Wednesday.
›Fidelity Cuts Another 1,700 Jobs [Florida Times-Union]
The Jacksonville-based company also said its third-quarter earnings fell sharply.
›Tampa May Win in Casino Evolution [Tampa Tribune]
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa could become a regional hub for gaming operations, emerging as a strong tourist draw through incentives given to customers at other Hard Rock properties.
›AutoNation Sees Sales Slow [Miami Herald]
The Fort Lauderdale-based company sold 9,632 fewer new vehicles in the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared to a year ago, a decline of almost 10 percent.
›UF Sorority Party Trashes the Columbia in Ybor City [St. Petersburg Times]
Vomit. Bar fights. Broken toilets. Sloppy drunkenness.
It seems a visit by a University of Florida sorority to the 102-year-old restaurant earlier this month turned into a scene that would appall Miss Manners, and now the Gainesville sorority chapter could face discipline.
›Senate Rejects Latest Immigration Bill [Miami Herald]
Another immigration measure fizzled as U.S. senators passed up a bill to give undocumented immigrants' children a chance to apply for citizenship.
›High Court to Consider Amendment for Property Taxes [Palm Beach Post]
The court asked Gov. Charlie Crist's office to file a brief explaining why a lower court erred when it called the state's ballot language "misleading" and struck the proposal for bigger homestead exemptions from the ballot.
›Trump Tower May Rise After All [Tampa Tribune]
The fate of the stalled 52-story Trump Tower Tampa may rest in the hands of its buyers.
›Thomas Ranch's Additional 7,000 Homes Far from Done Deal [Miami Herald]
A controversial development embraced by the Sarasota County Commission, but not urban planners, this week still needs additional state and local approval, and construction may not begin for several years.
›Tree-Removal Study Didn't Factor in Hurricanes [Palm Beach Post]
Tim Schubert, a plant pathologist for the Florida Department of Agriculture, said the research that led to the so-called 1,900-foot rule did not take hurricanes or tropical storms into account for their potential to spread the devastating bacterial disease.
›Orlando Missiles Unit Helps Lockheed Post 18% Profit Increase [Sentinel]
The nation's biggest defense contractor -- and Florida's largest -- earned $766 million, or $1.80 a share, in the quarter, compared with $629 million, or $1.46 a share, in the year-ago period, Lockheed said.
›UCF, Health Systems Sign Pact [Orlando Sentinel]
Orlando Regional Healthcare and Florida Hospital will serve as clinical training sites.
›Fred Thompson's Presidential Campaign Lags in Florida [Miami Herald]
Seven weeks into his presidential bid, he has yet to inspire some of Florida's biggest Republican donors. Politfact.com: Sorting Out the Truth in Politics
›Tiny Smart Car Might Be Next Big Thing [St. Petersburg Times]
A European two-seater's surprising ride and roominess belie its lilliputian appearance.
›Audit: X-way Money Mess Is 'Shocking' [Orlando Sentinel]
The agency must improve oversight of spending.
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