Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Monday's Afternoon Update

Citizens to offload 300,000 policies

Citizens Property Insurance Corp. will begin shifting as many as 300,000 policies to private insurance companies in December as part of a $350 million plan approved Friday. The program will offer low-interest loans to private insurers as an incentive for taking over Citizens policies. The state-run insurer of last resort, with more than 1.4 million customers statewide, is trying to reduce its risk in the event of a major hurricane. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, including a Q & A for policy holders.


Sales & Marketing Advice

Break through the attention barrier

Floridian
Ron Stein

From business coach Ron Stein's weekly column:

"It’s getting harder than ever to catch the attention of your target audience. Particularly when your competitors claim they do the same thing better. It’s ugly out there! What’s a growing company to do?  When a business finds itself fighting to breakaway from the crowd, its positioning in the market probably needs to be fine-tuned. Yet, as important as positioning is, it’s little understood..." Continued.


Courts in Southwest Florida seeing more do-it-yourself divorces

Business Profile

Miami-based Brightstar expanding role in wireless communications

Brightstar
Miami-based Brightstar has become one of the world’s largest distributors of mobile telephones and much more, expanding its middleman role in recent years to encompass other types of wireless devices while diversifying into related services with higher profit margins. Those services include warehousing, repairing and shipping. Brightstar is also looking to expand into more markets in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Europe.
More from the Miami Herald.

Related:
» From Florida Trend: Brightstar is the 6th largest private company in Florida
» Brightstar website

People are representing themselves in more than half of the family law cases in Sarasota and Manatee counties. The bad economy means fewer assets to fight over. Some people representing themselves in divorce court say they have no choice because they cannot raise $2,500 to $5,000 for lawyer. Family law attorney Jeff Rapkin put it this way: "Divorces need to be done. These people need to get away from each other." More at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.


Questions raised about Rep. Vern Buchanan's land deal with Habitat for Humanity

A Tampa Bay Times investigation is raising questions about Congressman Vern Buchanan of Sarasota and a land deal involving a nonprofit that helps low-income families get new homes: Manatee County Habitat for Humanity. The Times investigation says that Buchanan's brother sold property to the Habitat chapter at what appears to be an inflated price. Buchanan is now using that loan as collateral against a multimillion dollar loan from Bank of America. More from WUSF.


Small Business Advice


Don't postpone the difficult tasks in your workday

From Jerry Osteryoung's weekly column:

"In my personal experience, when I was faced with a task I really did not want to do – such as reprimanding an employee – I tended to put it off. I always felt that if I avoided the pain, then it might go away. Of course, as anyone who has ever avoided an unpleasant task can attest, it never goes away. It merely ends up weighing you down and ruining your entire day..." Continued.

Photo Medical Trend?

Diabetic uses tattoo to alert others

People get tattoos for many reasons but Winter Haven resident Dave Lehman endured the pain of being inked for a completely different reason — to potentially save his life. "It's not a fashion statement. It's not a group of guys going out to get tattooed on the weekend," Lehman, 50, said. "There's a purpose behind it." More from Lakeland Ledger
[Photo illustration]


Today's Daily Pulse was compiled by Joyce Edmondson