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Florida's Biggest Lobbyists: Turning Up the Heat

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[Photo: Colin Hackley]
While Washington lobbyists reported record revenue in 2010, Florida's influence industry registered a dip in activity last year. Interest groups, governments and business interests spent $112.5 million to lobby the Florida Legislature in 2010 — a 3.6% decrease from 2009 that most in the industry attribute to corporate belt-tightening in a poor economy. Spending on executive branch lobbying, reported separately, ranged from $152 million to $227 million. The 10 most highly compensated lobbying firms in Florida took in between $32 million and $67 million in 2010. That amounted to 21% to 30% of total spending on lobbying in the state last year, according to a Florida Trend analysis. Because lobbyists file compensation reports with fees listed in ranges, the firms are ranked on the following pages based on their averages. Brian Ballard, managing partner of the state's top-earning firm, Smith & Ballard, says lobbying budgets are a good leading economic indicator because they're often the last thing to be cut when companies scale back and the first thing to be reinstated when companies are feeling more confident about the future.

» Florida's Biggest Lobbyists: #10 - #6
» Florida's Biggest Lobbyists: #5 - #1


New push for boutique hotels

The family-owned Palms Hotel & Spa in Miami Beach has renovated lobbies and bars, upgraded rooms and added a spa over the last couple of decades to draw customers who might otherwise be lured by major chains or larger hotels with more marketing muscle. "If you say Ritz-Carlton, people know immediately what to expect," said vice president Katja Janzon, whose family owns the 251-room Palms as well as Circa39, north of South Beach. "For us to create a name for ourselves is really what we're trying to achieve now." Janzon is not alone in her efforts. Small boutique hotels — a mainstay of Miami Beach — and larger independent hotels are seeking new ways to get noticed and, more importantly, booked. Some partner with niche online travel guides; others are seeking traffic through specialty rewards programs. Nearly all are joining existing marketing efforts spearheaded by the local tourism bureau. On Wednesday, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau unveiled new versions of a website and glossy 127-page booklet dedicated to the region's boutique and "lifestyle" hotels, which include national names such as W South Beach and Kimpton's Epic Hotel, and independents including Park Central Hotel and the Sagamore. [Source: Miami Herald]


Lenders poised to pick up the pace of foreclosures

The flow of foreclosure filings moving through the court system in Southwest Florida and across the state continued to be constricted by the ongoing documentation crisis, but there were signs in April that banks are getting ready to pick up the pace. Bank of America, one of the largest lenders operating in the region, recorded 55 early-stage foreclosure filings in Manatee and Sarasota counties in April -- more than double the number filed in the months since the robo-signing issue surfaced in September. Real estate agents also say they are seeing an increase in the number of "broker price opinions," or BPOs, that they are performing to give banks an idea of what foreclosed properties are worth. "A lot of BPOs is a good indication that there are a lot of properties that are about to enter the system," said Drew Peterson, a foreclosed property specialist with Re/Max Alliance Group in Sarasota. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]


Florida Elections Commission owed almost $1.4 million in unpaid fines

Candidates, consultants and political organizations owe the Florida Elections Commission almost $1.4 million in unpaid fines from cases stretching as far back as 1990, state records show.

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The debts in 184 cases — many of which are already being written off by the state — has prompted members of the panel to consider whether and how to go after those who have defied an order to pay up for as long as 20 years. But the issue is complicated by how much authority the commission even has to use potentially effective tools to try to extract payments from the scofflaws. The vast majority of the unpaid fines are for $5,000 or less, but there are also a handful of large payments outstanding. Ted Brabham, a former chairman of the Palm Beach County Democratic party, owes more than a third of the total amount, more than $468,000 — the result of a scandal during the 1996 election. "Unfortunately, I don't have the money," Brabham said Wednesday. " ... I couldn't pay 10 percent of it." More familiar names also crop up on the list of those who haven't paid up. [Source: News Service of Florida]


Lifestyles: Florida's biggest Barbie fan

Perla Lichi, Partner at Pompano Beach's Lichi-Zelman Style Interiors, has been collecting Barbie dolls since she was in elementary school. She's collected approximately 600 of them and keeps them on display in a specially designed "Barbie Room" in her home. "Most of my collection consists of Barbie dolls made specifically for the adult collector," Lichi says. "They eventually go out of production and become more valuable. Some dolls were made specifically for certain stores, such as White Chocolate Obsession, which was released for Toys R Us Exclusives in 2005. This was part of the Flavor Obsession that also included Citrus Obsession and Peppermint Obsession."
» Read more about Perla Lichi's Florida Life.


ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Digital Domain's West Palm footprint grows
Digital Domain has a deal to lease an 8,000-square-foot building at the gateway to the central city, in a bid to create a high-profile presence for the animation company's new venture downtown. Digital Domain Chairman John Textor this week confirmed he signed a lease to occupy the former CityPlace South Tower sales center, in the median of Okeechobee Boulevard. The temporary building most recently was used by the law firm of Novak Druce + Quigg before it moved into the CityPlace Tower office building. The building will serve as a display center for Digital Domain's affiliation with Florida State University and will consist of administrative offices, marketing and enrollment services. Textor said the deal with owner Related Cos. allows Digital Domain to use the building for at least two years. Digital Domain and the Tallahassee-based state university have a public-private partnership.

› Northeast Florida gets state's first regional foreign trade zone
The federal government has approved the Jacksonville Port Authority's bid to create an expanded foreign trade zone for Northeast Florida, JaxPort announced today. The U.S. Department of Commerce and its Foreign Trade Zone Board approved JaxPort's application for a zone that covers Duval, Nassau, Clay, Baker and Columbia counties. Business located in foreign trade zones can either eliminate or defer the custom duties levied when goods are imported into the U.S. The foreign trade zones are aimed at convincing manufacturers and distributors to put their operations in the U.S. rather than overseas. JaxPort officials have pushed to expand the zone so Northeast Florida can attract more businesses that will use the port for their shipments, said Deborah Lofberg, who oversees the foreign trade zone for JaxPort.
» Businesses expect boost from trade zone

› Boca-based Penthouse magazine publisher launches public stock offering
FriendFinder Networks Inc., a Boca Raton-based social networking and multimedia entertainment company, said late Tuesday it hopes to raise $50 million in an initial public offering of 5 million shares at $10 apiece. The company, which runs adult web sites and publishes Penthouse magazine, intends to use the proceeds to repay a portion of its debt. The shares were expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq Global Market on Wednesday under the symbol FFN. The offering is slated to close Monday. Early last year, FriendFinder postponed a public offering of up to $240 million, citing market conditions.

› Alligator trappers feel the bite of a changing economy
Alligator hunter Johnny Douglas says his job is now tougher than gator hide. For more than a quarter-century, Douglas, 46, like his father before him, made a decent living in Central Florida stalking, snaring and skinning alligators that strayed into a backyard or some other place where the reptile wasn't welcome. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission called on him 170 times last year. But this week he'll stop answering their calls and will tend lawns instead. Old-school trappers such as Douglas, whose livelihood depended largely on the sale of alligator hide, are calling it quits as the price of gas has soared and the price of alligator skins has plunged on the world market. He is the fifth in the past year to resign from the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, which pays a stipend of $30 per gator to trappers who kill or remove alligators posing a threat to people, pets and property.
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› Late Brevard property taxes near historic highs
The number of property owners who didn't pay real estate taxes in 2010 remained near historic highs, according to records from the Brevard County Tax Collector's office. As of this month, the owners of 19,771 Brevard properties had not paid 2010 taxes. That's down about 2.5 percent from 20,281 owners at the same point last year. The total amount owed was $28.8 million. That was down from $31.6 million the year before, partly reflecting the sharp decrease in property values. According to Tax Collector Lisa Cullen, the value of the property with delinquent taxes this year was $635 million, down from $675 a year ago. As in previous years, homebuilders and developers owed the most taxes.

› Some Florida home insurance premiums could double in five years
Homeowners, some already hit with double-digit property insurance rate hikes in recent years, could see premiums more than double in five years. They also could lose their right to file claims for late-surfacing damage or suffer more home damage while they save up to make repairs. Those are possible outcomes predicted by some homeowners, local leaders and a major home builders group from the sweeping property insurance bill that hit Gov. Rick Scott's desk Wednesday. The governor has until May 26 to decide whether to sign it into law or veto it. Supporters of the bill, including insurers, say the bill could strengthen the state's property insurance market and draw more private insurers to Florida — a key goal for Scott and other state leaders who want policyholders to have more insurance options. Many homeowners in South Florida have only the option of insuring their homes with state-backed Citizens Property Insurance.


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› Pasco school district looks to cut more than 500 jobs
About 513 Pasco County school district jobs, including 458 school level positions, are on the chopping block as the School Board looks to cut $54.4 million in next year's budget. The shortfall is slightly less than originally expected because of changes to school district retirement contributions set by lawmakers. The proposed cuts, which were discussed Wednesday morning at a School Board workshop, also include 35 jobs at the district level and 20 positions in self-sufficient departments such as food and nutrition. The savings generated from those cuts — about $27.8 million — would not cover the total shortfall, though. After using some federal Edujobs funds and applying some capital funds toward property insurance costs, a hole of about $5.9 million would remain.

› Ex-appraiser faces fraud charges over failed development
Jay Whitham was willing to give up his appraiser's license for 10 years and pay more than $2,000 in fines and fees for writing a flawed appraisal for the now-defunct First Priority Bank. But the state's Real Estate Appraisal Board was not willing to let the former Sarasota appraiser off that easily. During a February hearing, board chairman Michael Rogers called Whitham's $8.3 million valuation "a bad, bad appraisal." His five-member board then voted unanimously to pursue fraud charges against Whitham. "In my opinion this was a clear indication of someone writing a report to mislead a reader," said Appraisal Board member Joni Herndon at the hearing. The case is significant because it shows that regulators are starting to look hard at appraisers and the role they played in helping unscrupulous investors inflate real estate values and commit mortgage fraud during the real estate boom.

› Bill diverting unemployment funds advances in Congress
A bill voted out of the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday would allow states to transfer federal unemployment insurance funds away from helping the long-term jobless and use them instead for other purposes, including tax breaks for corporations. The legislation, dubbed the Jobs Act by its sponsors, Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R- Utah, sets the stage to strip away insurance benefits that the long-term unemployed need, earned, and are counting on, says Christine Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy group for the unemployed. HR 1745 would allow states to take the $31 billion allocated for these programs and spend those dollars on reducing federal and state unemployment taxes for businesses. It also would allow states to reduce the number of weeks of federally funded benefits, reduce the amounts paid, or eliminate them. One provision would allow a state to take the federal benefit funds and use them to finance its depleted unemployment trust fund rather than collect employer taxes, or use them to pay regular state benefits instead.

› Doctors Express coming to St. Petersburg
Doctors Express, a chain of quick clinics for less-than-emergency room injuries that charges about $70 a visit, is setting up shop in the Tampa Bay area. With a clinic opening in June in a remodeled restaurant at 1530 Fourth St. N in St. Petersburg, the Towson, Md., company plans to have three or four locations running on both sides of Tampa Bay within a year. It's yet one more option from a fast-growing cluster of chains looking to win insurance company cost-cutting favor without jeopardizing quality of care. They aim to siphon off the less complicated urgent medical care business — anything as serious as setting broken bones or suturing deep cuts —- from more expensive doctors offices or emergency rooms that routinely cost seven to 10 times as much.

› Amid sea of travel sites, Jacksonville still a market for personal touch
In the days before widespread Internet use, people often hired local travel agents to arrange a flight to go anywhere for any reason. Today, there are numerous websites that perform much the same service - finding and reserving the best travel and other rates - without an agent's fee. There's Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz and Priceline, to name a few. Other travelers now opt to buy tickets directly from an airline's website or use numerous airline sites to shop prices. The advent of Internet-based travel booking had a chilling effect on the travel agent industry, but surviving firms have differentiated themselves by emphasizing business travel bookings, said Steve Crandall, owner of Discount Travel Brokerage Services. In addition to booking flights and reserving hotel rooms, rental cars and cruises, today's travel agencies provide services the Internet can't, he said. That includes holding seats or reservations without payment and shifting one's seat assignments, he said.

› Noise law falls victim to lawyer's crusade
Tampa Bay can now turn the dials up to 11: An appellate court has declared the state statute allowing police to ticket booming car stereos is unconstitutional and violates the First Amendment. It's another victory for St. Petersburg corporate lawyer Richard Catalano, whose 3 1/2-year fight against the state law prohibiting loud noise started when he got a $73.50 ticket for blasting Justin Timberlake from his white 2003 Infiniti G35. It's a legal battle that's been followed closely by governments across Florida that are battling for peace and quiet, including the city of Tampa, which has been trying to fine-tune its noise ordinance. On Wednesday the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Lakeland — which oversees 14 counties, including Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco — ruled that the state's noise statute is unconstitutional. The court decided that the statue is not "content-neutral" — in other words, it decides what noise is and isn't allowed. A candidate has the right to blare political messages from one vehicle, for example, but the booming stereo from another could be considered illegal. "There is no compelling government interest requiring disparate treatment of commercial or political speech vs. amplified music," the court ruled.

› Sarasota County abandons plan to discourage 'pill mills'
Amid concerns the changes would do little to curb the prescription drug epidemic, the County Commission abandoned a controversial plan Wednesday that would have discouraged rogue pain management clinics through new zoning laws. Instead, commissioners will soon explore whether recently passed state legislation regulating the so-called "pill-mills" will be sufficient. Several scrub-clad doctors and nurses told commissioners the proposed zoning changes — such as one that would require pain management clinics to operate a mile away from Interstate 75 — were "silly" and would instead harm those who require prescription drugs for chronic pain. "We see people every day that can barely make it to the grocery store, much less cook their own meals," said Kathleen Burkhart, a representative from a Venice-based pain management clinic run by Powel A. Crosley. "Why do you persecute us like drug dealers, or worse, pedophiles or strip joint owners?" Last week, state lawmakers passed legislation expected to be signed into law that would place strict regulations on pharmacies dispensing prescription drugs and on doctors prescribing them.