Wednesday's Daily Pulse
First High-Speed Rail Could Give Fla. Economic Edge
With Gov. Rick Scott and Senate President Mike Haridopolos indicating they don't want to put any state money into a high-speed rail line connecting Tampa to Orlando, the pressure is on private companies to pick up Florida's $280 million tab for the project.
TIME'S RUNNING OUT to be recognized as one of Florida's best workplaces. |
Martha Stewart Plugs Orlando-Area 'Net Zero' Home
It's 65 degrees outside and the propane-burning fireplace is a little too toasty for Martha Stewart, who was in Orlando Tuesday to promote a KB Home's new "net zero" showhome. Near the family room fire, in the kitchen of Builder magazine's 2011 Concept Home, a computer tracks energy usage. With the midday sun beaming down on a series of power-generating photovoltaic cells that are integrated into roof tiles, the house actually generates more electricity than it uses — even with all the lights turned on for optimum media-photo effect. Beyond the home's Martha Stewart colors, sparkling granite counters and open floor plan, Stewart said her favorite feature of the 2,600-square foot house is the way it integrates energy efficiency with a comfortable design. "I love this size home," said Stewart, curling her open-toe wedge sandals as the heat from the fire radiates throughout the room. "I don't think we need to live in these giant McMansions that have peppered the landscape of much of America and are hence sitting vacant and insufficiently furnished." [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
An Unlikely Alliance Rebuilding Lives
On the anniversary of the earthquake that killed more than 250,000 Haitians — many of them in the ruins of their own homes — an unlikely alliance has formed to bring safe, sturdy housing to a village near Port-au-Prince.
|
Florida Trend's Community and Sector Portraits offer glimpses — or a barometer — into the economic life, quality of life and power people of Florida's rich, varied and distinctive locales. If you have ever considered moving your home or business, these reports can help. [View the Portraits] |
Wannado City Theme Park's Auction Is No Kids' Play
A theater full of grown men and women did battle Tuesday over, well, a bunch of kiddie games and rides. Ferris wheels, tiny fireman uniforms, circus equipment, robotic dogs and even the front fuselage of a Boeing 727 airplane went up for sale as part of the Wannado City auction. The children's theme park closed last week after citing poor financial performance in its six years in operation. The contents of the 140,000-square-foot park were sold to the highest bidders Tuesday. About 300 showed up for the auction, crowding into the park's "Broadway" theater. The role-playing theme park, which cost $40 million to build, was at the Sawgrass Mills mall. Bidding for many of the items was no kids' play. Among the wannabe buyers was Kenny Mikey, who was looking for props for his children's television production company. He had spotted a library set he was hoping to snag for an upcoming show. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
» See video:
?
Hundreds of State Rules, Contracts Caught in Freeze
Four weeks ago, Gov.-elect Rick Scott's transition office reached out to the top lawyers in state agencies across Florida government to pick their brains about what would happen if the new governor froze contracts and new rules when he took office.
The answer: a lot.
Now Scott's office is trying to rapidly develop procedures for reviewing 900 proposed rules — 53 of which were almost ready to take effect -- and hundreds of contracts worth over $1 million. All were put on hold by the new governor's office in order to get a better handle on contracts going out the door and rules taking effect. A handful of rules -- including one establishing a new game for the Lottery and another setting new standards for septic tanks in the Florida Keys -- have been allowed to go forward without any public explanation. Meanwhile, road-builders are antsy that the freeze on contracts will cost the transportation industry jobs and time if contracts aren't quickly allowed to move forward.
[Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Pinellas County to Sue EPA Over New Water Rules [St. Petersburg Times]
Last January, the Pinellas County Commission banned residents from using certain fertilizers in the summer, warning that tougher federal water pollution limits were coming and the county needed to protect its waterways.
A year later, the County Commission unanimously decided to sue the federal government to soften those limits. The regulation could cost the county millions of dollars, they said Tuesday, and are based on bad assumptions.
"The levels being proposed are cost prohibitive for all governments. Recession or no, they're outrageous," said Commission Chairwoman Susan Latvala, who spearheaded the fertilizer ban.
Taking effect in 2012, the new regulations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will force Florida cities and counties to do a better job of keeping contamination out of rivers, streams, lakes and drainage ditches that feed water supplies.
› Another Day, Another Developer Targets Sarasota [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Developer Tom Mannausa, who took a break from real estate development to pursue an acting and music career, is suddenly back in the game. Mannausa paid $870,000 in cash for the lot at the end of Main Street in Sarasota that the late Sam Hadad planned to turn into a 15-story luxury condo tower.
"It's an absolutely prime piece of real estate and, when economy turns around, it will get a lot of activity," Mannausa said. "It's zoned for a wide variety of uses -- retail, condos, offices, hotel -- but I don't have any immediate plans to do anything with it."
Mannausa is the second real estate investor to pick off a prime piece of downtown Sarasota real estate in as many weeks.
› Pride Mixes with Relief as New Dalí Museum Opens [St. Petersburg Times]
At 11:11 a.m. on 1/11/11, Dali Museum executive director Hank Hine stepped to the podium in front of a crowd of about 1,000 outside the new $36 million building and said, "Welcome."
Many other things were subsequently said by him and 17 other museum leaders, public officials and dignitaries, including the Infanta Cristina, daughter of Spain's king and queen.
But the overriding sentiments on Tuesday were contained in that first word, loaded with both pride and relief. Pride, as more than one speaker noted, in the ambitious plan and a supportive community. And relief, as others remarked, that it got built.
The museum's opening day was a joyous mix of traditional civic huzzahs and eccentric personal gestures from a broad cross-section of people, from infants to retirees, who came from nearby neighborhoods and further continents for a first look at the museum.
» see video:
› Titusville Flight School Wants City Help [Florida Today]
A Titusville helicopter pilot training school will ask the city council for discounts on its building permit fees, as it seeks to expand its local operations and add nearly 100 employees.
Bristow Academy previously announced plans to build a 40,000-square-foot maintenance facility, a 13,500-square-foot flight operations center and a concrete aircraft ramp at its complex at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville.
The total proposed capital improvements exceed $10 million.
The new facilities would allow Bristol to add 97 full-time employees to its Titusville staff of 160. Most of the employees would be flight instructors, generally earning between $35,000 and $45,000 a year, depending on their experience, according to Nick Mayhew, Bristol Academy's Titusville general manager.
Bristow and the airport are seeking council approval for waiving about $33,085, which represents half of the costs of three fees: building permits, utility construction and site.
› South Florida's Economy Recovering, Retail Executives Say [Miami Herald]
South Floridians have begun spending again, turning their back on a brutal recession that caused fundamental changes in the region's economy, business executives said Tuesday.
Speaking at a Miami-Dade business forum, executives from the retail industry described the winter as a turning point for spending in one of the nation's most hard-hit economies.
``Restaurants have not been making deals for three or four years,'' said Julie Goldman, general manager of The Falls shopping center in South Miami-Dade. ``Now they are calling us. They're waking up.''
Goldman's comments were upbeat yet sober as she described a slow climb out of a deep hole caused by a devastating recession and a ravaged real estate market. Other participants at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce's first South Florida Economic Summit offered similar outlooks, though the forecasting was more bullish for the international sector.
› Bill Would Prevent Docs from Asking Patients if They Own Guns [News Service of Florida]
Doctors and other medical providers would be barred from asking patients — or the parents of child patients — if they have guns in their home under a measure that promises a major showdown between powerful lobbying groups.
The National Rifle Association's top Florida lobbyist and a Florida Medical Association member both say the issue is among the top priorities for the session, with the groups holding diametrically opposed positions on what doctors and their patients and families should be allowed to discuss during a medical visit.
Sponsored by Rep. Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford, the bill (HB 155) would make it a felony for a physician or staff member to ask patients or family members of patients if they own guns or store guns at home. If found guilty, the medical provider could be fined up to $5 million or face up to five years in jail.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
› Flimsy Sinkhole Insurance Claims Targeted by Legislature [St. Petersburg Times]
Florida needs new laws to make it harder for homeowners to file sinkhole insurance claims based on cracks in homes or driveways, senators were told Tuesday.
Members of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee said they would heed the warnings, addressing problems they said are most severe in Hernando and Pasco counties — in the area known as "Sinkhole Alley" — but are spreading across the state.
Senators discussed a detailed staff report that said an epidemic of sinkhole claims threatens the stability of the insurance market and is weakening the tax base of cities and counties.
Total sinkhole claims in Florida tripled from 2006 to 2009, and total losses totaled $1.4-billion over that period, according to the state Office of Insurance Regulation. In some cases, the report found, insurers have paid homeowners the maximum amount allowed under their policies for hairline cracks in their homes' foundations.
› Jackson Backup Plan Urged [Miami Herald]
Concerned about shrinking cash reserves, the treasurer of Jackson Health System's governing board asked Tuesday for executives to come up with alternatives if reserves for the financially troubled system keep falling.
``This is proactive,'' said Marcos Lapciuc, treasurer of the Public Health Trust, ``so that we don't get caught'' unprepared.
Trust member Martin Zilber said he sees ``indications of a serious financial problem'' unless major changes are made. He asked Lapciuc if the cash situation was the worst it had ever been.
``Yeah,'' said Lapciuc.
Jackson had 17 days of cash on hand in December, chief financial officer Mark Knight reported. That's expected to slide down to 15.4 days in January and 14.2 days in February.
Until a year ago, Jackson executives tried to keep at least 20 days of cash on hand to pay expenses. The public hospitals in Broward, by comparison, generally have more than 100 days of cash on hand.
› Travel to Florida Inched Up During First Nine Months of 2010 [Orlando Sentinel]
Travel to Florida inched up 1.4 percent during the first nine months of last year to just a shade under 62 million visitors, according to data compiled by the state's tourism-promotion agency.
Domestic travel to the state fell 0.4 percent for the period. But the domestic losses were offset by big gains in visitation from overseas countries (13.6 percent) and from Canada (up 17 percent).
The 2010 gains follow a 2009 in which overall travel to Florida slipped 0.1 percent to 80.9 million, with domestic visitation slightly up (0.3 percent), overseas slightly down (-1.3 percent) and Canada down significantly (-7.9 percent). What's more, total travel-spending in Florida sank 6.6 percent in 2009 to $60.9 million, hotels, theme parks and other tourism operators slashed prices.
› Festival Bay Will Get Major Makeover [Orlando Sentinel]
Festival Bay Mall's days are numbered.
The new owners of the mostly empty International Drive shopping center plan to tear down much of it during the next two years and reopen most likely as an open-air complex with shops, entertainment and maybe even hotels.
"We're going to make some substantial physical changes," said Nick King, a principal with Paragon Outlet Partners, a Baltimore company that now co-owns the mall.
The mall's large pond with fountains and letters on colorful poles spelling out Festival Bay also likely will have to go, King said. But Paragon does expect to keep some tenants, including the movie theater, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, Vans Skatepark, Ron Jon Surf Shop and Sheplers Western Wear.
Architects have been hired to redesign the property, which will likely get a new name, and a more specific plan should be ready in about three months, King said. "We really want to think about what we're doing here and how we make this a compelling destination," he said.
› SEC Looking at How St. Joe Values Its Vast Real Estate Holdings [St. Petersburg Times]
The Securities and Exchange Commission is conducting an informal accounting inquiry into how St. Joe Co. values its real estate assets. The SEC wants to know whether St. Joe, northern Florida's largest private land owner, may be claiming its holdings of Florida land are worth more than they are.
The SEC inquiry follows claims this fall by Greenlight Capital hedge fund manager David Einhorn that St. Joe needs to take "substantial impairments" and accounting writedowns on many of its properties. Einhorn holds a short position on the company's shares and is betting their value will fall. St. Joe owns more than a half-million acres of land in the Florida Panhandle.
› Saft Now Hiring for Jacksonville Battery Plant [Florida Times-Union]
Saft America Inc.’s construction of a high-tech battery manufacturing plant in Jacksonville has reached the point Saft is starting to hire production workers for the plant, which is slated to begin making the batteries in July.
Saft announced today it will use the Jacksonville franchise of Remedy Intelligent Staffing to help screen applicants for the hourly jobs.
The state and city put together a $20.2 million incentive package to convince Saft to build the lithium ion battery cells at Cecil Commerce Center on the Westside. The full payout of those incentives is contingent on Saft reaching an employment level of 279 people by the end of 2016. Saft broke ground last March on construction.
Saft has been filling some professional jobs at the plant and currently employs 43 people in Jacksonville. For the hourly position, production workers will earn $15 to $18 per hour. Facilities and maintenance technicians will earn $19.50 to $21.50 per hour, according to Saft.
› First Watch Expanding to Wisconsin [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
First Watch Restaurants Inc., the Lakewood Ranch-based breakfast, brunch and lunch chain, has signed an agreement to bring five restaurants to the Milwaukee area.
Terms of the deal with VMB Sunrise Hospitality Inc. were not disclosed.
VMB is operated by father and son Michael and Vincent Busalacchi, who have agreed to open the restaurants in the next three to five years.
The first will open in Brookfield, Wis., in the first half of this year. Brookfield is northeast of Milwaukee.
The Busalacchis said they first ate at a First Watch in Naples.
“The concept really got our attention since we are in the restaurant business ourselves,” Michael Busalacchi.
The elder Busalacchi has more than 20 years of experience in the restaurant business. He owns and operates three Culver’s restaurants in the Milwaukee area. He has previously held “senior-level operations positions” with Culver’s and other chains.
› Six UF Professors Recognized for Scientific Advances [Gainesville Sun]
Six University of Florida professors have been named as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
The six were recognized today by the national association for their efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished.
Honorees for 2010 are Kenneth J. Boote, Simon R. Phillpot, Eric Potsdam, Nigel Richards, Rajiv K. Singh and Linda J. Young.
Boote, a professor in the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, was named a fellow for his contributions to agronomy. Young is a statistics professor in IFAS.
Phillpot and Singh are professors in materials science and engineering.
Potsdam is a linguistics professor and Richards a chemistry professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.