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Chicken wings: Is Super Bowl a super boost?
Source: Times
Jan 29, 2009 7:23 am
Wake up and good morning. The closer we inch towards the Big Game, Sunday's Super Bowl, the more we see the helmet-bangin' debates over the supposed economic bonanza heaped on the Super Bowl host city. Being in a jaw-dropping recession...
6 errors that created economic turmoil (most housing related)
Source: Times
Jan 29, 2009 6:45 am
The New York Times published a short piece highlighting "6 errors" that led to our current financial mess. While I don't agree that every one of the errors cited had the same sorry impact, it's a pretty good list. Here's...
Universal aims to tug harder at heart strings with new ad campaign
Source: Sentinel
Jan 29, 2009 5:46 am
Universal Orlando will launch a new advertising campaign Sunday during the Super Bowl, with a 30-second TV spot that the resort promises will include an "unprecedented offer." Company executives on Wednesday would not elaborate on the offer, which co…
Setting a new standard for green construction
Source: Herald Tribune
Jan 28, 2009 3:16 pm
My Green Buildings, the Sarasota company that specializes in building sustainable houses, holds the distinction of having built "the greenest house in the state."
Proposal to delay DTV transition goes down in flames
Source: Sun-Sentinel
Jan 28, 2009 2:01 pm
For those who needed a little more time to prepare for the digital television transition, Congress just handed you a lump of coal.The House has defeated a bill to postpone the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting by...
Avis Budget Car Rental to lay off 113 workers, close facility
Source: Sentinel
Jan 28, 2009 1:35 pm
Avis Budget Car Rental has announced plans to close its facility at 6251 Chancellor Drive and eliminate 113 jobs. The layoffs are expected to begin around April 3, according to a notice filed with the state Wednesday. The company said...
Setting a new standard for green construction
Source: Herald Tribune
Jan 28, 2009 11:48 am
My Green Buildings, the Sarasota company that specializes in building sustainable houses, holds the distinction of having built "the greenest house in the state."
State Farm policyholders - Weigh in with your vote
Source: Sun-Sentinel
Jan 28, 2009 10:57 am
State Farm Florida announced yesterday that it wants to leave the state and shed 1.2 million property insurance policies. Are you a policyholder? Keep reading. First, the state has 90 days to decide whether to approve State Farm's exit plan. If it's…
Churches new competition to Orlando meeting planners?
Source: Sentinel
Jan 28, 2009 10:52 am
In today's column I looked at the pall over Orlando's meetings business attributed largely to the "AIG Effect" -- meaning businesses don't want to be lumped in with the insurance company that spent lavishly on employees after taking a federal...
Universal to unveil 'unprecedented offer' during Super Bowl
Source: Sentinel
Jan 28, 2009 10:16 am
Universal Orlando is vowing to "make theme-park history" with an ad during this Sunday’s Super Bowl that will reveal “an unprecedented offer.” The resort has dubbed the spot its "Univerersal heroes" campaign. Universal has released a short teas…
FPL could face $1 billion in fines
Source: Sun-Sentinel
Jan 28, 2009 9:50 am
Florida Power & Light reports it may have to pay millions in fines for a massive blackout last year that left as many as 3 million people in the dark. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has not completed its investigation or released any findi…
What housing slump? Builder nets 24 contracts in Boynton
Source: Sun-Sentinel
Jan 28, 2009 9:20 am
Not a bad weekend for GL Homes' Valencia Reserve development near Boynton Beach. The Sunrise-based builder says it has 24 contracts totaling more than $8 million in the 1,061-unit active adult development at Lyons Road and Boynton Beach Boulevard.…
Game of chicken thrives in Florida insurance
Source: Times
Jan 28, 2009 7:51 am
Wake up and good morning. We're just four days from the Super Bowl in Tampa but the bigger match-up, the greater game is unfolding as State Farm against Florida (and its homeowners and businesses). So far, the betting line gives...
Think your new car can skip 3,000-mile oil change? Think again
Source: Sun-Sentinel
Jan 28, 2009 7:50 am
An oil change, depending on what oil you use and whether you go to shop to have the work done, can cost between $20 and $80. That price is nothing to sniff at.So it's understandable when some drivers want to...
National foreclosure suspension ready to be lifted
Source: Inside Track
Jan 28, 2009 7:23 am
Government-backed mortgage investment giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were set to lift a nine-week suspension of foreclosure sales and evictions this week, a move that ultimately may help to improve the quality of their loan portfolios.
Dealmakers: Stearns Weaver pair arrange bulk condo sale in Tampa Bay area
Source: Inside Track
Jan 28, 2009 7:22 am
The Largo condos were part of a group of properties bought a few years ago as rental units with an eye toward conversions.
No news is good news for these community banks
Source: Inside Track
Jan 28, 2009 7:22 am
They’re the community banks you don’t read about in the news these days, names like American National Bank in Oakland Park, City National Bank of Florida in Miami and First National Bank of South Miami. But in the middle of a recession and a hist…
Housing downturn taking its toll on architects
Source: Inside Track
Jan 28, 2009 7:21 am
It’s a new day in the design world when the editor-in-chief of tony Architectural Digest counsels a roomful of interior designers and architects on how to ensure they’ll be paid by their clients.
New trickle-down economics benefits local car dealers
Source: Inside Track
Jan 28, 2009 7:21 am
General Motors and Chrysler have allocated some of their federal bailout money from the U.S. Treasury Department to a pair South Florida dealerships in the form of new mortgages.
AirTran finishes 2008 with a $120 million loss
Source: Sentinel
Jan 28, 2009 6:30 am
The parent company of AirTran Airways lost nearly $120 million during the final three months of 2008, the airline said this morning, as bets on the direction of fuel prices turned sour and wiped out gains from higher airfares and...
Want a green card? Buy a $1m stake in local hotel
Source: Sentinel
Jan 28, 2009 6:02 am
Condominium hotels were among the first real-estate investments to go sour as the housing market slumped and, later, the credit markets seized up. But Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa is hoping the lure of permanent U.S. residency will...
Kassab: Company meeting cuts hurt Orlando
Source: Sentinel
Jan 28, 2009 5:57 am
Orlando tourism executives spent decades crafting this town's image as the perfect family-friendly venue for corporations to mix business with pleasure. If you want to fit in a few meetings as well as experience the world's most famous attractions, p…
Are you affected by the State Farm pullout?
Source: Post
Jan 27, 2009 8:16 pm
Homeowners insurance can be hard enough to find in Florida, so it’s not good news when you hear that your insurer plans to leave the state. State Farm isn’t scheduled to stop dropping policies until November, but time can pass...
Product Review: How can you not love Road Mice?
Source: Herald
Jan 27, 2009 7:01 pm
It's a wireless mouse designed as a car! Headlights light up when you click! Comes in more than 40 designs! YES! YES! YES! I don't think I'll ever review a mouse as awesome as the Road Mice. I'm a toy-loving...
Court dismisses Jabil backdating class action
Source: Times
Jan 27, 2009 6:03 pm
Jabil Circuit, the St. Petersburg electronics manufacturer, said Tuesday that the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa has dismissed with prejudice a consolidated securities class action lawsuit. The suit was previously fil…