Florida,

Latest News on Florida

Monday, July 31, 2006

Bush's Focus in Florida Is on Domestic Agenda

Source: washingtonpost.com

With crucial midterm congressional elections just three months away, President Bush tried Sunday to go back to his domestic agenda even while the newest eruption in the Middle East continued to control his administration's attention.

Bush flew here after going for a Sunday bicycle ride and hosting a children's T-ball game on the South Lawn of the White House to have feast with Miami community leaders.

He plans a day of activities Monday in the Miami area, visiting the National Hurricane Center, delivering economic words, touring the Port of Miami and headlining a Republican fundraiser.

Friday, July 28, 2006

Missing Teens Found in Florida

Source: wsav.com

A man who was on South Carolina's top ten most required list and his five teenage itinerant companions were found Wednesday in Florida.

Allen Lee Biddix was additional to South Carolina's Top Ten Most Wanted list on Monday. That's as Biddix was wanted by establishment out of Marion, South Carolina on five counts of causal to the crime of a minor. He is also a registered sex offender who was convict in 2002 of criminal sexual conduct connecting an 11-year old.

We first told you concerning this story last Friday after receiving a phone call from a concerned mother. Two of the girls are her daughters. Both of them and the other girl left home with Biddix on July 17th.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Drug suspect nabbed again in Florida

Source: courierpostonline.com

Taleon T. Goffney, the drug expect Clementon police nicknamed "Superman" for his flee from a moving patrol car in May, has been arrested in Florida on robbery, attempted murder and related charges.

Goffney and a second man, Jerry Hazlewood of Penns Grove, are accused of burglarizing seven businesses in Salem region and Delaware.

The men, whose ages are not accessible, are also charged with attempted murder of Charles Rudinoff, 78; in the course of rob the R & R Bar in Penns Grove, according to the Salem County Prosecutor's Office.

Monday, July 24, 2006

Animal ignites fire that leaves 14,000 in South Florida

Source: sun-sentinel.com

About 14,000 customers in northeast Miami-Dade County and tremendous southern Broward County woke up without power Sunday after a fire damaged a substation in Miami.

An animal in some way got into the substation on Northeast 10th Street, setting off the fire and outage at 6:18 a.m., said Florida Power & Light Co. spokeswoman Pat Davis

Officials didn't know what type of animal was the offender. It did not live the fire.

Power was reinstated to more than 80 percent of those affected by 4 p.m., with the residual customer’s predictable back online by 5 p.m. Sunday, Davis said.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Escaped prisoners from Arkansas caught in Florida

Source: bradenton.com

Two work-release prisoners from Arkansas who drove off in state vans previous this month when they were supposed to lift up other prisoners were trapped in Florida on Friday night, a prison spokeswoman said.

Clifton Sanders, 24, and Tab Delancy, 41, were detained by Florida the system during a traffic stop in Ocala, Fla., said Dina Tyler of the Arkansas Department of Correction.

The extradition process will likely begin Monday, she said.

"We had reason to believe that they may be in Florida, and we alerted authorities in that state," Tyler said.

Sanders and Delancy escaped July 9 from the Benton Unit by driving off in state vehicles in its place of picking up other prisoners at the Affiliated Foods warehouse near the junction of Interstates 430 and 30. The vans were later found.

Sanders were criminal of second-degree murder in the death of his father in 2002. Delancy was convicted of robbery and theft. Both were a little more than a year from fetching eligible for parole.

Friday, July 21, 2006

Florida Residents Face Tough Discipline for Feeding Wild-Animals

Source: voanews.com

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lately went surreptitiously to crackdown on people feeding alligators. Experts warn that interrelated with alligators could make conditions that could be potentially dangerous for humans. But feeding the wildlife is not the only thing troublesome the balance of nature in Florida. Exotic animals that were once pets and have been released into the wild are flourishing and creating major problems.

Officer Jorge Pino, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, was part of a new three-day operation to catch people feeding the alligators. "The main purpose of the sting was just to get a message out, and that message is simple: don't feed the wildlife. And there are many reasons for that. People think that they may be doing the right thing by feeding alligators or feeding ducks or feeding dolphins or any wildlife. But in reality what you're doing is altering their behavior," he said.

Feeding alligators is a second-degree misdemeanor punished by up to a $500 fine and/or 60 days in jail.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Waste armed forces buys Florida industry, sells Arizona operations

Source: cbc.ca

Waste Services Inc. has arranged to compensate $61 million for Allied Waste's South Florida operations and, in a disconnect arrangement; vend its Arizona production to Allied Waste for $53 million.

Both deals are focus to typical circumstances, with a finishing end by the end of the third quarter.

The Florida deal will be remunerated completely in cash, with a probable future imbursement of $2 million, the company said. The achievement includes a shift station that can practice 800 tonnes a day and a resources mending talent servicing Miami-Dade County. "We suppose that these dealings make tactical intellect for both companies," said Waste armed forces chairman and CEO David Sutherland-Yoest.

"We anticipate the net smash of these communications to add very soon about $7 million to $8 million of EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, fall and amortization) on an annualized foundation."

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Property Rates Hikes at Florida

Source: moneycentral.msn.com

State Farm, one of Florida's major insurers, would lift property insurance rates by an average of 52.7 percent this year under a plan accepted Tuesday by state regulators.

The company said that the higher premiums would let it to keep doing business in Florida in spite of predictions for more hurricanes.

State Farm said that increase costs for its own insurance against high claims is driving the increase, following two shocking hurricane seasons and forecasts for more of the same.

The state's top insurance regulator said he knew it will be hard for customers, but noted the increase was much smaller than State Farm initially sought.

The company had filed plans in May for what will have successfully been an average increase of nearly 80 percent statewide, but the Office of Insurance Regulation balked at that proposal.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Space Shuttle Discovery Lands Safely in Florida

Source: voanews.com

The U.S. space shuttle Discovery has landed in Florida, ending a re-supply and repairs mission to the International Space Station. Its victorious flight means the space agency NASA could finally resume construction of the station.

Discovery's secure landing is a noticeable relief to NASA that was forced to halt meeting of the half-built space station more than three years ago when the shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry into the atmosphere.

Discovery, noisy like any other airplane, glided easily onto a runway at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

After landing, shuttle leader Steve Lindsey inspected the spacecraft and declared it free of damage, after its almost nine million-kilometer journey.

Monday, July 17, 2006

Florida Man Killed By SWAT Officer

Source: theledger.com

A SWAT team officer gunshot and killed an armed Florida man as he held a woman by the neck on an Arizona freeway at the ending of a long chase.

The incident began Friday night with the burglary of a Walgreens pharmacy in Casa Grande, Phoenix police Detective Tony Morales said. The man allegedly took narcotics, and then fled in a large motor home pulling a unplanned on a trailer.

Their identities have not been established, but the 49-year-old man is thought to be from Jupiter, and the 53-year-old woman is his wife or ex-wife, Morales said.

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Florida Gas issues excess alert due to heat

Source: today.reuters.com

Florida Gas Transmission on Friday issued an excess alert due to hot weather forecast for the state and high command on its natural gas pipeline system.

In order to maintain system honesty, the company issued an excess alert at 25 percent tolerance, meaning shippers should stay within 25 percent of planned volumes, the company said in a Web site posting.

Alerts, also called grave days, need natural gas shippers to adhere cautiously to scheduled quantities. An overage alert signals that taking overload quantities off line would be harmful.

Florida Gas frequently issues alerts as temperatures in the state vary very from normal, boosting gas and power demand as customers crank up air conditioners in the summer and heaters in the winter.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

USDA: Florida citrus production tanks

Source: chron.com

For the second straight season, late-maturing oranges in hurricane-hit areas would leave Florida with one of its nastiest citrus crops in more than a decade, federal agriculture officials said Wednesday.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture again abridged its production forecast; now prognostic that Florida would create 151 million boxes of oranges, a third less than previous seasons.

This season's manufacture is predictable to finish slightly superior than the last year's 149 million boxes. Each box has 90 pounds of fruit.

Florida's $9 billion citrus industry has been tattered by two seasons of shocking hurricanes that bankrupt crops and spread a disease called canker so far that the federal government determined in January it was a lost cause to have it. The disease is harmless to humans but makes fruit flaw and drop prematurely from trees.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Florida Select stops writing policies

Source: bizjournals.com

The Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) said it has told Florida Select Insurance to stop writing and renewing homeowner’s policies for an imprecise period.

The DFS, the court-appointed beneficiary for Florida Select, gave the company that order Friday, DFS spokeswoman Tami Torres said.

"Based on our initial review of their finances, they are not writing any new or renewal business until they can get additional reinsurance or until their financial condition improves," she said.

Sarasota-based Florida chooses had about 70,000 homeowner’s policies in Florida as of March 31, according to the DFS. About 18,000 are in South Florida.

Under Florida laws, Florida Select should give policyholders at least 45 days' written notice by not renewing policies.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Katie Couric Stops in Florida since piece of trip

Source: cbs4.com

Katie Couric, the original secure and running editor of the CBS Evening News, visited Central Florida on Monday as division of her six-city tour called “look at on the top of America”.

She paid a stay to the American Cancer Society Monday in Clearwater, Florida. The idea of the visit is to chat with public on the Couric is on a six-city visit as division of a "look on the top of America" sequence to talk with the people about a theme that is awfully secure to her heart - colon cancer.

Katie Couric mislaid her partner, Jay Monahan, to colon cancer in 1998.

Couric had a few words for the public of Miami expressing her love for the Cuban society and Cuban sandwiches.

Couric also plans to use instance with CBS' local stations in Tampa, Florida, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, Denver, Colorado, San Diego and San Francisco, California.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Bay County rethinks beach dog ban

Source: bradenton.com

Bay County leaders distress about severe enforcement by state officials of regulations except for dogs from area beaches have determined to make area shorelines more dog friendly.

County commissioners voted Thursday to ease canine limitations on some stretches of beach.

But the changes can be hard to implement on the popular Shell Island, a barrier island comprised mainly of state and federal land.

Commissioner Jerry Girvin told the Panama City News Herald that he needs to reach a temporary agreement "fairly quickly" so that visitors could enjoy at least some part of the island with their dogs.

The state Department of Environmental guard began enforcing county and state park rules in May after state biologists said dogs were destroying bird nests.

Biologist John Himes said other predators also interfere with the nests, but dogs "are the one easily preventable force because they are not supposed to be out there to begin with."

Friday, July 07, 2006

Big win for tobacco in Florida case

Source: tvnz.co.nz

In a huge victory for the tobacco industry, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday decline to restore a $US145 billion punitive damages award beside main cigarette makers originate liable for selling a dangerous product.

The decisions lifted one of the largest financial clouds over tobacco companies and send their stocks up sharply.

It upheld the key part of a Florida plea court ruling three years ago that upturned the punitive damages, one of the biggest awards in a US product liability case.

The Florida Supreme Court said the honor was "clearly excessive" and will "result in an unlawful crippling of the defendant companies."

Thursday, July 06, 2006

31 Dead on Florida Highways Over 4th of Weekend

Source: news4jax.com

Thirty-one people were killed in crashes examined by Florida Highway Patrol troopers over the five-day Fourth of July holiday -- Friday, June 30 through Tuesday, July 4.

Two of those deadly crashes were in St. Johns County; one each was in Duval, Nassau, Baker and Flagler counties.

Five of those killed, as well as Jacksonville's only fatality, were pedestrians. Just over half of the victims who died were not tiring seat belts.

In addition to the crashes, troopers charged 198 people with heavy under the authority, issued 8,424 speeding citations, issued 1,457 seat belt and child self-control citations and assisted 4,109 motorists on Florida's highways.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Boating could be dangerous at Florida

Source: cbs4.com

Boating has become more dangerous than ever in Florida, according to a new revise from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says deaths from boating accidents this year are running 19 percent ahead of last year's figures, which were the uppermost in a decade.
During the first six months this year, 39 people died in Florida boating accidents, contrasted to 32 through the first six months of 2005. In all, 80 people died in Florida boating mishaps last year.

Drowning was the most important cause of last year's boating deaths, accounting for 71 percent, while 21 percent were killed by trauma. And 77 percent of the wounded were not wearing life jackets, as 40 percent of the deaths were attributed to alcohol or carelessness.

Plus, there are many more boats on the state's waterways. The commission says Florida has approximately one (m) million vessel registrations, an increase of more than 27-thousand over 2004.

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

FAA to Concentrates on Florida Accidents

Source: aero-news.net

Sunshine State Now Number Two for GA Traffic Nationwide.

Florida - Traffic in the Sunshine State is rising at a remarkable rate and it's now fixed the attention of the FAA

MSNBC reports the airspace over Central Florida is flattering increasingly crowded, thanks to its fine climate and relatively flat topography. At a time when the number of GA aircraft based in Florida appears to be growing at a remarkable rate, the state in 2003 dropped its necessities for runway operations reports. Instead, it now relies on a voluntary online reporting system. Local zoning the system now control the expansion of private airports. The number of accidents -- those connecting injury and those that don't -- is growing in Florida. That's particularly true of the central part of the state.

MSNBC reports that, during the last six years, the number of GA accidents in Florida has standard about 131. At the top of the list of Florida counties where aviation accidents have occur.Volusia County, home of Embry-Riddle Aviation University. The average rate for all accidents there is 10-12 a year.

Monday, July 03, 2006

Florida employers should post minimum wage poster

Source: hr.cch.com

Effective January 1, 2007, Florida employers who should pay an employee the Florida least wage should highly display a minimum wage poster in a conspicuous and nearby place in each organization where such employees are employed. The Agency for Workforce Innovation ought to, every year on or before December 1, create and make obtainable to employers a poster in English and in Spanish. A sample poster is providing in the law.

Text in the poster should be of a conspicuous size. The text in the first line should be larger than the text of any other line and the text of the first sentence should be in bold type and larger than the text in the remaining lines.

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