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  • Economic outlook: Housing market 'just not good'
    When the person delivering the invocation at the First Coast Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors Inc. monthly luncheon quoted Maya Angelou — “people will never forget how you made them feel” — Robert Hinckley knew he was sunk. Hinckley, a certified public accountant and partner at The LBA Group LLC in Jacksonville, was about to deliver an economic outlook presentation to the construction industry, and the news wasn’t good. There are bright spots in the market for sure, Hinckley told the group gathered Friday at the San Jose Country Club...


  • Opinion: Thoughts on last night's debate
    Some random thoughts on the Republican presidential candidate debate last night at the University of North Florida: • Surprise of the night: The strength of Sen. Rick Santorum. Too bad he has no money for TV ads, or he’d give Gov. Mitt Romney and Speaker Newt Gingrich some real headaches. • Best Ron Paul moment: “I think we spend way too much time worrying about the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan,” as he argued for tighter control of the U.S.-Mexico border. Isn’t it refreshing when common sense suddenly appears like a lightening bolt out of the blue? • Tell me more, Gov...


  • Florida named national leader in teacher quality
    Teachers in Florida were given an overall grade of “B”, the highest in the nation, on the National Council on Teacher Quality’s 2011 State Teacher Policy Yearbook. The new grade is up from a “C” grade in 2009. This year’s biennial report measures Florida’s progress against a set of 36 policy goals focused on helping states put in place a comprehensive framework in support of preparing, retaining and rewarding effective teachers. “Ranking first in the nation is a tribute to our teachers and clear evidence of their commitment to continuous improvement when it comes to providing opportunities for high-quality education for our students,” said Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson...


  • LPS: Number of new mortgages fell 10% in November
    Lender Processing Services Inc.’s December Mortgage Monitor report shows that the number of new mortgages fell in November, the latest data available. The Jacksonville company’s report showed new mortgages fell 10.1 percent from October to November, citing tighter lending requirements as a possible cause. Quick facts from the report: Florida is among the states with the highest percentage of noncurrent loans with 22.7 percent. The national average is 12.3 percent.New mortgages were down more than 60,000...


  • Bank closures down in Florida last year
    Regulators only closed 13 Florida banks in 2011 - a dramatic improvement over the 29 that were shut down in 2010, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Across the country, 92 banks failed. That number is down from the 157 that were closed in 2010 and the 140 that closed in 2009. There were no bank failures in Jacksonville in 2011, compared with three in 2010. Since the beginning of the Great Recession in 2007, Florida bank closures stand at 58. The Sunshine State’s 29 closures in 2010 led the nation, according to the report...

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  • Gilbert Group lands retail agent from Cassidy Turley
    Cassidy Turley has suddenly found itself in need of rebuilding its retail leasing practice. Columbus Business First readers may have already read that Kevin James and Micha Bitton left the real estate brokerage Jan. 17 for Colliers International’s Columbus office after several years at Cassidy Turley and its predecessor, Turley Martin Tucker Co., which held the Colliers franchise in the market until 2010. Today comes word that retail agent Carlton Dargusch IV, who also focused on retail leasing transactions at Cassidy Turley, has left to join Gilbert Group Inc...
  • Museum of Science gets $5M grant
    The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center gave a $5 million grant to the Museum of Science Boston on Wednesday to build an exhibit on biology and biotechnology to be called the Hall of Human Life (HHL). The exhibit, expected to open next summer, will include 10,000 square feet of space relying on life sciences research connections through businesses and universities in the area. The HHL itself is planned to include an interactive segment in which visitors can anonymously record their experiences in areas of food, physical forces, living organisms, social experience and time...
  • Former owner of airline services company sentenced
    Robert A. Riddell, the former owner and operator of a Sunrise-based airline services company, was sentenced on Friday to two years in prison and ordered to pay restitution for conspiring to commit wire fraud and honest services fraud in a kickback scheme to defraud Ryan International Airlines, a charter airline company based in Rockford, IL. Riddell pleaded guilty on Oct. 17 to participating in a conspiracy to defraud Ryan by making kickback payments to Wayne E. Kepple, a former VP of ground operations at Ryan, in exchange for Kepple awarding business to Riddell’s company...
  • McGinn, Smith plead not guilty
    Timothy M. McGinn and David L. Smith pleaded not guilty today to charges that they defrauded investors. A grand jury on Jan. 26 indicted the pair on 30 counts of felony crimes, including cases of securities fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy and falsifying tax returns. McGinn and Smith each face up to 30 years in prison, if convicted on most or all of the counts—effectively putting them away for life. McGinn is 63; Smith is 66. Prosecutors said they have not arrested McGinn or Smith. Prosecutors expect both to turn themselves in today and appear in U...
  • Hawaii hotels fill more rooms as rates continue to rise
    Hawaii hotels enjoyed higher occupancy last week compared to a year ago while average room rates rose nearly 8 percent statewide, according to a report by Hospitality Advisors LLC and Smith Travel Research. The statewide occupancy rate during the week ending Jan. 21 was 82.4 percent, 3.9 percentage points higher than the same week a year ago. The average daily room rate of $202.08 was 7.9 percent higher than the same week in 2011. Oahu saw the greatest gain in room rates, with the average daily room rate rising 11 percent to $179...