Tampa Business News - Local Tampa News | The Tampa Bay Business Journal
Brown & Brown revenue tops $1 billion - Brown & Brown Inc. posted a 1.4 percent jump in net income for 2011, the first year the company topped $1 billion in revenue. The company said net income for the 12 months ended Dec. 31 was $164 million, or $1.13 a share, compared with $161.8 million, or $1.12 a share, for 2010. The $1 billion in revenue for 2011 was 4.2 percent higher than revenue of $973.5 million in 2010, a statement from the company said. Net income for the fourth quarter of 2011 was $36.5 million, or 25 cents a share, compared with $32...
Bankers, Tampa small business owners talk credit at upcoming workshop - Representatives of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will be in Tampa to talk with small business owners about obtaining financing. The Feb. 24 workshop, ?The State of Small Business in Tampa,? was initiated by Tampa City Council Member Lisa Montelione after hearing small business owners talk about their efforts to get credit. The workshop, which will include interactive panel discussions, is an attempt to resolve what appears to be a disconnect, with businesses saying they can?t get credit from a bank, and bankers saying they are lending, Montelione said...
ChappellRoberts to review Super Bowl ads live on Twitter - Tampa advertising agency ChappellRoberts will hold a live Twitter session to review Super Bowl commercials during the game this Sunday. President and Chief Executive Officer Colleen Chappell will be among six agency representatives posting comments about the ads. ChappellRoberts has about 500 followers at www.twitter.com/ChappellRoberts. The Twitter session will begin during the pre-game show and continue throughout the game, which is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
Legoland Florida sets opening date for water park - The Legoland Water Park is scheduled to open May 26, Legoland officials said Friday. The water park will be located on a 5-acre site that was previously Cypress Gardens? water park. PCL Construction Services Inc., the design/builder for Legoland, is renovating the water park. Guests can buy tickets on Legoland?s website and at AAA, the Auto Club Group. Legoland opened on Oct. 15 with 50 rides, shows and attractions in Winter Haven.
AAA, Budweiser offer Super Bowl ?Tow to Go? - AAA and Budweiser have partnered to protect roadways during Super Bowl weekend by offering the ?Tow to Go? program. The service, which offers free rides to AAA members and non-members who may be too tipsy to drive, began Thursday and will be available through Feb. 5. Service is available throughout Florida, Georgia and parts of Tennessee by calling 1-800-AAA-HELP. AAA Auto Club South changed names in October to AAA, the Auto Club Group.
Cardinal Health challenges DEC suspension for Lakeland center - Cardinal Health Inc. said it would vigorously contest the Drug Enforcement Administration?s suspension of its license to distribute controlled medicines from the company?s Lakeland distribution center. Cardinal (NYSE: CAH), a health care services company headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, said in a written statement that it would ask a federal court to block the DEA?s efforts. Cardinal said the suspension would disrupt drug shipments to more than 2,500 pharmacy customers in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina...
TradeWinds offers traceable Gulf Wild seafood - TradeWinds Island Resorts? restaurants Palm Court Italian Grill and Bermudas Steak & Seafood are now serving Gulf Wild seafood, a brand that offers information for consumers about the origins of its fish. Gulf Wild seafood menu items feature a tag number that links to the Gulf Wild TransparenSea system. Diners can type in the tag number online to access information about types of fish, captains, harvesting vessels and locations and other details, the St. Pete Beach resort said in a written statement...
Former Orion Bank president Jerry Williams pleads guilty to conspiracy - Jerry Williams, former president of Orion Bank, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and making false statements to federal regulators. Williams faces up to 15 years in federal prison, a statement from the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida said. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Orion Bank, headquartered in Naples, failed in 2009. According to the plea agreement, Williams conspired with two former bank executives, Thomas Hebble and Angel Guerzon, and a former bank borrower, Francesco Mileto, to mislead state and federal regulators that Orion was in better capital position than was the case...
Fitch affirms ratings on Polk schools? financing - Fitch Ratings affirmed a ?BBB? rating on $193.4 million in infrastructure sales tax revenue bonds for the Polk County School District, and an ?A+? rating on $247.9 million in certificates of participation for the Polk County School Board Financing Corp. The rating outlook is stable for the certificates of appreciation and negative for the infrastructure sales tax revenue bonds, a Fitch statement said. The district?s favorable fiscal 2011 results benefited from $17 million in stimulus funding...
Florida auto insurance reform clears Senate hurdle - The automobile insurance industry scored a small victory Thursday when the Florida Senate banking and insurance subcommittee approved a bill that would limit the types of health care clinics that could get reimbursements under the state?s personal injury protection law. Senate Bill 1860 would amend the Florida Motor Vehicle No-Fault law, which requires drivers to carry $10,000 worth of personal injury protection. Insurance companies and law enforcement agencies favor changing the law because it has left the door open to insurance fraud and higher car insurance premiums...