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Coffee Talk (Sara/Mana)
All in all, Florida's OK
We always look forward to the Taxpayers Network's annual booklet ranking the nation's states on such characteristics as demographics, taxes, government, economy, education, public safety and health and welfare. Typically it reminds Coffee Talk that as bad as some of these categories may be in Florida (i.e. government, taxes and education), comparatively Florida scores pretty well. To wit, here are some of the key rankings in the 2005 edition (www.taxpayernetwork.org):
Who's next: Tom? Brad? Jen? Angelina?
With all of the competing private golf club communities and competing golf course designers descending on Sarasota and Manatee counties, it wasn't a stretch to think that The Concession and The Founders Club would start competing with other celebrities. Back in April, The Concession announced it had made James Bond actor Sean Connery an honorary member. Now The Founders Club has responded with tennis great Ivan Lendl.
Lendl has switched sports from tennis to golf, and he doing it on The Founders Club's golf course. Although his full-time home is in Connecticut, Lendl spends a lot of time in the Sarasota-Bradenton area because three of his five daughters attend the IMG Academies in Bradenton.
Lendl won eight Grand Slam singles titles in the 1980s and early 1990s and is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Founders Club General Manager Ian Fetigan introduced Lendl to the club. Since then, Lendl has plays two to three times a week when he is in town.
GOVERNMENT BURDEN
ON SMALL BUSINESS index
1. South Dakota 24.55
2. Nevada 26.89
3. Wyoming 31.52
5. Florida 34.33
U.S. Avg. 46.33
Per capita pers. income
1. D.C. $47,305
2. Connecticut $43,292
3. New Jersey $40,002
25. Florida $29,972
U.S. Avg. $31,459
% Population IN Poverty
1. Louisiana 20.3%
2. D.C. 19.9%
2. Mississippi 19.9%
21. Florida 13.1%
U.S. Avg. 12.7%
Max. Corporate Income Tax Rates
1. Iowa 12.0%
2. Pennsylvania 10.0%
3. D.C. 10.)
40. Florida 5.5%
U.S. Avg. 6.9%
State/Local Tax Burden as % of Income
1. New York 12.9%
2. Delaware 12.8%
3. Maine 12.3%
46. Florida 8.8%
U.S. Avg. 10.0%
Economic Freedom Index
1. Delaware 8.4
2. Tennessee 8.1
3. Florida 8.0
4. Arizona 7.9
4. Virginia 7.9
Southwest flies to Fort Myers
Fort Myers/Naples wins again.
Although the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport courted Southwest Airlines, the Texas-based carrier has decided Southwest Florida International Airport is more attractive and lucrative.
Southwest will begin flying from Southwest Florida International Oct. 2 to five nonstop destinations, including a $29 one-way fare to Orlando. From Orlando, Southwest flies 85 nonstop flights to 28 cities, including St. Louis and New Orleans.
Southwest will also begin nonstop service from Fort Myers to Baltimore, Chicago, Long Island and Philadelphia. Fares to those cities will start at $79 each way.
Competing airlines already matched the lower fares on those routes months ago in expectation of Southwest's arrival, said Robert Ball, executive director of the Lee County Port Authority. For example, just six months ago, nonstop flights to Baltimore used to cost double what Southwest will charge. Talk about the "Southwest Effect."
Ball said he expects Southwest will add more nonstop destinations, but he declined to speculate. The carrier has room to grow: Southwest has leased two gates in the airport's new terminal for its nine daily flights. Each gate can accommodate 10 flights, so the airline could increase to 20 flights a day without the need for new gates. Plus, the new terminal will offer additional gates for future expansion.
Although the opening of the new airport terminal has been delayed from its scheduled July 20 date due to work delays, Ball said he's confident it will open in time for Southwest's inaugural flight.
Blowout: Sarasota tire firm suing Chinese partners
With the emergence of China as a major economic power, Gulf Coast companies with business interests in the communist country continue to grow. But the experience of Sarasota's Tire Engineering and Distribution LLC should serve as a cautionary tale.
Bcatco ARL, the U.S. interest in Tire Engineering & Distribution, is suing their Chinese partners Guitai International Inc., Guizhou Tyre I/E Corp., Guizhou Tyre Co. Ltd. and its officers, claiming the companies broke a contracted relationship to sell Chinese-made oversized industrial and underground mining tires in the United States.
According to a lawsuit filed by Ronald Collier, partner at Sarassota-based Abel Band Russell Collier Pitchford & Gordon Chartered, Tire Engineering & Distribution was formed to allow the Guizhou Tyre Co. a business entity to sell in the states. But starting in 2004, Guizhou Tyre raised tire prices and ended Tire Engineering & Distribution's exclusive right to sell in the states.
Collier writes that it was later discovered that the defendants had violated the exclusive marketing arraignment as far back as 2002 in favor of a company in California that is Tire Engineering & Distribution's largest competitor in Florida.
The suit says prices went up again in April by another 10%. That same month, even after officials from Tire Engineering & Distribution had sent in money for its customer's tires, the president of Guizhou Tyre Co. informed the Sarasota company by fax that the Chinese company would not ship any tires.
Bcatco is suing the Chinese companies and two of their officers for more than $10 million plus interest and attorneys fees.
Earlier this month, the defendants disputed any interest in the Sarasota company and filed in U.S. District Court to have the case against them dismissed, arguing that the state of Florida doesn't have jurisdiction over them.
Asked about the status of the suit, Collier says the two sides appear close to reaching an out-of-court agreement.
- Sean Roth, Jean Gruss
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