Media Contact:
Elizabeth Ray
FRLA Communications Director
850.224.2250 x255
[email protected]

Firehouse Subs CEO in Ft. Myers to Share Insight on Building Your Brand
– Don Fox to Present at FRLA SW Florida Chapter Meeting on April 1st –

(Tallahassee, FL) – The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) is thrilled to host Don Fox, Chief Executive Officer of Firehouse of America, LLC at its next Southwest Florida Chapter meeting. Fox leads the strategic growth of Firehouse Subs, one of America’s leading fast casual restaurant brands and is scheduled to give a presentation titled, “Seven Keys for Building a High Performing Brand” on Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at the Holiday Inn Fort Myers Airport at Town Center. Drawing on 40 years of experience, Fox will offer insight on developing and leading a high performance organization. The event is open to FRLA chapter members and non-members. Media is invited to attend.

“This is a must-see presentation that is truly inspiring. Don Fox is an incredibly engaging speaker with a wealth of industry knowledge. He helped lead the growth of the Firehouse Subs brand – one of the top franchises in the country. There’s no doubt he’s a successful veteran of the business and will motivate restaurateurs, hoteliers, and other businesses to take their brand to the next level,” said Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.

Under Fox’s leadership, the Firehouse Subs brand has grown to more than 750 restaurants in 41 states and Puerto Rico. Fox sits on various boards of influence in the restaurant community, and is a respected speaker, commentator and published author. He was recognized by Nation’s Restaurant News as 2011’s Operator of the Year. In 2013, he received the prestigious Silver Plate Award from the International Food Manufacturers Association (IFMA), and was recognized by FastCasual.com as the No.1 Executive in the fast casual restaurant community.

WHAT:
Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association Southwest Florida Chapter Meeting
“Seven Keys for Building a High Performing Brand”
Presented by Don Fox, Chief Executive Officer, Firehouse of America, LLC

WHEN:     
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM Registration and Networking

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Luncheon and Presentation

*Media is Invited to Attend

COST:
$23 Per Person
$190 For Reserved Table of 8

WHERE:
Holiday Inn Fort Myers Airport at Town Center
9931 Interstate Commerce Dr.
Fort Myers, Florida 33913
*Royal Palm Ballroom

To register for the event, please email [email protected] or click here to see the event flyer.

About the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
FRLA is Florida’s premier non-profit hospitality industry trade association. Our mission is to ‘Protect, Educate and Promote’ Florida’s $76.1 billion hospitality industry which represents 23% of Florida’s economy, $4.6 billion in sales tax revenue, and more than one million employees – making it the state’s number one industry. We offer regulatory compliance and food safety training needs (RCS and SafeStaff®); industry developed career-building high school programs (FRLAEF); sponsor the only event in Florida exclusively serving the restaurant and foodservice industry (FR&L Show, October 6-8, 2015 in Orlando); and we safeguard the needs of the hospitality industry by providing legislative advocacy. We represent and serve more than 10,000 independent and household name members, suppliers, and theme parks. For more information, go to www.FRLA.org and find us on Twitter @FRLAnews, Facebook and YouTube.

Rule 69L-6.007, Compensation Notice, Florida Administrative Code, has been adopted and will become effective on January 30, 2011.  The rule adopts the revised workers’ compensation notice posters, including the Spanish version of the poster and updates the information that is required to be included on the poster.  Section 440.40, F.S., requires every employer who has secured workers’ compensation insurance to post in its place of business a workers’ compensation notice and an Anti-Fraud Reward Program notice.  Section 440.40, F.S., also authorizes the Department, by rule, to prescribe the form of the notices and to require carriers to provide the notices to policyholders.

For a transitional period of 90 days from the effective date of the rule, an insurer or self-insurance servicing agent may use the “broken arm” posters identified and adopted in subsection 69L-6.007(1), Florida Administrative Code, or the corresponding poster(s) in effect prior to the adoption of the rule.  After the completion of the 90 day transitional period, only the revised posters adopted in this rule may be used.

Copies of the rule text and the revised workers’ compensation notice posters may be obtained from the Division’s website at http://www.myfloridacfo.com/WC/.

Contact Tasha Carter, Chief, Bureau of Compliance, Division of Workers’ Compensation, 200 E Gaines Street, Tallahassee, FL  32399, (850) 413-1878 regarding this rule.

The federal health care law requiring Americans to buy health insurance unlawfully expands the powers to Congress by forcing consumers to buy something they may not want, a Florida federal judge “reluctantly” ruled on Monday in a challenge by Florida and 25 other states.

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Tallahassee – Florida House Majority Leader Lopez-Cantera (R-Miami) today issued the following statement regarding the Economic Development & Tourism Subcommittee’s passing of the Proposed Committee Bill (PCB) on Unemployment Compensation (PCB EDTS 11-01)

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By Michael C. Bender, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau

February 11, 2011, Tallahassee – Unemployed Floridians would work harder to earn fewer state benefits under a pair of proposals on the fast track in the Florida Legislature.

On Thursday, a divided House committee approved a bill from Republican leaders that would:

• Make it easier to fire employees.

• Put more burden on workers to prove they deserve benefits if employers appeal.

• Reduce weekly unemployment checks from the state from 26 weeks to as few as 12.

“This bill … helps ease the burden on businesses so they can start hiring again,” said Rep. Doug Holder, R-Sarasota.

The House Economic Development and Tourism subcommittee passed the bill 7-4 along party lines.

PCB EDTS 11-01 has two more committee stops but could be ready for a vote on the House floor when the annual spring lawmaking session starts March 8.

The Senate plan is similar to the House bill but includes a slight increase in the base unemployment tax rate on businesses. SB 728 is scheduled for its first vote later this month.

Unemployment benefits in Florida are paid from business taxes. The state fund, however, was wiped out in August 2009 by the historic unemployment crisis.

Lawmakers attempted to save the fund in 2009 when they increased business taxes to pay for it. But the Legislature undid those changes in its first bill of 2010.

Instead, lawmakers have taken on $2 billion in federal loans plus more than $200 million in interest.

President Barack Obama is pushing to let Florida delay about $500 million in payments for the next two years. But Gov. Rick Scott wants lawmakers to cover the federal debt obligations while cutting unemployment taxes for businesses by $630 million over two years.

Scott’s plan would also reduce state benefits to 20 weeks from 26 weeks. His plan, as well as the House and Senate bills, would limit unemployment checks to 12 weeks if the unemployment rate reaches or falls below 5 percent. It’s now at 12 percent in Florida.

Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, said he would consider Obama’s plan.

“Interest payments cripple families, cripple this state,” Haridopolos said. “We need to find a long-term solution.”

In the House committee on Thursday, nearly a dozen out-of-work residents pleaded not to reduce their benefits. The maximum benefit is $275 per week, among the lowest in the country.

But the Republican majority sided with business lobbyists who said lower taxes would make it easier to hire new workers.

“The whole system needs to be reformed,” said Senate Commerce and Tourism Chairwoman Nancy Detert, R-Venice. “And that is going to be a huge lift.”

Michael C. Bender can be reached at [email protected].

March 3, 2011,Tallahassee – Following meetings last month, Gov. Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Claims Czar Kenneth Feinberg have agreed on initial steps for improving the Gulf Coast Claims Facility’s (GCCF) process regarding outstanding Florida claims as a result of the Deepwater oil spill.

“Florida’s tourism, fishing and seafood industries are still feeling the impacts of last summer’s disaster almost a year later,” said Gov. Scott. “Mr. Feinberg agrees that It’s time to get to work and implement a streamlined, fair and effective way of paying these claims for Floridians.”

Last month Gov. Scott and Attorney General Bondi met separately with Feinberg and wrote letters outlining the initial steps that must be taken. Some of those steps include:

• Processing at least 25 percent of all pending claims by March 31, 2011.

• Expanding staffing in Florida to provide more localized treatment of claimants, specifically in Panama City, Pensacola, Santa Rosa, Gulf Breeze and Ft. Walton Beach.

•  In each Florida claims office, providing the names of local, independent accounting firms that are available to review and assist claimants in preparing claims documentation. The fees for these accountants will be submitted with the claimant’s GCCF submission as an expense, reimbursable by the GCCF.

•  In each Florida claims office, providing a named contact person who is part of Florida claims’ team to allow claimants to obtain additional information on the status of their claim.

•  Coordinating the claims process through one person in Florida and one person in Washington in an effort to assure responsiveness and efficiency.

•  Having GCCF accountants on site or available by appointment to answer questions for claimants about their claim determination calculations.

•  Summarizing, by general category, the reasons for claims being denied to assist with educating claimants and possibly preventing future denials.

“Hundreds of thousands of Floridians’ livelihoods have been devastated by the oil spill and compounded by a nearly halted claims process,” said Attorney General Bondi. “I look forward to working with Gov. Scott and Mr. Feinberg to ensure Floridians receive the compensation they deserve.”

Feinberg has agreed to return to Tallahassee in April to report on the progress of these steps and discuss additional improvements moving forward.

To view Gov. Scott’s letter to Fienberg from March 2, 2011, visit:

http://www.flgov.com/wp‐content/uploads/2011/03/GovScottLetter‐03.02.2011.pdf

To view Attorney General Bondi’s letter to Fienberg from Feb. 25, 2011, visit:

http://www.flgov.com/wp‐content/uploads/2011/03/bondi‐feinbergltrt.pdf

Florida’s first unemployment rate released under Gov. Rick Scott shows a slight drop in January, decreasing .1 percent to 11.9 percent for the month. During January 1,100,000 Floridians were out of work, which is down 8,000 from December. But again the state lost jobs, losing nearly 13,000 jobs during January after losing nearly 18,000 in December. The decrease in the unemployment rate, however, is the first decline since June of 2010 and comes after two consecutive months of the rate staying at 12 percent.

“While Florida’s unemployment rate is still unacceptably high, we are seeing positive signs that employers are starting to hire,” said Cynthia R. Lorenzo, director of the Agency for Workforce Innovation.

The increase coincides with the first rate released under Scott, who has touted his pro-jobs and pro-business agenda. A part of Scott’s agenda is to bring 700,000 jobs in seven years by removing business regulations and enticing companies to move to Florida.

“An increase in online advertisements for full-time jobs coupled with an increase in Florida’s consumer confidence index indicates that our business owners and families are increasingly optimistic about Florida’s economic recovery,” said Lorenzo.

The lowest unemployment rates were in Liberty and Monroe counties at 7.6 percent each. Alachua County followed at 8.6 percent and Wakulla County at 8.7 percent. The highest unemployment rate is in Flagler County at 16 percent, up .3 percent from December. Hernando County followed at 15.1 percent, while Hendry and Marion counties followed at 14.2 percent each.

March 22, 2011, Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott named former federal prosecutor Ken Lawson as Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.  A native Floridian, Lawson has held numerous regulatory positions within the private sector and federal government.  As Secretary of DBPR, Lawson will oversee the licensing and regulation of businesses and professionals in the state of Florida.

Lawson has held several senior positions with federal law enforcement agencies prior to this appointment. As the Assistant Secretary of Enforcement for the Department of the Treasury, he oversaw a staff of over fifty attorneys and investigators and had oversight of federal law enforcement agencies responsible for protection of America’s financial system. Lawson has also served as the Assistant Chief Counsel for Field Operations at the Transportation Security Administration.  For seven years, he was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division for the Middle District of Florida (Tampa). In addition, Lawson served as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps, Judge Advocate General’s Division.

In the private sector, he spent two years with Booz Allen Hamilton as a consultant, including a year as Chief of Party for the Financial Crimes Prevention Project in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he directed international anti-money laundering, anticorruption, and counterterrorist financing projects. Lawson most recently served as Vice-President for Compliance at nFinanSe Inc., a financial services company in Tampa. He is a graduate of Florida State University and the Florida State University College of Law.

“With his background in federal law enforcement, prosecution, and the military, Ken Lawson brings an impressive track record to DBPR,” said Governor Scott.

RESOLUTION BY THE VISIT FLORIDA^® BOARD OF DIRECTORS REGARDING THE PROPOSED GOVERNMENT REORGANIZATION

WHEREAS, the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors recognizes and agrees with the need for centralized, top-down, strategic attention to a comprehensive and coordinated approach to the State of Florida’s overall economic development efforts;

WHEREAS, in 2010, the statewide Florida tourism industry hosted 83 million visitors who spent $61 billion and supported 1 million jobs in Florida;

WHEREAS, VISIT FLORIDA provides access to industry engagement and expertise through a 53 member board of directors, an additional 110 members of industry councils, committees and task forces, as well as over 9,300 statewide tourism businesses;

WHEREAS, the private-sector, industry driven nature of VISIT FLORIDA is demonstrated not only by support of the cooperative marketing platforms, but more importantly by active engagement in developing these platforms and then buying into them generating $40+ million in FY 2010-11 alone;

WHEREAS, VISIT FLORIDA is a $1.1 billion destination marketing cooperative matching $350 million from a dedicated funding source of public investment by the State of Florida with $776 million of private investment by thousands of Florida tourism businesses and strategic partners since 1996;

WHEREAS, VISIT FLORIDA has strong brand equity with reach and relevance around the state, around the country and around the world supported by investment in multi-party, multi- year contractual relationships;

WHEREAS, VISIT FLORIDA has been recognized for visionary leadership as the first-ever state destination marketing organization to receive accreditation by the Destination Marketing Association International;

WHEREAS, VISIT FLORIDA has maintained an industry leadership position and momentum through best in class partnerships and practices over a 15-year history;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors respectfully requests:

•   VISIT FLORIDA retain its current industry-lead governance fostering broad based industry support and engagement as an autonomous public/private partnership with a dedicated funding source and a strategically aligned contractual relationship to the newly created public/private partnership.

Approved and adopted this 8th day of April, 2011 by the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors.

Section by Section Analysis.

An act relating to government reorganization.

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