Focus on Florida

Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection is considering over 40 new criteria as part of the department’s renewed rule making initiative. The effort will also make many current criteria far more stringent than they are now.

The recent fine levied by the Federal Trade Commission shows that the FTC is not reluctant to hit big players with enforcement actions and fines in the privacy context.

Representatives from Florida’s business, political and utility sectors will converge in Orlando next week for the 2012 Florida Energy Summit. And there’s a lot to talk about.

There have been many changes in the venture capital industry in the past few years that it would be wise to pay attention to. The trends have created wonderful opportunities for angel and “superangel” investors.

As a business owner, you need to be prepared on the security and compliance fronts for security breaches, whether due to human error (such as a lost laptop or smartphone), financially motivated crimes or hacktivism.

A party cannot make the choice to purchase a contaminated property and then rely on the Third Party Defense to negate the responsibility for cleanup, according to a recent ruling.

On June 29, the Southern District Court of Appeals found that the Firearm Owners’ Privacy Act, signed into Florida law in June of 2011, improperly restricts commercial free speech.

The Affordable Care Act is extremely complex and nuanced and many employer obligations are dependent upon the size of the company.

The prohibition would have a significant effect on business transactions. For example, all contracts with an agency or local government must include a provision allowing for the contract’s termination if the company is found to have submitted false certification or has been engaged in business operations in Cuba or Syria.

Facebook’s deal will affect any business offering applications through Facebook’s App Center, no matter where the business is located.

There are exemptions to the annual quota on temporary employment visas for speciality occupations. These exemptions may apply in the following instances:

The race is on for many smaller banks and bank holding companies to go private and save the high costs associated with being a public company. But is going private the right thing for your company?

The pressure on businesses these days is intense. Competition for clients is greater than ever. Client relationships, developed over years of interactions, are seen as the key to a company’s success. And yet a company’s ability to control and protect its information and relationships is much more difficult in today’s highly networked world, where professional and social connections are forged and maintained via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media outlets.

Internet sales continue to surge, representing an ever-greater portion of all retail sales. One recent study found Internet sales reached a staggering $49.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011.

In Florida’s bustling multicultural state of almost 19 million residents, a statewide rather than parochial view of Florida’s issues is mandatory if we want to ensure a better future for all.

The regulation requires U.S. financial institutions report to foreign governments the interest paid on accounts of nonresident aliens.

What comes next for the tech economy after Facebook goes public? Two important areas deserve careful consideration.

A recent federal appeals court ruling has effectively blocked a rule that would require employers to display posters informing workers of their right to form a union. The rule was due to go into effect April 30.

Do Groupon’s recent accounting and public relations problems provide a lesson for the greater tech industry? Many web-based companies that have gone public would do well to pay attention.

Miami-based Lennar Corporation, one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, released Q1 earnings of $15 million – the strongest first-quarter sales since the 2008 collapse of the economy.