Below please find daily updates pertaining to the latest in financial, business, and tax news:
FICPA: Top StoriesWorld's Largest Junior Financial Achievement Center Opens
This month, buses will arrive in Coconut Creek at the world’s largest Junior Achievement “world” center to deposit the first of an estimated 50,000 students who will visit annually for an education in hands-on financial decision-making. JA World Huizenga Center at Broward College opens nearly 20 years after Marti Huizenga, wife of the Fort Lauderdale billionaire, visited a financial education program called Enterprise Village in Pinellas County at the behest of vacation home neighbor Gus Stavros, a philanthropist who funded the initial program in Pinellas. She resolved to bring something similar to the Fort Lauderdale area.
This Accountant Keeps Candidates Squeaky Clean
When sloppy record-keeping triggered a federal audit of Mel Martinez’s 2004 Senate campaign several years ago, the freshman Republican lawmaker blamed the accounting errors on the volume of donations he’d received. His campaign staff, he explained, had simply been "overwhelmed" by the $12 million it raised and spent over a 10-month period. As a result, his disclosures were "not at the level it needed to be."
Feed the Pig Weekly Savings Tip: Be Prepared for Disasters
As hurricane season swings into full gear on the East Coast and wildfires threaten parts of the West Coast, we are reminded that natural disasters often strike without warning. Being ready before your community and your home are affected is an important step when preparing for your financial future. Here are a few tips on how to prepare in a financially sensible fashion.
Most Companies Underestimate Sales Taxes
A new study from sales tax software vendor Sabrix found that 95 percent of the companies it surveyed underestimated their sales tax liability and nexus footprint across state lines.
PCAOB Reporting Rules to Take Effect October 12
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board rules requiring reporting by registered public accounting firms were approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 13, 2009 and will take effect on October 12, 2009. The rules implement a provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and constitute the first reporting obligations imposed on registered firms by the Board.
Hartford Financial to Refund Florida Businesses $48M
Hartford Financial Services Group has agreed to issue refunds or credits of $48.2 million to Florida businesses for excess profits it received on workers’ compensation policies. Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said in a news release that Hartford Financial entered into an agreement with the state on policies issued between 2004 and 2006.
J. Thomas Cardwell to Head Florida Office of Financial Regulation
Florida has a new chief of its office of financial regulation. Gov. Charlie Crist and the Cabinet on Tuesday appointed 66-year-old J. Thomas Cardwell as commissioner of the Florida Office of Financial Regulation. The selection, at the urging of CFO Alex Sink, brings the longtime Akerman Senterfitt attorney from a career in the private sector to state service. Cardwell has served as general counsel for the Florida Bankers Association for more than 20 years. He will start with OFR on Aug. 24, making $133,000 — the same salary as the Office of Insurance Regulation commissioner.
Florida's existing home, condo sales up in June 2009
Florida’s existing home sales rose in June, the 10th consecutive month that sales activity showed gains in the year-to-year comparison, according to the latest housing data released by the Florida Association of Realtors (FAR).
Students use music camp to collaborate on album
Angela Poole is running a modern-day Motown out of a recording studio called The Sound of Tallahassee.
Upcoming decisions will radically change Florida's property-insurance market
Heading into the most active months of the hurricane season, upcoming regulatory decisions will radically change Florida’s property-insurance market and determine the future for millions of consumers.
