Continuing the message of National Consumer Protection Week, Attorney General Bill McCollum today issued a consumer advisory warning Floridians about scams related to credit and debt issues.

Companies offering credit repair solutions or debt settlement were among  the top concerns reported to the Attorney General’s Office last year. The  Attorney General noted that, given the current [...]

Governor Charlie Crist, as part of his continued focus on strengthening Florida’s economy, is hosting bill signing ceremonies in Tallahassee, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Myers and Miami to promote legislation that provides tax relief to nearly 474,000 Florida businesses.
Passed unanimously by the Florida Legislature on the first day of the 2010 Legislative Session and formally signed [...]

Stay up to date on Broward stimulus spending at: http://broward.org/Recovery/Pages/RecoveryActAccomplishments.aspx
Percentage of local stimulus funding received.
On February 16, 2010, President Barack Obama marked the first Anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Recovery Act is a combination of tax relief, financial assistance and infrastructure projects designed to cushion the impact of the economic downturn and [...]

The Broward County Board of Commissioners is currently seeking applications from companies and organizations in Broward County to participate in the Federally Sponsored Recovery Zone Facility Bond Program.
Broward County has received an allocation of $61,108,000 for the Recovery Zone Facility Bond program which is intended to stimulate economic activity and support qualified economic development projects [...]

Aa tough new law cracking down on the abusive practices of some credit-card companies has officially gone into effect. The CARD Act, passed by the House as H.R. 627, contains several strict protections for consumers, including banning unfair interest rate increases and outlawing abusive fees and penalties by credit card companies.
Known as the Credit Cardholders’ [...]

Looking for a unique way to start your day and meet a dynamic group of people? The Ann Storck Center’s Professionals Group, an auxiliary group of young professionals in Broward County committed to raising awareness and funds for the Ann Storck Center, will be hosting a networking breakfast at IKEA with guest speaker Stacey E. [...]

Florida Rep. Kelly Skidmore has filed a bill that intends to “make banks carry their fair share of the financial burden by making them more responsive and directly liable to the condominium and homeowners associations for delinquent fees, regular and periodic maintenance and preservation care of units and properties in arrears during foreclosure proceedings.”
HB 959, [...]

House Bill (HB) 7033, known as the Unemployment Compensation Bill, unanimously passed the House Finance & Tax Council this afternoon. The measure will hold down drastic increases in unemployment rates for businesses over the next two years.
“This bill will give businesses needed support to start down the road to Florida’s economic recovery,” said Representative [...]

City of Hollywood Mayor Peter Bober will deliver his State of the City Address to the Greater Hollywood Chamber of Commerce monthly Good Morning Hollywood Breakfast to be held this Friday, February 12th from 7:30-9:00 a.m. at Hillcrest Golf and Country Club, 4600 Hillcrest Drive, Hollywood.
Hollywood Mayor Peter Bober
This annual speech by the Mayor [...]

Under a new program designed to reward contractors and homeowner-builders whose plans are designated “green” by a recognized certification program, the Broward County Permitting, Licensing and Consumer Protection Division has announced that it will speed those projects through the permitting process in less than five business days.
There currently are various programs recognized by the County [...]

Fort Lauderdale, FL - Approximately 200 Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County business and community leaders heard about the six drivers that can prepare South Florida for accelerated economic growth at the Florida’s Future Summit on February 5, 2010. The Summit was presented by the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward Economic Development Alliance (formerly The Broward Alliance) and its Partner [...]

Last week in Lanham, Maryland, President Obama proposed the expansion of two critical Small Business Administration (SBA) lending programs, aimed at allowing small businesses to refinance and increasing limits for working capital. These are both legislative proposals designed to help small businesses through what continues to be a difficult period in credit markets.
President Obama said, [...]

After a nationwide search, City Manager Cameron D. Benson has named Tanja Gerhartz the new Executive Director for the Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).   Ms. Gerhartz brings more than 25 years of local economic development and planning experience to the CRA ranging from real estate redevelopment and targeted business recruitment to negotiation of incentives and [...]

U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting temporary, part-time workers for the 2010 Census in Broward County. You can be part of the team! Positions available include:

Census takers (start at $15 per hour in Broward County)
Crew leaders
Crew leader assistants
Recruiting assistants
Census clerks

These short-term jobs offer good pay, flexible hours, paid training, and reimbursement [...]

The Broward County Energy Training Partnership, led by Minority Builders of Broward, OIC (Opportunities Industrialization Center)
Hypower Systems visited Heron Heights Elementary School in Parkland, bringing along a special trailer that uses a kitchen setting to show people how solar power works. Heron Heights gets about 20 percent of its power from solar and has a [...]

[ February 5, 2010; 8:00 am to 11:30 am. ] Dr. Dale Brill, president of the Florida Chamber Foundation and former director of the Florida Office of Trade, Tourism and Economic Development, will be the keynote speaker at the Florida’s Future Summit, hosted by The Alliance Partner Council on Friday, February 5th. The event will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (Registration/Continental Breakfast [...]

The City of Hollywood and RecycleBank celebrate the launch of an exciting new single-stream recycling rewards program coming to 32,000 households in Hollywood. Mayor Peter Bober and members of the City Commission will help launch the new program at a kick-off event and demonstration on Monday, February 1 at 10:00 a.m. The City and [...]

Read New Florida Initiative here.
Chancellor Frank T. Brogan and Board of Governors Chair Sheila M. McDevitt released details of the “New Florida Initiative”, a strategic plan to use the resources of the State University System to transform the Florida economy on Thursday.
Governor Charlie Crist endorsed the New Florida Initiative on Thursday and announced that his [...]

President Barack Obama announced yesterday that Florida will receive $1.25 billion in federal funding to launch a high speed rail line between Tampa and Orlando signals a fundamental shift in the state’s pattern of future growth, said leaders of the Audubon of Florida.
“Florida’s green future just got much brighter,” said Charles Lee, Audubon of [...]

Everybody is running these days to keep up with the hectic pace of life these days. Which means a healthy family dinner is usually one of the first things to go the wayside. Who wants to cook after a long day at work, cleaning, picking up the kids, running errands? You get home and open [...]

From Attorney General’s Office:
Attorney General Bill McCollum announced Monday that  Florida and 16 other attorneys general have joined the U.S. Department of  Justice in an effort to protect consumers regarding the pending merger of  Ticketmaster and Live Nation. As a result of the states’ and federal  government’s efforts, the newly combined company is required to [...]

The Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward Economic Development Alliance board of directors has announced its opposition to Amendment 4 to the Florida Constitution. At its meeting held on January 21, the board voted unanimously to oppose the amendment, which will be on the ballot in November 2010. “Amendment 4 is a bad idea that would greatly hamper [...]

Visit www.premierdiningflorida.com for the January sale. Use promo code “JANUARYSALE” at checkout to get an extra 10% off already low prices!
Many of Broward’s best restaurants have partnered with PremierDiningFlorida.com to help you eat on the cheap. Founded by Kevin Short, a long-time restaurateur, PremierDiningFlorida.com  focuses on getting you the best deals for eating out: [...]

The FBI and the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) have established a telephone hotline to report suspected Haitian earthquake relief fraud. The number is (866) 720-5721. The phone line is staffed by a live operator 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also e-mail information directly to disaster@leo.gov.
The National Center for [...]

After all the financial troubles of 2009, laughing at it is a great way to celebrate the new beginnings of 2010. One way to do that is to play “Bailout—The Game.” Created by Shari and Jordy Sopourn of Coral Springs, the game is reminiscent of Monopoly, except that it revolves around the financial crises and [...]