By Compiled from Times wires
Published June 12, 2003
REPTRON CUTS 102 JOBS: Reptron Electronics is laying off 102 more workers effective Sunday, according to a filing with state authorities. The Tampa electronics company recently employed more than 600 people in the area, including about 140 at a Tampa distribution center. Reptron is selling its distribution business to rival Jaco Electronics of Hauppauge, N.Y., and leasing the distribution center to Jaco. It is not clear if the layoffs are in manufacturing or distribution. Reptron president Paul Plante could not be reached.
WINN-DIXIE SEVERENCE: Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. is giving outgoing president and CEO Al Rowland a generous send-off. In line with his contract, the Jacksonville grocery chain is paying Rowland $6.1-million in cash, plus stock and stock options worth $1.6-million. Winn-Dixie lowered its fourth-quarter earnings forecast because of an anticipated decline of 3 percent to 4 percent in same-store sales.
COSTLY HEALTH CARE: Two Tampa bay area hospitals made a list of the nation's 101 most expensive hospitals released Wednesday by the Institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy. Northside Hospital in St. Petersburg was No. 95, with net income for the fiscal year 2000-2001 of $6.6-million, 424 percent over cost. Seven Rivers Community Hospital in Crystal River came in at No. 101, with charges 417 percent over cost and net income of $9.8-million. Tenet Healthcare Corp. owns Seven Rivers; HCA owns Northside. The study, commissioned by the California Nurses Association, was based on federal cost reports from nearly 4,300 hospitals.
BID FOR 2008: A Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau delegation is going to Houston today to hear the NFL outline the bid procedure for the 2008 Super Bowl. Tampa, New York, Phoenix and Washington, D.C., were invited to bid for 2008 after Miami won the 2007 game. The winner will be announced in October.
CHECKERS JUMPS AHEAD: Checkers Drive-In Restaurants Inc. saw its stock price rise 20 percent Wednesday, or $1.42, to close at $8.58 per share. Most of the increase came during the first hour of trading, after the Tampa burger chain reported that it expected second-quarter earnings to exceed analyst estimates, thanks to improved same-store sales.
TAMPA PORT WINS GRANT: Tampa's port will receive a $4-million grant from the Department of Homeland Security, according to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. The port applied for the money for a security operations center at a new Hooker's Point gate complex. The port's board voted to spend $10.8-million for the complex in April. Port officials said the grant will free money for other projects.
WEALTH HARDER TO GET: The ranks of the world's millionaires increased in 2002, but at a slower pace than in the past because of weak global economies and stock market declines. An annual study released Wednesday estimates that 7.3-million people in the world had financial assets of $1-million or more at the end of 2002, up 2.1 percent from the previous year. The increase, down from 3 percent in 2001, was the lowest rise in the survey's seven-year history. The numbers of millionaires actually dropped last year in North America, which includes Canada and the United States, and in Latin America, but rose in other regions.
ORANGE ESTIMATE UP: Florida growers will gather 201-million boxes of oranges this season, up 0.5 percent from 200-million boxes estimated last month, as the harvest draws to a close, the government said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's estimate for the harvest that's now mostly complete is 13 percent smaller than last year's crop of 230-million boxes. The final estimate for the season is expected July 11.
STATE FARM SUES: State Farm has filed a lawsuit alleging that a Florida company and a recruiter arranged unnecessary, fraudulent medical tests on auto accident victims at chiropractors' offices across the country. The racketeering lawsuit challenges more than 600 insurance claims filed in 40 states and is seeking more than $4.5-million in damages. Named as defendants are Brad Goldstein of Boca Raton, David Goroway of Fort Lauderdale, neurologist Dr. Gary Weiss, and Robert J. Brown, Weiss' former office administrator.
OPEC MAINTAINS: Responding to high oil prices and the continued uncertainty about the return of Iraqi oil exports to world markets, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries decided Wednesday in Doha, Qatar, to leave oil production unchanged at 25.4-million barrels a day. OPEC and most oil traders and consumers had predicted that Iraqi oil exports would rush back to the market in weeks, dampening oil prices. But the hopes of the U.S.-led administration in Baghdad and the Iraqi oil ministry have so far been thwarted by looters.
SCRUSHY'S RECORDS ORDERED: The House Energy and Commerce Committee, reviewing claims of a $2.5-billion accounting fraud at HealthSouth Corp., ordered the company and fired chief executive Richard Scrushy to turn over records on the medical services giant. The panel is seeking any documents relating to the Birmingham, Ala., company's accounting practices, finances and personnel. It also sought information about HealthSouth and its relationships with Ernst & Young, its former auditor, and UBS Warburg, its investment banking firm.
"I'M LOVIN' IT': McDonald's Corp. unveiled a new advertising theme Wednesday designed to attract younger and hipper consumers: "I'm lovin' it." The slogan will replace "We love to see you smile" this fall and be used as the tag line for its marketing efforts worldwide for the next two years. McDonald's officials said it's aimed at helping the restaurant chain connect better with customers - especially young adults, moms and kids.
5-YEAR NOTES DROP: The U.S. Treasury sold $15-billion in five-year notes Wednesday, a reopening of the May issue, at a yield of 2.1 percent. That was down from a 2.68 percent yield at the May auction and the lowest since the government started selling the notes in the 1970s.
SLESINGER LAWYER QUITS: Bert Fields is withdrawing as attorney for the Slesinger family of Tampa from a suit against Walt Disney Co. over sales of Winnie the Pooh merchandise. Fields and his law firm notified the court in Los Angeles on Wednesday that it would no longer represent Stephen Slesinger Inc. in the 12-year-old case. Fields declined in an interview to give a reason for his departure, but toy manufacturer Mattel Inc. earlier this year challenged Fields' involvement, suggesting that Fields had a conflict of interest.
