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By TIMES WIRES
Published August 19, 2006

Prospective 'flippers' learn to be landlords

Slowing real estate sales in the Tampa Bay area have created a new category of property owner: accidental landlords. They are people who bought homes intending to resell quickly, but have been unable to unload their investment in the relative housing glut. So great is the demand for property management know-how, the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors has hired a local company, the Landlord Academy, to teach certification classes to dozens of its members Aug. 30. The theory: Realtors struggling to sell homes can at least make a buck leasing them.

Kohl's to hire 450 at three new stores

Kohl's Department Stores plans to hire about 450 people to staff its three new stores in the Tampa Bay area. In October, the Menomonee Falls, Wis., retailer will open in Brandon, Clearwater and Lutz. Kohl's is accepting applications online (www.kohlscareers.com) or by calling a 24-hour hotline (toll-free 1-877-639-5645). The company did not disclose wages; it needs workers for all positions, from register to loss prevention.

Florida jobless figure creeps up in July

Florida's unemployment rate inched up to 3.3 percent in July from 3.0 percent the previous month. But the state still ranks lowest among the 10 most populous states in its jobless rate. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater was third in job creation among Florida's metro areas, adding 29,000 jobs over the past year. The Tampa Bay area's unemployment rate was 3.4 percent last month, compared with 3.8 percent in July 2005. Nationally, the unemployment rate was 4.8 percent in July.

SEC investigation 'informal,' Dell says

In its earning report Thursday, Dell disclosed for the first time an ongoing Securities and Exchange Commission investigation of the computermaker. But company executives shrugged it off as an informal investigation and something that happens to hundreds of other companies. Chief executive Kevin Rollins said Dell received a letter from the SEC in last August "asking us about a fairly broad level of questions on some revenue recognition." "We're complying with that informal investigation," Rollins said.

Recruitment agency still wants $75M

Enterprise Florida, the state's top business recruitment agency, plans to ask the taxpayers again for $75-million in seed money to fund high-risk startup companies. Enterprise failed to get a venture capital fund inserted in this year's budget. At its quarterly board meeting this week, the agency vowed to try again next year. Officials said Florida competes at a disadvantage with other states like New York that already fund early development of promising ideas.

CORRECTION

Southwest Airlines will begin making a third daily nonstop flight between Tampa and New Orleans on Oct. 29. An incorrect date was given in a story Friday.

[Last modified August 18, 2006, 21:40:33]