Report calls Florida business incentives “corporate welfare’’

TALLAHASSEE --
A government watchdog group and a conservative advocacy group blasted Florida’s government Tuesday for the hundreds of millions of dollars it gives to corporations, blaming the state’s public-private jobs agency for “pay-to-play” cronyism and “corporate welfare.”

A new report by Integrity Florida and Koch brothers-funded Americans for Prosperity highlights several problems with the state’s economic incentives program, which gives tax breaks to companies that set up shop in Florida.

“We’re concerned about the appearance of pay-to-play,” said Dan Krassner, director of Integrity Florida, outlining a number of tax breaks that have gone to politically connected companies and other deals that have failed.

Enterprise Florida Inc. and Gov. Rick Scott, its chairman, immediately hit back, claiming that the organization has been instrumental in bringing high-paying jobs to the state. Enterprise Florida CEO Gray Swoope slammed the report as tainted because it was funded by Americans for Prosperity.

“Integrity Florida has claimed to be a non-partisan, non-profit organization with no policy agenda,” Swoope wrote. “However, a report on economic incentives for job creation funded by a group that so publicly opposes these incentives is deeply troubling.”

Martin Dyckman, a former St. Petersburg Times associate editor and a board member at Integrity Florida, resigned after finding out that the report was funded by Americans for Prosperity. He also said it was “deeply troubling” that AFP sponsored the report, stating that it created “the perception that a well-researched report is an attack by Americans for Prosperity.”

Integrity Florida brushed aside concerns about the funding of its report, saying all of its funders are publicly listed. On Tuesday, the good-governance group focused on the findings of the report during a news conference.

Among the findings:

• Enterprise Florida has failed to meet its job-creation objectives, with companies creating only 103,544 jobs after receiving tax breaks, far short of the 200,000 envisioned by the Legislature in 1992 when EFI was created.

• Enterprise Florida has failed to get 50 percent funding from the private sector, instead relying on 85 percent taxpayer funding to support the public-private partnership

• Enterprise Florida has “the appearance of pay-to-play,” since it receives an average of $50,000 from some of its corporate board members. Those board members also get private contracts to do work on EFI’s behalf as well as tax-break deals processed by EFI.

Slade O’Brien, Florida director of Americans for Prosperity, said Florida’s practice of doling out economic incentives amounts to government manipulation of the free marketplace.

“What’s wrong here is the policy that’s in place,” he said. “Too often, we create winners and losers.”

Several bills in the Florida House and Senate seek to demand more transparency from Enterprise Florida and the economic incentives program. A bill voted out of committee Thursday morning would make Enterprise Florida submit to a slew of new performance reviews moving forward.

Enterprise Florida responded to what it called “troubling accusations” in the report by sending legislative leaders a lengthy letter about the virtues of its operation.

“Through the legislation that you supported two short years ago, Florida now has a seamless economic development team focused on creating jobs for Florida families, increasing capital investment in our communities and providing a significant return on the investment made by the state’s taxpayers,” reads a letter signed by the company’s board.

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Jury: Man deserves execution for slaying of elderly Little Havana woman

A Miami man should be executed for the savage stabbing of an elderly Little Havana woman in December 2000, a jury decided Monday night.

By a 7-5 vote, jurors recommended that Victor Guzman be executed for the slaying of 80-year-old Severina Dolores Fernandez. In September, the same jury convicted Guzman of first-degree murder.

Using a DNA match, police linked Guzman, 39, to the slaying of Fernandez, discovered naked and stabbed 58 times in her Little Havana apartment.

Ultimately, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy will sentence Guzman at a later date.

Prosecutors urged the death penalty for Guzman because of the “heinous, atrocious and cruel” nature of the crime, plus an earlier sexual attack on a 12-year-old girl. His defense lawyers asked for life in prison, saying Guzman was an alcoholic who had a stormy upbringing in his native Peru.

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Carpet Countdown: Directors Turn Fans at DGAs

Filmmakers like Ben Affleck, Kathryn Bigelow and Tom Hooper have provided inspiration for young up-and-comers, who hope to reach their level of greatness, but who do the Oscar-nominated directors look up to? Click the video to find out.

RELATED: Hot Looks of the Oscar Luncheon

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FTC corrects language on Herbalife

The Federal Trade Commission today corrected its earlier statement that Herbalife was the subject of a “law enforcement investigation.”

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request by The Post, the FTC said some complaints against the company were withheld because the information was “obtained through a law enforcement investigation.”

The agency said yesterday that the language in its letter accompanying the FOIA request was incorrect and it should have said that the exemption from disclosure was related to “foreign sources.”

FTC spokesman Frank Dorman defined “foreign sources” as government entities, including law enforcement agencies, and the exemption relates to information-sharing between the FTC and these foreign government agencies.

The FTC said that it “may not disclose any material reflecting a consumer complaint obtained from a foreign source if that foreign source has requested confidential information.”

The agency said it could not confirm, or deny, an investigation into the nutritional supplements company.

“Other than the voluntary dialogue with regulators, which we communicated on our January investor day, we are unaware of any other regulatory interest and/or investigation,” Herbalife said in a statement.

Herbalife has been under scrutiny since hedge fund activist Bill Ackman announced Dec. 19 that he was shorting the stock, calling the company a pyramid scheme that should be shut down by regulators.

Under the FOIA request, the FTC released 192 complaints and 729 pages of complaints from consumers in 32 states and Canada.

“For a direct selling company of our size, we have had a relatively low number of complaints to the FTC,” Herbalife said. “However, we take every one of them seriously and stand by our record of doing right by our distributors and all consumers of our products.”

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Register for our free Business Plan Bootcamp

Whether you are planning to enter the Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge or want to refine a short business plan you already have, our free Business Plan Bootcamp later this month can help.

Melissa Krinzman, a veteran Business Plan Challenge judge and managing director of Venture Architects, will be leading a panel of experts who will give you advice on crafting a short business plan aimed at grabbing the attention of investors — or judges. If you are entering the Challenge, we encourage you to bring your entry with you because the panel will critique critical sections of the short plan.

Panelists include:

•  Richard Ginsburg, co-founder of G3 Capital Partners, a mid-market and early stage investment company.

•  Steven McKean, founder and CEO of Acceller, a Miami-based tech company, and a Challenge judge.

•  Mike Tomas, CEO of Miami-based Bioheart, president of ASTRI Group and a Challenge judge.

Time, date, place: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 26, Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus Auditorium (Room 1261, Building 1, 2nd floor).

To register: It’s free, but please register here.

You do not have to enter the Challenge to attend our free boot camp, but we hope you will. The Challenge deadline is March 11.

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Aqua Foundation for Women to honor allies including Cristina Saralegui, NAACP

South Florida’s largest lesbian organization on Thursday will honor its allies: Cristina Saralegui, the straight Cuban-American television talk-show host; the NAACP; and a gay male couple who have been high-profile volunteers.

“It’s vital that we appreciate and show our appreciation to those who make our community a better place to live and help the movement move forward,” said Robin Schwartz, executive director of Aqua Foundation for Women, which gives scholarships to young women and grants to local lesbian-oriented organizations.

Aqua Foundation dates back to 1999, when a group of South Florida lesbians began fundraising for women’s health issues with an event called Sweet Charity. The next year, Sweet Charity morphed into Aqua Girl, a weekend fundraising event now held annually in May. Through the years, Aqua Foundation has raised more than $400,000 for local grants and scholarships for young women.

Schwartz said the foundation’s mission cannot be accomplished without help from people of different genders, ethnicities and sexual orientations.

“Although our mission is clearly LBT [lesbian, bisexual and transgender] women, I want gay men, straight allies to be a part of us,” Schwartz said. “I want their participation. I want their support.”

At this year’s Aqua Ally Awards at Bacardi headquarters in Coral Gables, Aqua Foundation will honor another minority organization and three individuals:

• The NAACP, which last May in Miami passed a board resolution supporting “marriage equality consistent with equal protection under the law provided under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.”

“We chose them because of their support of gay marriage,” Schwartz said. “It’s certainly bold for an organization with the history NAACP has, to come out ahead of the curve in supporting gay marriage.”

Adora Obi Nweze, president of the Florida State Conference of the NAACP, will accept the award and present it next month to the national board at its meeting in New York City.

“If we lose any civil rights issue, we’re in jeopardy of losing all of them,” Nweze said. “Not just for marriage and jobs, but access to healthcare. Everybody deserves access to a real comfortable way of life, whoever you are. Healthcare services, to love whoever you want, to have children.”

• Spanish-language talk host Saralegui, a longtime gay-rights advocate.

“The Latin community has struggled with some of the gay issues she’s brought exposure to,” Schwartz said. “Having a TV show gave her access. She’s done a variety of shows about LGBT issues — and, as we know, knowledge is power.”

Saralegui said she is proud to be a straight ally to the LGBT community.

“It’s important for ALL of us to be involved,” she wrote in an email to The Miami Herald.

Saralegui said she first did a show about gay weddings in 1996, about the time Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages and allows individual states to not acknowledge them.

“It was a topical issue, so we did a show with a gay couple and a lesbian couple; we got to know them to find out why they wanted to be married,” Saralegui said. “They were obviously in love. And, I wanted to show that love is love. So, we performed a ‘symbolic’ marriage on the show.

“Well, let me tell you when that program aired there were 1,500 people outside of the Univision Network protesting me and the show. We had bomb threats. People were picketing with signs that said, ‘Christ yes, Cristina no.’ It was crazy.”

• Tim Nardi and Charles Million, a gay couple since 2009 who have volunteered time and resources to Aqua Foundation.

“Tim and Charlie we chose because they’ve had a direct impact on Aqua,” Schwartz said.

Nardi, former general manager of the Shore Club hotel on South Beach, donated food and meeting space to Aqua. Million, a business consultant, has volunteered for several foundation projects, Schwartz said.

“I believe that you give back,” said Nardi, now managing director of the Perry South Beach hotel. “When we live in a community, it’s one community. One loving community. And it’s important that you become a part of that community. You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

Said Million: “Diversity makes our community stronger. . . . We all have a common overall goal for achieving equality for all of us.”

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Take-Two delays launch of Grand Theft Auto V video game

(Reuters) – Take-Two Interactive Software Inc said on Thursday it has pushed back the launch of the latest game from its hit “Grand Theft Auto” franchise to September 17 from its previously announced release window of spring 2013.

Shares of Take-Two were down six percent at $ 12.31 in early afternoon trading on the Nasdaq.

The delay was to allow Take-Two’s Rockstar Games studio, which develops “Grand Theft Auto” games, additional development time, the video game company said.

“Grand Theft Auto V” will be released worldwide for Microsoft Corp‘s Xbox and Sony Corp‘s PlayStation3 game consoles on September 17, the company said.

The action-adventure game lets players complete criminal missions in urban settings. The franchise’s last title “Grand Theft Auto IV” has sold over 25 million units since its release in 2008.

Grand Theft Auto V is set in a fictional city inspired by present-day Southern California.

The delayed launch pushes earnings from Grand Theft Auto V sales from June to September, Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia said. The new title of the massively popular franchise has the potential to rake in close to $ 1 billion in retail sales and sell 15 to 20 million units, according to Bhatia.

“It adds to their development cost and it’s launching closer to what we think is going to be a period where new consoles will be coming out and there will be more competition from other titles,” Bhatia said.

The video game industry has been struggling to cope with flagging sales over the last year. Analysts say consumers are holding back from buying hardware and software as they wait for rumored next-generation versions of Sony Corp’s PlayStation and Microsoft Corp’s Xbox, expected later this year.

The delay could mean Take-Two is possibly creating a “cross-generation” title that could work on current and next-generation consoles, said analyst Mike Hickey of National Alliance Capital Markets.

“Remember, Xbox signed an exclusive deal with Rockstar at the beginning of the prior cycle for episodic content, and Sony provided exclusive resources for the completion of Grand Theft Auto IV,” Hickey said.

(Reporting by Malathi Nayak in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler and Alden Bentley)

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Stars React to Super Bowl Power Outage

During the second half of the Super Bowl on Sunday, power was lost in half of the stadium, halting the game for 35 minutes and sending the twitterverse into frenzy. Here are some of the reactions from the stars:

PICS: Stars Flock to Super Bowl XLVII

Rosie O'Donnell: "If this were a movie - fireworks would go off - and the joker would show up - snarling at Gotham."

Elizabeth Banks: "Oh um. Did not see that coming. Yikes. The power of Beyonce. She blew it out. Literally."

Rob Lowe: "Are the Niners in charge of the lights?"

Joe Jonas: "WHATTTTTT!"

Aziz Ansari: "WHOA WHOA WHOA. Is this power outage a Fast 6 tie in?? IS THE ROCK ABOUT TO FLY A HELICOPTER THROUGH A TANK?!!"

Ryan Seacrest: "Anyone have a charger?"

Neil Patrick Harris: "All the lights are out!! It's pandemonium!! Thank god we have out Beyonce finger lights!"

Kirstie Alley: "Think Beyonce show used too many volts?"

At the time of the outage, the Baltimore Ravens led the San Francisco 49ers 28-6. NFL analyst and former Baltimore Ravens player Shannon Sharpe speculates that the outage may serve the 49ers "quite well," as it could change the momentum of the game to their favor.

The reason for the outage is still unknown.

Superdome spokesman Eric Eagan apologized for the incident, and a spokesperson for the NFL had this to say: "Stadium authorities are investigating the cause of the power outage. We will have more information as it becomes available."

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Deadly deserts

Ralph Peters

Violence in Allah’s name in northern Africa won’t end in my lifetime — and probably not in yours. The core question is: To what extent can the savagery be contained?

From the Atlantic coastline to the Suez Canal, struggling governments, impoverished populations and frankly backward societies struggle to find paths to modernization and to compete in a ruthless global economy. Religious fanatics for whom progress is a betrayal of faith hope to block development.

Still, if the only conflict was between Islamist terrorists and those who want civilized lives, the situation could be managed over time. But that struggle forms only one level in a layer cake of clashing visions and outright civil wars bedeviling a vast region. Much larger than Europe, the zone of contention encompasses the Maghreb, the countries touching the Mediterranean, and the Sahel, the bitterly poor states stretching down across desert wastes to the African savannah.

AFP/Getty Images

Figthers of the Islamic group Ansar Dine

The Sahel is the front line not only between the world of Islam and Christian-animist cultures in Africa’s heart, but between Arabs and light-skinned tribes in the north, and blacks to the south. No area in the world so explicitly illustrates the late, great Samuel Huntington’s concept of “the clash of civilizations.”

If racial and religious differences were not challenge enough, in the Maghreb the factions and interest groups are still more complicated. We view Egypt as locked in a contest between Islamists and “our guys,” Egyptians seeking new freedoms. But Egypt’s identity struggle is far more complex, involving social liberals, moderate Muslims, stern conservative Muslims (such as the Muslim Brotherhood) and outright fanatics. The military forms another constituency, while the business community defends its selfish interests. Then there are the supporters of the old Mubarak regime, the masses of educated-but-unemployed youth and the bitterly poor peasants.

Atop all that there’s the question of whether the values cherished by Arab societies can adapt to a globalized world.

The path to Egypt’s future will not be smooth — yet Egypt’s chances are better than those of many of its neighbors. Consider a few key countries in the region:

Mali

Viva la France! (Never thought I’d write that in The Post.) Contrary to a lot of media nonsense, the effective French intervention in Mali demonstrates that not every military response to Islamist terror has to become another Afghanistan: The French are welcome.

As extremists invariably do, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and its allies rapidly alienated their fellow Muslims — after hijacking a local uprising. The local version of Islam is far more humane and tolerant than the Wahhabi cult imposed by Islamist fanatics. To the foreign extremists, the Malian love of Sufi mysticism, ancient shrines and their own centuries of religious scholarship are all hateful — as is the Malian genius for music that’s pleased listeners around the world.

Have a comment on this PostOpinion column? Send it in to LETTERS@NYPOST.COM!

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Digital Debrief: David Klock getting down to Business

David R. Klock took the helm of Florida International University’s College of Business as dean, on Oct. 1, after serving in a similar role at the University of Alabama-Birmingham’s School of Business.

A milkman’s son who earned a doctorate in finance, Klock’s career has spanned leadership positions in both academia and business.

Soon after he arrived at FIU, Klock began holding open forums for students, where he has laid out his priorities, including hiring more faculty members.

Eager to learn more about Klock, we sent him these questions, and he emailed his responses:

Q.You have an interesting background for an academician, in that you were chief executive and chairman of CompBenefits Corp. Please tell me about that entrepreneurial experience.

In 1980, while at the University of Central Florida, a former student asked my wife Phyllis and me to get involved in CompBenefits, a dental benefits company. It was barely a year old, with no full-time employees. We started as unpaid consultants. Our friends at the university thought we were crazy, but we saw potential.

By 1986, the company had grown substantially. My involvement as a consultant steadily increased, and in 1991, I resigned my position at UCF and went to work full-time as president of CompBenefits.

Just after I arrived in Atlanta, the chairman of the company told me he was selling the company. I said, “I just gave up my tenured position, and now you’re selling?” His response: “Oh, don’t worry, you and Phyllis will buy it. It’s $25 to $30 million, and you’ll find the money.” I thought he was joking, but sure enough, we did. When the deal was done, Phyllis and I were the only original shareholders left.

From there, the company took off. After several acquisitions, we went public in 1995. In 1998, with the company still thriving, the stock valuation hit a snag. Our original investment bankers came back to us and suggested we take the company private, which we did in 1999. We operated the company for six more years, growing with acquisitions, including Oral Health Services out of Miami and Vision Care Plan in Tampa, a new line of business for us. After five years as a private company, it was time to sell, and Humana emerged as the buyer in 2005. When the deal closed in 2006, we were providing benefits to just under 5 million members in 23 states, with over $350 million in revenue.

Q. You also have experience in the corporate world, serving as a director. Please tell me about that.

In addition to serving on the board of CompBenefits when I was chairman and CEO, I have served on several corporate boards. The first was Province Healthcare, a chain of rural hospitals based in Nashville. While I was dean of the business school at Cal Poly in Pomona, I was invited to be on the board of directors and chair the Special Litigation Committee of Cheesecake Factory. I’m now on the board of Mayer Electric, a $600+ million private company in electrical equipment distribution, based in Birmingham.

Q. Now that you are here, what are your academic goals at FIU’s College of Business?

Before I arrived at FIU, the college went through an intensive strategic planning process, and made a decision to focus on three thematic areas: healthcare, entrepreneurship and international business. Our primary mission is developing, nurturing and supporting world-class faculty dedicated to leading the institution in those themes.

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