News from July 2005
Bogus Homeowners Insurance
The Florida Department of Financial Services has warned that it has received reports of an unlicensed entity selling bogus homeowners insurance in Florida. Global Insurance Group, headquartered in Aventura, FL., has been aggressively advertising that it offers the lowest windstorm insurance rates in Florida.
When asked about its licensing status, a company representative reported that it sells coverage through a company named Global Property and Casualty Insurance. Neither entity is either licensed or authorized to sell insurance in Florida.
“Floridians need to be on guard against this kind of activity,” said Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher. “Last year’s hurricanes taught us how devastating and expensive property losses can be. It is critical for Floridians to make sure an insurance company is licensed.”
If a licensed insurer becomes insolvent all outstanding policyholder claims will be paid through the state guarantee fund. However, if a company is not authorized, any losses sustained cannot be recovered from the fund.
To check on the license status of a company or agent, consumers should visit www.fldfs.com, and click on Verify Before You Buy, or call the Department of Financial Services’ Helpline at 1-800-342-2762.
Posted on 29 July 2005
Early 2005 Shows Good Results
Estimates of the number of visitors to Florida in the first quarter of the year show promising signs of growth. The total number of visitors is 23.8 million, an increase of 11.5% over the first quarter of 2004. International visitors make up 4.7% of that number excluding Canada, down by 0.3% from last year. (more)
Of the 19,449,000 domestic visitors just less than half, 48.2% arrived by car or cruise ship, showing that the drive in market is just as important as the fly-in. Hotels, resorts and attractions right across Florida are continuing to report a strong start to the summer; South Florida in particular is very pleased with visitor numbers. Areas hit by hurricanes last year are also surprised to find that tourists are returning in strong numbers. One theme park analyst reports that the new ticketing policy at Walt Disney World by which daily rates become cheaper the longer one stays are encouraging domestic visitors to stay from 3 to 5 days instead of 2 to 3 days. Informal discussions with subscribers suggest that enquiries are thin on the ground for September, but the rest of the summer is no different to usual. Orlando International Airport was the busiest in the state during the first quarter with 4,352,997 enplanements, followed by; Miami, 4,034,785; Fort Lauderdale, 3,172,225; Tampa, 2,470,930 and Fort Myers 1,220,543.
Posted on 4 July 2005
Car Rental News
We are delighted to bring you new cars from Hertz. Immediately available are Hertz Neverlost, cars with state of the art Satellite Navigation Systems fitted. A Chevrolet Classic 4 door is available from £220 a week. Available from August 1st are highly prestigious vehicles such as Jaguars and Lincoln Navigators for that touch of class on your vacation. Also, brand new to USave is a Chevy Silverado 6 seater. This is a double cab pick up with a locked lid in the back. This could be ideal for those needing to purchase and transport larger items for the house. The Chevy is available from £130 a week. We have an exclusive special offer through Dollar for the autumn whereby you can book an Intermediate 4 door car for the same price as a compact 4 door - £129 per week all-inclusive - valid for travel from September 1st to December 15th. Should you ever need a car for Russia – well Dollar have opened their first location in Moscow, with St Petersburg (the original) to follow in 2006!Posted on 4 July 2005
Go Orlando Card
There is another new ticket in town, the Go Orlando Card. For one price, Go Orlando Card gives visitors unlimited FREE admission to over 50 Florida attractions—over 35 in Orlando, 15 in Miami and more than 10 others in Central Florida. (more)
The Go Orlando Card also offers extensive value and savings at shops, restaurants, and on specially selected tours, and includes a full-colour pocket guidebook to the area. The Go Orlando Card comes in 2, 3 or 5, or 7-day increments. The card is valid for any 2, 3, 5 or 7 days within a 14-day period beginning the first time you use it. Special offers may be redeemed at any time during the 14 days. Some of the attractions included in the ticket are Ripley’s Believe it or not! Wonderworks; Titanic — the Experience; Fun Spot Action Park; dolphin and snorkelling Cruises; Mini Golf; Go Cart rides; museums and airboat rides. The ticket is available for purchase from www.goorlandocard.com.
Posted on 4 July 2005
Rental scams
For subscribers that rent their properties out via the internet please be aware that there are a number of scams now targeting villa owners. The most common one doing the rounds is
whereby the potential renter asks if they can send more money than is required for the rental, you are then asked to pass on this "extra money" to a third party. The money arrives to you in the form of a bankers draft and you are asked to send same to the third party, be aware that your draft is a FAKE. There are a number of different varieties of this scam around so be on your toes.
Posted on 4 July 2005
Hurricane Dennis Passes Over
Hurricane Dennis made landfall near Pensacola Beach on Sunday 10th July as a Category 3 storm. The main problems brought by Dennis appear to be flooding rather than structural damage. Around 1.8 million people were evacuated, from the Florida Keys and along the Gulf Coast, thousands of others took to hurricane shelters.
Several regions experienced power outages for a length of time, Progress Energy worked through the night to restore power to about 73,000 customers in the Tampa Bay area, and around 1,000 customers of KUA in Central Florida lost power for a while. Dennis is now moving over the States as a tropical depression. In it's wake another tropical depression has formed in the Atlantic. July 5th was the earliest date on record for the fourth named storm to have formed in the atlantic basin and now we watch the 5th!
Posted on 11 July 2005
Hurricane Dennis to hit Florida Sunday
The National Hurricane centre is projecting hurricane Dennis to hit the far west of Floridas Panhandle late Sunday !!Preparations for hurricane force winds should be made by anyone with villas on the Gulf Coast, projections show a 20% chance of hurricane force winds over 74 miles an hour the full length of the Gulf and inland to about 25 miles. There is a 10-20% chance of the hurricane striking central Florida and a 20-50% chance of Dennis striking anywhere west of a line between Miami and Clearwater.
Governor Bush yesterday (Thursday) issued a State of emergency, text below......
WHEREAS, at present, Hurricane Dennis threatens a number of communities in the State of Florida with extreme weather conditions that pose an immediate danger to the lives and property of the residents of those communities; and
WHEREAS, the threatened communities continue their efforts to recover from the 2004 hurricane season leaving them more vulnerable to harm; and
WHEREAS, it is likely that Hurricane Dennis will strike those communities within a matter of days, so that the immediate evacuation of persons from those communities is vital to the safety of the residents; and
WHEREAS, special equipment, personnel and other resources may be needed in order to ensure the timely evacuation of persons from the threatened communities and the safe movement of the evacuees to other communities in the State acting as destinations for the evacuees; and
WHEREAS, central coordination and direction of the use of such resources for the local evacuation measures are needed to ensure the timely evacuation of the threatened communities; and
WHEREAS, yet other emergency measures may be needed to protect the lives and property of the people in the threatened communities, and the general welfare of the State of Florida;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JEB BUSH, as Governor of Florida, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Article IV, Section 1(a) of the Florida Constitution and by the Florida Emergency Management Act, as amended, and all other applicable laws, do hereby promulgate the following Executive Order, to take immediate effect:
Section 1. Because of the foregoing conditions, I hereby find that Hurricane Dennis threatens the State of Florida with a major disaster. I therefore declare that a state of emergency exists in the State of Florida, and that the evacuation of multiple counties in the State may be necessary because of Hurricane Dennis. I further find that central authority over the evacuation of these counties is needed to coordinate these evacuations, that these evacuations exceed the capability of the local governments in these communities, and that shelters in other counties are needed to accommodate the evacuees. I therefore declare that a state of emergency also exists in all destination counties that open shelters to accommodate evacuees from the communities threatened by Hurricane Dennis.
Section 2. I hereby designate the Director of the Division of Emergency Management as the State Coordinating Officer for the duration of this emergency and as my Authorized Representative. In exercising the powers delegated by this Executive Order, the State Coordinating Officer shall confer with the Governor to the fullest extent practicable. In accordance with Sections 252.36(1)(a) and 252.36(5), Florida Statutes, I hereby delegate to the State Coordinating Officer the following powers, which he shall exercise as needed to meet this emergency:
A. The authority to activate the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan;
B. The authority to invoke and administer the Statewide Mutual Aid Agreement, and the further authority to coordinate the allocation of resources under that Agreement so as best to meet this emergency;
C. The authority to invoke and administer the Emergency Management Assistance Compact and other Compacts and Agreements existing between the State of Florida and other States, and the further authority to coordinate the allocation of resources from such other States that are made available to the State of Florida under such Compacts and Agreements so as best to meet this emergency;
D. The authority to seek direct assistance from any and all agencies of the United States Government as may be needed to meet the emergency;
E. The authority to distribute any and all supplies stockpiled to meet the emergency;
F. In accordance with Sections 252.36(5)(a) and 252.46(2), Florida Statutes, the authority to suspend existing statutes, rules, ordinances, and orders for the duration of this emergency to the extent that literal compliance with such statutes, rules, ordinances, and orders may be inconsistent with the timely performance of disaster response functions;
G. The authority to direct all state, regional and local governmental agencies, including law enforcement agencies, to identify personnel needed from those agencies to assist in meeting the needs created by this emergency, and to place all such personnel under the direct command of the State Coordinating Officer to meet this emergency;
H. The authority to activate the Continuity of Operations Plans of all state, regional and local governmental agencies;
I. The authority to seize and utilize any and all real or personal property as needed to meet this emergency, subject always to the duty of the State to compensate the owner;
J. The authority to order the evacuation of all persons from any portions of the State threatened by the disaster, the authority to direct the sequence in which such evacuations shall be carried out, and the further authority to regulate the movement of persons and traffic to, from, or within any location in the State to the extent needed to cope with this emergency;
K. The authority to reverse the flow of traffic on any and all highways or portions of highways of the State Highway System as needed to facilitate the evacuation of the affected communities;
L. The authority to regulate the return of the evacuees to their home communities;
M. The authority to designate such Deputy State Coordinating Officers as the State Coordinating Officer may deem necessary to cope with the emergency; and
N. The authority to enter such orders as may be needed to implement any or all of the foregoing powers.
Section 3. I hereby order the Adjutant General to activate the Florida National Guard for the duration of this emergency, and I hereby place the National Guard under the authority of the State Coordinating Officer for the duration of this emergency.
Section 4. I hereby direct each county in the State of Florida, at the discretion of the State Coordinating Officer, to activate its Emergency Operations Center and its County Emergency Management Plan, as needed to ensure an immediate state of operational readiness, and I further direct each county in the State, at the discretion of the State Coordinating Officer, to open and activate all shelters to accommodate all evacuees.
Section 5. I hereby direct all state, regional and local agencies to place any and all available resources under the authority of the State Coordinating Officer as needed to meet this emergency.
Section 6. I hereby designate all state, regional and local governmental facilities including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, all public elementary and secondary schools, all Community Colleges, and all State Universities, for use as shelters to ensure the proper reception and care of all evacuees.
Section 7. I find that the special duties and responsibilities resting upon some state, regional and local agencies and other governmental bodies in responding to the disaster may require them to deviate from the statutes, rules, ordinances, and orders they administer, and I hereby give such agencies and other governmental bodies the authority to take formal action by emergency rule or order in accordance with Sections 120.54(4) and 252.46(2), Florida Statutes, to the extent that such actions are needed to cope with this emergency. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, I hereby order the following:
A. I hereby give all agencies of the State, including the collegial bodies within those agencies, the authority to suspend the effect of any statute, rule, ordinance, or order of any state, regional, or local governmental entity, to the extent needed to procure any and all necessary supplies, commodities, services, temporary premises, and other resources, to include, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any and all statutes and rules which affect budgeting, printing, purchasing, leasing, and the conditions of employment and the compensation of employees, but any such statute, rule, ordinance, or order shall be suspended only to the extent necessary to ensure the timely performance of disaster response functions as directed by the State Coordinating Officer.
B. I hereby give all agencies of the State with employees certified by the American Red Cross as disaster service volunteers within the meaning of Section 110.120(3), Florida Statutes, the authority to release any such employees for such service as requested by the American Red Cross as needed to meet the emergency.
C. I hereby direct the Department of Transportation to waive the collection of tolls and other fees and charges for the use of the Turnpike and all other transportation facilities, regardless of whether such facilities are components of the State Highway System, to the extent such waiver may be needed to facilitate the evacuation of the affected communities; to reverse the flow of traffic on any and all highways or portions of highways of the State Highway System as may be needed to facilitate the evacuation of the affected communities; to close any and all highways or portions of highways as may be needed for the safe and efficient transportation of evacuees to those counties the State Coordinating Officer may designate as destination counties for evacuees in this emergency; to waive fuel taxes levied on vehicles registered in other States and to waive the registration requirements and the hours of service requirements for such vehicles and any vehicles transporting emergency equipment, services and supplies; by special permit to designate alternate size and weight restrictions for all such vehicles for the duration of the emergency; and to waive by special permit the warning signal requirements in the Utility Accommodations Manual to accommodate public utility companies from other jurisdictions which render assistance in restoring vital services, to the extent such waivers are needed to meet this emergency.
D. At the request of the Director of Emergency Management of any county, I hereby direct the Department of Health to take over the operation of all shelters in that county that are intended for use by those evacuees with special personal, medical or psychological needs, and to station licensed medical professional and paraprofessional personnel at those shelters as needed to provide appropriate reception and care for such evacuees.
E. I hereby give all agencies of the State the authority to allow overnight stays by employees of the State who travel a distance of less than fifty (50) miles for the performance of official duties in connection with this emergency, and the authority to allow employees of the State reimbursement for the cost of meals during Class C travel incurred in connection with this emergency.
F. I hereby give all agencies of the State responsible for the use of state buildings and facilities the authority to close such buildings and facilities in those portions of the State affected by the emergency, to the extent needed to meet this emergency.
G. I hereby give all agencies of the State, including the collegial bodies within those agencies, the authority to abrogate the time requirements, notice requirements, and deadlines for final action on applications for permits, licenses, rates, and other approvals under any statutes or rules under which such applications are deemed to be approved unless disapproved in writing by specified deadlines, and all such time requirements that have not yet expired as of the date of this Executive Order are hereby suspended and tolled to the extent needed to meet this emergency.
Section 8. I hereby find that the demands placed upon the funds appropriated to the agencies of the State of Florida and to local agencies may be inadequate to pay the costs of this disaster. In accordance with Section 252.37(2), Florida Statutes, to the extent that funds appropriated to the agencies of the State and to local agencies may be inadequate to defray the costs of this disaster, I hereby direct the transfer of sufficient funds from any unappropriated surplus from the Budget Stabilization Fund.
Section 9. Medical professionals and workers, social workers, and counselors with good and valid professional licenses issued by States other than the State of Florida shall be allowed to render such services in the State of Florida during this emergency for persons affected by the disaster, with the condition that such services be rendered to such persons free of charge, and with the further condition that such services be rendered under the auspices of the American Red Cross or the Florida Department of Health.
Section 10. In accordance with Sections 501.160(2) and 501.160(3), Florida Statutes, I hereby place all persons on notice that it is unlawful for any person in the State of Florida to rent or sell, or offer to rent or sell at an unconscionable price, any essential equipment, services, or supplies whose consumption or use is necessary because of the emergency. Such services shall include, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any rental of hotel, motel, or other transient lodging facilities, and any rental of storage facilities. In accordance with Section 501.160(1)(b), Florida Statutes, any price exceeding the average price for such essential equipment, services, or supplies for the thirty (30) days immediately preceding the date of this Executive Order shall create a presumption that the price is unconscionable unless such increase is caused by actual costs incurred in connection with such essential equipment, services, or supplies, or is caused by national or international economic trends.
Section 11. All state agencies that enter emergency final orders or rules, or take other final actions based on the existence of this emergency shall advise the State Coordinating Officer in writing of the action taken as soon as practicable, but in no event later than the expiration of sixty (60) days from the date of this Executive Order.
Section 12. This Executive Order shall be deemed to have taken effect on July 7, 2005, and all actions taken by the Director of the Division of Emergency Management with respect to Hurricane Dennis before the issuance of this Executive Order are hereby ratified. This Executive Order shall expire sixty (60) days from the date hereof unless extended.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Florida to be affixed, at Tallahassee, the Capitol, this 7th day of July, 2005
Posted on 8 July 2005
Shocking State of Public Pools
A recent study has found that one in eight swimming pools in hotels and apartment complexes in Florida are failing to meet basic standards of cleanliness and hygiene
The study conducted by the Orlando Sentinel this year of 4,465 pools in Central Florida found low levels or no levels of chlorine present in pools throughout the region. This is consistent with a Federal inspection conducted statewide of 22,131 pools three years ago, as well as a previous study by the Orlando Sentinel in 2001. Chlorine is required to keep the pools clear and eliminate pool-borne illnesses such as diarrhea, vomiting, eye infections and rashes.
There was no correlation between the luxuriousness of the resort or hotel and a clean pool, but pool inspectors blame lax attitudes and poor training in pool cleaners as major problems.
Posted on 26 July 2005
