April 13, 2009

COMMERCIAL REALTORS – The City of DeLand’s new 120-acre industrial park at the DeLand Airport was the topic of discussion at an April 8 luncheon sponsored by the Volusia County Department of Economic Development. Dale Arrington, assistant city manager of the City of DeLand, made a presentation describing the new property available for industrial and manufacturing uses, as well as the terms for the leasing of parcels. Arrington also outlined the details of the realtor commission program offered by the city. County Chair Frank T. Bruno Jr. welcomed the group of more than 40 commercial realtors and others to this quarterly gathering designed to share information and available properties.

AAA HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE? – The American Automobile Association is promoting a new homeowners insurance policy as other large companies are leaving the state. The company, which offers combined homeowners and auto insurance, already has signed about 5,000 customers. The insurance company was formed by three AAA organizations that represent 18.5 million automobile club members. The company writes its own policies and relies on the state hurricane catastrophe fund and private reinsurers to provide a financial backup if a severe storm causes damage that exceeds the company’s reserve capacity. Policies are available to homeowners with good driving records, though there are some hurricane-prone areas of Florida where policies aren’t available.

DOING BUSINESS IN SAUDI ARABIA – Enterprise Florida and the Volusia County Department of Economic Development invite you to a market briefing on Doing Business in Saudi Arabia presented by the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council. The event will be Thursday, April 16, at the Disney Entrepreneur Center in Orlando. Attendees will learn about the current economic and business trends and sales opportunities in the region. The best sales prospects are in the construction, education, industrial and construction equipment, and medical device sectors. To reserve your seat or to get detailed event information, please contact Mike Schiffhauer of Enterprise Florida at (407) 956-5634. There is no charge for the briefing.

MARKET RESEARCH – American Factfinder (www.factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html) is a user-friendly source for census information on population, housing, geographic and economic data. Search for fact sheets by ZIP code, city/town, county or state. Also, BEARFACTS (www.bea.gov/regional/bearfacts) provides a narrative analysis for states, counties, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), and BEA Economic Areas. The narratives describe an area's personal income using current estimates, growth rates, and a breakdown of the sources of personal income.

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY – The Florida Government Accountability Report (FGAR) is the most complete monitoring service of Florida's state government available on the Internet. FGAR is a free service for legislators and the public to monitor the activities and performance of about 250 state government agencies and programs. FGAR is an encyclopedia available to all persons interested in what Florida's tax dollars and other revenues deliver to its citizens and visitors. Go to: www.oppaga.state.fl.us/government.

BUSINESS TAX RATES – The Small Business Administration has just issued a report on the effective federal income tax rate faced by small businesses. Overall, small businesses of all types pay an estimated tax rate of 19.8 percent. Sole proprietorships face a 13.3 percent rate, partnerships face 23.6 percent, and S corporations face 26.9 percent. For more information and a complete copy of the report, go to the SBA Office of Advocacy web site at: www.sba.gov/advo.

DID YOU KNOW? – Fourteen hundred gallons of water are used to produce a meal of a quarter-pound hamburger, an order of fries, and a soft drink. On average, Americans use 183 gallons of water a day cooking, washing, flushing and drinking.

NEWS ITEMS WANTED! – Please send your business news items to Dave Byron, Volusia County Community Information director, 123 W. Indiana Ave., DeLand, 32720-4612, by fax at (386) 822-5072 or by e-mail at dbyron@co.volusia.fl.us.