Macy's to close Palm Beach Mall store, 10 others nationwide
Macy?s Inc. said Thursday morning it will close 11 "underperforming" stores, including its 190,000-square-foot store at the struggling Palm Beach Mall on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard in West Palm Beach.
Poor holiday retail season has some stores closing on Treasure Coast
While big-box retailers remain mum on holiday sales, mom-and-pop shops at the Treasure Coast's malls aren?t mincing words describing their 2008 holiday season. ?Traffic was really slow,? said Morteza Shahheidari co-owner of Tiffany?s Tea & Crafts, a loose-tea and eclectic tea accessories gift shop that opened at the Indian River Mall in 2003. ?It was really, really bad this year, much worse than last year, and it was bad last year.?
Two more eateries can't survive economy, competition
On Monday, the Strip House, a well-regarded steak house from New York, closed its Palm Beach Gardens restaurant after less than three years. Also shuttered: Aqua Grille in the Legacy Place shopping center, also in Palm Beach Gardens.
Social Security goes online just in time for the Baby Boomer rush
The Social Security Administration, envisaging the near-future prospect of 10,000 baby boomers applying for benefits every day, has put together a new online service that will allow people to get their benefits without ever traveling to a Social Security field office.
Liberty Medical, beer distributor announce up to 870 jobs in St. Lucie County
As companies across the Treasure Coast cut back, St. Lucie County economic development officials announced on Tuesday that up to 870 jobs are coming to Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce. About 800 of the jobs will be new hires for call-center positions with Liberty Medical Supply, one of Port St. Lucie?s largest employers, which has already started its hiring process for its facilities along U.S. 1.
Two prominent restaurants close in midst of tourist season
New York-based Rosa Mexicano closed its Palm Beach Gardens location on New Year's Day, according to a recorded message on the restaurant's voice mail. And Spoto's Oyster Bar closed its 11-year-old eatery in downtown West Palm Beach on Dec. 26, although its restaurant on PGA Boulevard remains open.
Citizens Property Insurance Corp. could raise rates by 2010
Treasure Coast residents insured by state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. could see higher rates and might be forced to move to smaller private insurance companies in 2010. A task force will meet Tuesday to discuss how to restructure statewide homeowners insurance rates and reduce policies next year at Citizens Property Insurance, Florida?s largest insurer.
Be careful who you choose to prepare your taxes
Sgt. Jay Leiner, with the Broward Sheriff's Office's Economic Crime Unit, said common sense and insisting on verifiable credentials from tax preparers are your best defense.
Treasure Coast tree farms struggling because of economy, housing slowdown
Profits have stopped growing for many Treasure Coast tree farmers because of the faltering economy, although it doesn?t seem like Mother Nature received the memo. Area tree sellers both large and small said they are feeling the pinch of tightening wallets and a construction industry slowdown, while the young trees they nurture climb higher and threaten to burst out of their pots.
Florida's minimum wage increases 42 cents Thursday
Florida's minimum wage increases to $7.21 an hour on New Year's Day, a jump of 42 cents for roughly 400,000 workers.
Ginn Resorts files for bankruptcy; Tesoro included in filing
Battered by the housing downturn, the developer of Tesoro, a high-end community in Port St. Lucie, has filed for bankruptcy protection for two Florida projects.
ID theft accelerated in 2008; experts fear it'll worsen in '09
Identity theft became the fastest-growing crime in the United States in 2008, affecting more than 10 million Americans, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Hundreds of data breaches exposed sensitive information, and victims spent countless hours on the phone talking to banks, fraud investigators and credit bureaus. Businesses suffered millions of dollars in losses.
So, what's the outlook for 2009? Even worse.
Higher prices at SeaWorld
SeaWorld's parent company, Busch Entertainment Corp., also announced price increases for some of its other Florida parks starting Jan. 5. The price of a basic one-day ticket to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will increase by $2, to $69.95; to Aquatica, its new Orlando water park, $3 to $44.95; and to Adventure Island, its Tampa water park, $2 to $39.95. Tickets for children ages 3 through 9 also will go up accordingly, each remaining $10 cheaper than the corresponding adult ticket.
Do Not Call violations again top list of Florida consumer complaints in 2008
To avoid most telemarketers' calls, you can pay $10 ? with a $5 annual renewal fee ? to have your home telephone number placed on Florida's list, by calling the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at 800-435-7352 or going online to 800helpfla.com.
Courtyard by Marriott may open Jan. 10 by Interstate 95 in Stuart
The Courtyard by Marriott Stuart, a new four-story hotel at the State Road 76 and Interstate 95 interchange, boasting a new lobby prototype seen in only eight other places in the country, is expected to open Jan. 10.
Wal-Mart to sell iPhone starting Sunday
Wal-Mart announced Friday that its nearly 2,500 stores nationwide will start selling Apple's popular iPhone on Sunday. Prices are $197 and $297 for either the 8- or 16-gigabyte models.
Worker: Fired for not saying 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas'
A Panama City woman says she was fired from a job booking vacation rentals after she refused to greet callers with "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."
Chinese drywall causes problems on the Treasure Coast
Martin and St. Lucie counties are two of nearly a dozen counties where complaints of possible exposure to the contaminated drywall in new homes have arisen.
Deep discounts, some gift items in short supply
Waiting until the last minute to do your Christmas shopping? Betting on big after-Christmas sales to buy that perfect pair of shoes you've been eyeing? You may be out of luck. Anticipating a weak holiday season, many retailers have been extremely conservative about stocking up on goods.
