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Business Journals
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Journals
June 06, 2025 Legal Notices
NOTICE UNDER FICTITIOUS NAME STATUTE TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Notice is hereby given that the under signed pursuant to the 'Fictitious Name Statute, Chapter 865.09, Florida Statutes, will register with the Division of Corporations, Department of State, State of Florida upon receipt of this notice. The fictitious name, to-wit: PT Solutions Physical Therapy Race Track Road under which (we are) engaged in business at 12705 Race Track Road in Tampa, FL 33626. That the (party) (parties) interested in said business enterprise is as follows: AdventHealth Carrollwood at Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, on 05/30/2025, Hillsborough County, Tampa, FL. June 6, 2025 The administration of the estate of Van Daniel Fraysier a/k/a Van D. Fraysier, deceased, whose date of death was March 10, 2025, is pending in the Circuit Court for Seminole County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 301 N. Park Avenue, Sanford, Florida 32771. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative's attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent's estate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with this court ON OR BEFORE THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM. The personal representative has no duty to discover whether any property held at the time of the decedent's death by the decedent or the decedent's surviving spouse is property to which the Florida Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act as described in ss. 732.216-732.228, Florida Statutes, applies, or may apply, unless a written demand is made by a creditor as specified under s. 732.2211, Florida Statutes. The written demand must be filed with the clerk. All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent's estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT'S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of first publication of this notice is June 6, 2025 Attorney for Personal Representative: Stacey A. Prince-Troutman, Esq. Florida Bar Number: 615471 Primary email: Secondary email: R. Dale Noll, Esq. Florida Bar Number: 98041 Primary email: Secondary email: Akerman LLP CNL Center II 420 South Orange Avenue, Suite 1200 Orlando, Florida 32801 Telephone: (407) 423-4000 Fax: (407) 254-4188 Attorneys for Personal Representative Personal Representative: Matthew Fraysier 144 Meriden Road Boonton, New Jersey 07005 June 6, 2025 June 13, 2025
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
What gambling is legal and illegal in Florida?
The Brief Gambling in Florida is highly regulated, with only specific forms allowed, such as pari-mutuel wagering, tribal casino games, the Florida Lottery, and penny-ante games under strict conditions. Illegal activities include unlicensed slot machines, online gambling, unauthorized lotteries, and operating unlawful gambling houses, all prohibited under Chapter 849 of the Florida Statutes. Penalties vary by offense and can result in misdemeanor or felony charges, fines, or jail time. ORLANDO, Fla. - Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez was arrested Thursday on racketeering and conspiracy charges tied to an illegal gambling operation that generated over $21 million across Central Florida. Gambling is largely restricted in Florida due to the state's constitutional and legislative framework. According to the Florida Gaming Control Commission, the following forms of gambling are legal in the state: Pari-mutuel wagering on live and intertrack horse and jai-alai activities at licensed racetracks and jai-alai frontons. Casino gambling, including slots and table games, on certain Indian tribal lands. The Florida lottery games. Poker and Dominoes played for money, but only in a licensed cardrooms Penny-ante games including poker, pinochle, bridge, rummy, canasta, hearts, dominoes, and mah-jongg may be played outside a cardroom only if the winnings of any player in a single game do not exceed $10 in value. Slot machine gaming at one of the eight licensed pari-mutuel facilities located in Miami-Dade or Broward Counties. Bingo, sweepstakes, and drawings for chance, if they comply with state law. Under Chapter 849 of the Florida Statutes, the following activities are prohibited: Unlicensed Slot Machines: Operating or possessing slot machines outside of authorized facilities, such as tribal casinos or licensed pari-mutuel venues in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, is illegal. Unregulated Sports Betting: Engaging in sports betting, including bookmaking or wagering on athletic events, is prohibited unless conducted through authorized channels. Unauthorized Lotteries and Raffles: Conducting lotteries or raffles without proper authorization is illegal. Illegal Gambling Houses: Operating or maintaining a place for gambling activities without a license is a criminal offense. Unlicensed Poker Games: Hosting poker games that involve a rake or house fee without proper licensing is unlawful. Online Gambling: Participating in online casino games or poker through unlicensed platforms is prohibited. Sweepstakes Parlors: Operating establishments that mimic casino games under the guise of sweepstakes promotions is illegal. Illegal Bingo Operations: Conducting bingo games outside the scope of authorized charitable or nonprofit organizations is against the law. RELATED ARTICLE: Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez arrested on racketeering charges, officials say The Florida Gaming Control Commission has a map on their website where all legal Florida gaming facilities are listed. LINK: Locations In Florida, penalties for illegal gambling depend on the specific offense and the details of the case. Under Chapter 849 of the Florida Statutes, violations can range from misdemeanors to felonies and may result in significant fines, civil penalties, or imprisonment. For detailed information, consult Chapter 849 of the Florida Statutes, and consider speaking with an attorney for advice tailored to your situation. What we know A multi-agency investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and joined by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) was launched in 2023. Officials say the investigation uncovered a criminal organization operating an illegal gambling enterprise throughout Central Florida, particularly in Lake and Osceola counties. Officials say the organization generated more than $21.6 million in illicit proceeds. Following Lopez's election as Osceola County Sheriff in November 2020, investigators say he continued to advance the interests of the criminal organization and collected a portion of the illegal gambling proceeds for his involvement. RELATED ARTICLE: Who is Marcos Lopez, Osceola County Sheriff arrested on racketeering charges? What's next Lopez is being charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering, according to officials with the Federal Department of Justice (FDOJ) and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. Senior Assistant Statewide Prosecutors Colleen Monroe and Panagiota Papakos will prosecute the defendants in Florida's Fifth Judicial Circuit. Lopez is currently being held in the Lake County Jail. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local: Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source This story was written based on information gathered from the Florida Gaming Control Commission, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office website and shared by the Federal Department of Justice (FDOJ), Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Florida ranks 6th in US for expired vehicle tags. How many are out there, how to renew
Driving with an expired tag in Florida? You're not alone. Online dealership Carfax listed the top 10 states with the most expired vehicle registrations as of the start of 2025 and Florida was No. 6, with 692,000 outdated tags, part of nearly 17 million illegal vehicles across the country. Texas was at the top of the list with 2.1 million, nearly twice the next state (New York, with 1.1 million). "As summer kicks off and more families hit the road, a simple missed renewal can quickly spiral into a costly legal or financial headache," said Paul Nadjarian, general manager of CARFAX Car Care. But if you are driving without a current registration, get it taken care of right away. Florida's penalties for driving on expired tags get worse the longer you wait. Vehicle registration is required for all drivers in Florida. Driving with an expired tag can get you fines and possible court appearances. According to Florida Statutes 320.07: Driving with an expired tag up to 6 months: Moving violation, a fine from $50 to $150, depending on the county. Driving with an expired tag 6 months or longer: Noncriminal infraction, mandatory hearing, may be fined up to $500 unless it involved speeding in a school zone or a construction zone, in which case it can go up to $1,000. Driving with an expired tag 6 months or longer, second or subsequent offenses: Second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by a fine up to $500, imprisonment of up to 60 days, or both. Driving with a license plate that was not assigned to the vehicle (tag switching) or tampering a registration decal are first-degree misdemeanors punishable by fines up to $1,000, jail time up to a year, or both. Although your registration decal just lists the month and year, your registration expires at midnight on your birthday and if you're pulled over after that without a new tag, you can be cited. (This doesn't apply when the owner of the vehicle is a business.) If you fail to renew your registration by the 11th calendar day of the month following the month when it was due, you will also be charged delinquent fees ranging from $5 to $250 on top of your registration renewal, depending on your license tax. Initial registrations must be done in person at a local service center. You'll need proof of identity, proof of Florida insurance, and a completed application. If you don't have an existing license plate or record of one registered in your name for a vehicle in Florida, there will be a $225 Initial Registration Fee. You can renew your registration online at MyDMV Portal or through the mobile app MyFlorida (iOS | Android) for a period of one or two years, or do it in person at a service center. There are other rates and rules for registering lease vehicles and heavy trucks. You can get more information at the Florida DMV. According to Carfax, as of the beginning of 2025, these are how many vehicles have expired tags in the following states: Texas: 2.1 million New York: 1.1 million California*: 1 million Pennsylvania: 1 million Illinois: 722,000 Florida: 692,000 North Carolina: 595,000 Washington: 593,000 Tennessee: 531,000 Ohio: 514,000 * California's figures are a recent monthly average of expired tags provided to Carfax by the California Department of Motor Vehicles. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida expired tags on 700,000 vehicles. Here's how to register
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
With ICE raids increasing, why are construction companies still hiring immigrants?
On May 29, officials from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Florida Highway Patrol and four other state and federal agencies swarmed a Tallahassee construction site and started checking immigration status for at least 200 people in possibly the largest single-day operation yet in Florida. More than 100 people were taken into custody at the site of the construction of a student housing complex near Florida State University. On May 13, ICE had targeted constructions sites in Wildwood, south of The Villages, arresting more than two dozen people. According to a Homeland Security video posted to X, they were from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras and some had been deported before. Under Florida law, it is illegal to knowingly employ, hire, recruit or refer any person who is not legally allowed to work in the state. In February, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a package of bills addressing illegal immigration, including one that made simply entering the state without legal status a crime with a mandatory nine-month jail sentence, although that has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge. So why are construction sites still hiring undocumented immigrants? "The Feds are pursuing the subcontractor responsible for hiring the illegal alien workers," DeSantis said in an X post, when asked that question. After the Wildwood raid, Homeland Security said it was investigating whether construction companies were hiring undocumented immigrants in Florida, "the fastest growing region in the U.S." For many years, the Sunshine State has looked the other way with porous immigration laws to help support — or at least not heavily restrict — the agricultural, hospitality and construction industries that relied on a steady source of inexpensive labor to keep costs down. A study from the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation found that about 1 in 10 people in Florida in 2022 were noncitizen immigrants, and they made up about 12% of the total workforce, 34% of the construction workforce, a whopping 47% in farming and fishing, and 17% in transportation. However, undocumented workers may be paid under the table and off the books, making a true number hard to count. And until recently, few companies saw any penalties for hiring them. When asked if the day's dramatic raids were a warning to construction companies who hire undocumented immigrants, the governor's office deflected questions to HSI. DeSantis did comment on social media, saying: "State law enforcement making a huge impact on immigration enforcement efforts. Major bust in Tallahassee!" According to Florida Statutes §448.09, the penalties for employing or hiring undocumented immigrants are: First offense: Contractors may face a fine of $500 or less, regardless of how many people discovered in the violation. The first offense is a noncriminal violation. Second offense: Employers who have been previously convicted of employing or hiring undocumented immigrants who do it again face a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $500, regardless of the number of undocumented people in the violation. Subsequent offenses: After the second conviction, any further violations will be considered a separate second-degree misdemeanor for every person In 2020, under pressure from DeSantis, the Republican-led Legislature passed a law requiring state employers, contractors and subcontractors with 25 or more employees to use the federal E-Verify system when hiring workers, which effectively exempted the state's powerful agriculture industry. Three years later, DeSantis signed SB 1718 that, among other things, added that requirement to private companies with 25 or more employees. However, the Tampa Bay Times pointed out that still accounted for less than 20% of Florida companies and wasn't difficult to get around. When state lawmakers passed the newest anti-immigration laws during a special session in February, they did not expand the E-Verify requirements and did not increase penalties for companies that violated them, the Tampa Bay Times said. An amendment from Sen. Jason Pizzo, D-Miami, to remove the 25-employee threshold was ruled out of order, although DeSantis said he supported it. A new bill in this year's Florida Legislature that would finally have required all private employers in Florida to use E-Verify for any number of employees passed the House but was one of about 1,300 bills withdrawn and indefinitely postponed in the Senate after the session bogged down over state budget arguments. For real or political posturing? Florida illegal labor crackdown might be a Trump preview The DeSantis administration had not taken action against employees violating the hiring requirements, despite the tightened laws, until January, when DeSantis sent warning letters to 40 companies after Republican lawmakers started asking about the lack of enforcement. During discussions of new immigration bills, Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, pointed out that only eight or nine companies had been flagged by the state for potential violations under the E-Verify law. DeSantis blamed the lack of funding for E-Verify violation enforcement, but the new bills the next month didn't add any more and there was no request for funds in the budget request submitted in October. DeSantis' social media post after the Tallahassee arrests and the dramatically increased ICE presence enforcing President Donald Trump's plans to deport millions of immigrants suggest that more crackdowns are coming. More than 1,100 immigrants were detained across Florida during five days in May as part of "Operation Tidal Wave," a joint immigration operation between ICE and Florida state and local law enforcement that Larry Keefe, executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement, called the "Florida blueprint" for federal authorities to enact mass deportations. Some federal investigations have resulted in penalties for Florida businesses. In January, a Fort Pierce building company was sentenced in federal court to serve two years of probation for employing undocumented workers after a Homeland Security investigation. Martinez Builders Supply, which does business on the Treasure Coast as East Coast Truss, was also required to pay a fine of $100,000 after it had already forfeited $450,000 to the government as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors. Gray Rohrer, Elena Barrera and Ana Goñi-Lessan of the USA TODAY Network – Florida contributed to this story. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: ICE raid in Tallahassee, Florida: Do construction companies get fined?
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opposition outweighs support for Westchase crosswalk at county meeting
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — There's a divide in the Westchase community over a project to put a crosswalk in a school zone near Westchase Elementary School. The project is meant to improve pedestrian safety, but many argue the area is already safe and that the money could be better spent on other projects in the community. Bradenton breaks ground on new police headquarters Hillsborough County conducted a study showing people and students would have to walk 2,300 feet to the nearest crosswalk to get across the four lane West Linebaugh Avenue. If a crosswalk is added, it would be 120 feet to get across. During the study, they also saw students from the elementary school illegally crossing the street and standing in the median, waiting on cars to go by to get across. Some people argued that those students and pedestrians can just take the walk, as opposed to adding another crosswalk they feel would increase traffic in an already congested area. 'I think it's going to be more dangerous. I think the crosswalk we have with three manned crossing guards is very safe,' said Jessica Siddle, a Westchase resident. During an open house event at the school Tuesday, a majority of the attendants seemed to be against the project, including the Westchase Community Association HOA. 'The WCA board and the voting members board all voted unanimously in opposition,' said Eric Goldstein, the VP of Government Affairs for WCA. The county said the project cost estimate is $1,050,000. $800,000 would go toward construction, and $250,000 toward the design. Goldstein and others said the money could be better spent on sidewalk repairs and installations around the neighborhood. Manatee County School Board terminates superintendent's contract 'We have citizens that are tripping over sidewalks every day injuring themselves. And it seems to me it's a waste of money to do a crosswalk. Money could be better spent in fixing sidewalks,' said Terry Boyd, who is against the new crosswalk. Of the 74 people who signed in at the open house, 8 On Your Side found four people who were there in support of the project. 'I think it's crazy that the community is opposed to it,' said Lauren Palm. 'I just think that the most important thing is to keep kids safe and that's all we're trying to do.' Lauren Frazier, who saw the need for the crosswalk in 2023, was there as well. She said based on conversations with her neighbors and seeing kids run across the street to the median, she wanted to get something done. 'I've not ever seen a school that doesn't have a cross walk direct to the school,' Fraizer said. She took her concerns to the county, and said after being very persistent with them, funding for the project was approved in December. She referred to the county's study where they found the location meets the criteria for a mid-block crosswalk. It also said the location meets the Florida Statutes definition of a hazardous walking condition for students. 'Really, we're going to go against what the professionals who (have) many years of school are pointing to, all because people just don't like it or understand it? That's, yeah, very disappointing,' Frazier said. The study was made available to everyone. The WCA said they found holes in the study, and others against the project argued that they don't see accidents happen in this stretch, so they don't think the crosswalk is needed. County Commissioner Joshua Wostal was at the open house. He said the project immediately received opposition and said the questions he's hearing are why is this all of sudden a priority in this safe community. 'Westchase is kind of the envy of Hillsborough County, being the most walkable, pedestrian-safe community,' Wostal said. He said the proposed crosswalk is an eyeshot away from an existing crosswalk and said it doesn't make sense to him nor to the community to do this when there are other needs. He also mentioned how he doesn't want this to be a repeat of the Sun City Center issue where Wostal said the commissioners paid for a project the community didn't want, and now the county is trying to undo what they paid. 'The community is clearly against it. It's a well-maintained sidewalk within an eyeshot and we should just promote no illegal jaywalking across the street here,' Wostal said. 'I will bring an item to kill this project.' Wostal said they can go back to making repairs the community actually wants. But Frazier said she has about 50 emails of people who support this crosswalk and said if this is blocked at the county level, she will take it to the state. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
