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'Highest and best use' delayed until next year
St. Petersburg Times, 6/7/2007
House Speaker Marco Rubio had bad news for small businesses Wednesday, saying plans to limit a taxing practice that can give huge tax bills to modest businesses in prime locations would be put off until next year.
"I want to be frank with you guys," the Miami Republican said during a conference call with the Florida Association of Realtors. "I don't want to mislead you into thinking there's some kind of agreement on that right now. There just isn't."
As menu dupes persist, regulators hope harsher penalties will help serve up the real thing.
By STEPHEN NOHLGREN
Published June 1, 2007
Amid continuing reports of fake fish on restaurant menus, Florida regulators announced Thursday they are doubling the minimum fine on people caught cheating.
First-time offenders will now risk at least a $500 administrative fine, up from $250, Holly Benson, secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, said in a news release.
"I love grouper, so when I order grouper, I expect to eat grouper," Benson said. "Floridians ought to be able to trust restaurant owners, and these increased penalties will help us ensure that the food we eat is the food we ordered."
Although state inspectors occasionally catch restaurants serving bogus crab or tuna, grouper is by far the most common target of substitution, state records indicate.
Of 168 restaurants cited by the DBPR for menu substitution between Jan. 1, 2006, andFeb. 28, 2007, 70 percent of the citations were for fake grouper.
The most common substitutes were varieties of Asian catfish known as pangasius, basa, ponga, panga, swai and sutchi.
Seafood substitution has been a hot media topic since August, when the St. Petersburg Times reported that DNA tests showed that 6 of the 11 "grouper" meals served at Tampa Bay area restaurants were actually other types of fish.
The Florida Attorney General's Office and other newspapers and television stations subsequently tested grouper with similar results. Media outlets around the country have found fakes for other high-end fish such as red snapper and mahi mahi.
In the Florida tests, many restaurants said they had no idea their grouper was not real. They said that they had paid for imported grouper and that box labels and invoices indicated they bought grouper.
Restaurants cited by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation have no such defense.
They advertised grouper on the menu but had no invoices, or other proof, that they had purchased any. Those violators will be fined $500, the department said. It was not clear Thursday what the fines would be for multiple violators.
Florida has more than 40,000 restaurants, and each is supposed to be inspected at least twice a year to see if they are handling food safely.
Are refrigerators cold enough? Are employees washing their hands? Is the kitchen free of vermin?
During these inspections, regulators sometimes check for product substitution as well. If grouper is on the menu, is there real grouper in the kitchen? Does the restaurant have invoices showing it has purchased grouper?
If not, the restaurant will be cited and ultimately fined if it cannot produce a defense.
State inspectors have focused on grouper for more than a year because cheap Asian catfish has been increasingly served as grouper, one of Florida's signature high-end dishes, said Kendall Burkett, head of the regulation department's inspection division.
Although fresh Florida grouper often wholesaled for up to $10 a pound, some restaurants ran all-you-can-eat grouper specials for as low as $7.99.
The rate of substitution has undoubtedly been higher than state citations indicate, Burkett acknowledged.
Inspectors focus primarily on food safety problems that can make diners sick and don't have time to check for all possible menu substitutions.
Depending on the area of the state, inspectors may also focus on different products, he said.
From Jan. 1 through February, the Jacksonville regional office cited 31 restaurants for grouper substitution, plus one snapper substitution, one scallop, two flounder and three crab.
During the same period, Broward County inspectors targeted sushi restaurants, citing none for grouper substitution, but 20 restaurants for switching other fish for white tuna and nine restaurants for fake crab.
With extensive publicity, more restaurants are now switching to fresh Florida grouper and away from imports, which has helped raise the price of real Gulf of Mexico grouper.
That's another reason for doubling the fines when people cheat, the regulation department said. The stakes are getting higher.
Trend in restaurants is toward healthier trans-fat free food preparation
Jeff Arrigoni considers himself a trendsetter.
“This is the new wave. Everyone is concerned about living a healthy lifestyle,” said Arrigoni, a franchiser and operator of Hurricane Grill and Wings in Stuart and Port St. Lucie. “Everyone is either on a low-carb diet or wants low-fat dressing. It’s just become a way to live your life.”
Vero Beach resident Rip Tosun, chairman of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association said he understands the public’s wishes for healthier dining options, but his organization is reserving judgment on the trans-fat free issue until more research is available to them.
“We still haven’t made a decision on this yet,” said Tosun who owns Rip’s — The Place for Ribs and Monte’s restaurant. “I think we’re still trying to get educated on it because the jury is still out on this.”
FRLA looks to CVB for regional director
The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association has named Dannette Lynch as the Tampa Bay regional director.
In this position, Lynch will be responsible for new member recruitment, local government relations, program development, fundraising and event management, training and education and public relations. This is a new position recently created by the organization.
Something may be fishy about your fillet
Despite media reports and a state crackdown, fish sold as grouper often is Asian catfish or other species.
Can you tell whether that grouper on your plate is the real thing?
Diners often don't realize they're paying top dollar for a lesser whitefish, because popular grouper preparations -- blackening, frying -- can hide the original flavor.
And some restaurants know that.
Governor’s order, market demands pushing hotels to go green
Danny Groves, engineering director for the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel, pulled out one of the recently installed air-conditioning filters and showed it to state Department of Environmental Protection worker Jeremy Tyler on Wednesday.
“They’re a little more expensive, but they are supposed to save on energy and provide cleaner air for our guests,” said Groves. “Our new a/cs will take out 25 percent more moisture in the room and totally eliminate mold and mildew.”
National Restaurant Association Names Dawn Sweeney President and CEO
Dynamic leadership, business experience to take Association to new level
(Washington,D.C.) - The National Restaurant Association today announced the selection of Dawn Sweeney as the president and chief executive officer of the organization.
Ms. Sweeney will take the helm of leadership at an association that represents one of the largest industries in the country, employing more than 12.8 million people at nearly 1 million restaurant and foodservice locations, and generating annual sales of more than $537 billion. The president and CEO also oversees the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show® - the largest single gathering of restaurant, foodservice, and lodging professionals in the Western Hemisphere -- as well as the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.
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