Events showcase Miami’s growth as tech center

One by one, representatives from six startup companies walked onto the wooden stage and presented their products or services to a full house of about 200 investors, mentors, and other supporters Thursday at Incubate Miami’s DemoDay in the loft-like Grand Central in downtown Miami. With a large screen behind them projecting their graphs and charts, they set out to persuade the funders in the room to part with some of their green and support the tech community.

Just 24 hours later, from an elaborate “dojo stage,” a drummer warmed up the crowd of several hundred before a “Council of Elders” entered the ring to share wisdom as the all-day free event opened. Called TekFight, part education, part inspiration, and part entertainment, the tournament-style program challenged entrepreneurs to earn points to “belt up” throughout the day to meet with the “masters” of the tech community.

The two events, which kicked off Innovate MIA week, couldn’t be more different. But in their own ways, like a one-two punch, they exuded the spirit and energy growing in the startup community.

One of the goals of the TekFight event was to introduce young entrepreneurs and students to the tech community, because not everyone has found it yet and it’s hard to know where to start, said Saif Ishoof, the executive director of City Year Miami who co-founded TekFight as a personal project. And throughout the event, he and co-founder Jose Antonio Hernandez-Solaun, as well as Binsen J. Gonzalez and Jeff Goudie, wanted to find creative, engaging ways to offer participants access to some of the community’s most successful leaders.

That would include Alberto Dosal, chairman of CompuQuip Technologies; Albert Santalo, founder and CEO of CareCloud; Jorge Plasencia, chairman and CEO of Republica; Jaret Davis, co-managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig; and more than two dozen other business and community leaders who shared their war stories and offered advice. Throughout the day, the event was live-streamed on the Web, a TekFight app created by local entrepreneur and UM student Tyler McIntyre kept everyone involved in the tournament and tweets were flying — with #TekFight trending No. 1 in the Miami area for parts of the day. “Next time Art Basel will know not to try to compete with TekFight,” Ishoof quipped.

‘Miami is a hotbed’

After a pair of Chinese dragons danced through the audience, Andre J. Gudger, director for the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs, entered the ring. “I’ve never experienced an event like this,” Gudger remarked. “Miami is a hotbed for technology but nobody knew it.”

Gudger shared humorous stories and practical advice on ways to get technology ideas heard at the highest levels of the federal government. “Every federal agency has a director over small business — find out who they are,” he said. He has had plenty of experience in the private sector: Gudger, who wrote his first computer program on his neighbor’s computer at the age of 12, took one of his former companies from one to 1,300 employees.

There were several rounds that pitted an entrepreneur against an investor, such as Richard Grundy, of the tech startup Flomio, vs. Jonathan Kislak, of Antares Capital, who asked Grundy, “why should I give you money?”

Read More..

Senate President Don Gaetz cancels on governor to avoid rule violation

TALLAHASSEE --
Gov. Rick Scott invited Senate President Don Gaetz to dinner Thursday and the senator gladly accepted, before realizing that going might violate Senate rules and the Florida Constitution.

Scott invited legislators to a holiday reception at the Mansion and Gaetz said he and his wife were invited to stay for dinner.

“They’ve asked Vicki and I to stay afterwards,” Gaetz said. “I guess he wants to talk to me.”

Scott often favors substantive discussions over small talk, and the success of his agenda in the second half of his term will depend in large part on Gaetz’s support.

Gaetz said the two men have not spoken since he became Senate president Nov. 20.

Reminded that Senate rules and the Constitution prohibit the Senate president and governor from discussing official business in private, Gaetz said: “I’ll try not to.”

But soon after,Gaetz canceled.

It may have looked like an innocent get-together at the most festive time of the year, and a spokeswoman for Scott said the event was “purely social.”

But under rules re-enacted by the Senate two weeks ago, the Senate president cannot meet privately with the governor without first issuing a four-hour notice to the public and news media.

No notice was given before Thursday’s event.

The Senate counsel, George Levesque, interprets the rule to cover social occasions between the two leaders, according to Gaetz’s spokeswoman.

“It was definitely our fault,” spokeswoman Katherine Betta said. “Next time, we will notice it.”

The Constitution contains a provision, approved by Florida voters, that says discussions of official business between the governor and Senate president or House speaker must be “reasonably open to the public.”

House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, was also invited to the reception, but said he could not attend.

Gaetz, a Niceville Republican, has set a tone different from his predecessors by calling for higher ethical standards for elected officials in Florida — especially legislators.

In his Nov. 20 acceptance speech as Senate president, he told the Senate: “You and I will be judged ... by what we do to reform the way we run elections and raise the standards of ethical conduct from the courthouse to the state house.”

Barbara Petersen of the First Amendment Foundation, a group that monitors government compliance with open meetings and public records laws, praised Gaetz for cancelling on the governor.

“I think this is the appropriate response and hopefully it sets the tone for the upcoming legislative session,” Petersen said. “Even though this meeting may have been less formal than others, clearly Sen. Gaetz takes the responsibilities of his office very seriously.”

Read More..

Fergie Plays Santa Baby for Soldiers

Fergie is certainly in the holiday spirit these days – the songstress and entrepreneur hosted the Cell Phones for Soldiers Voli Light Vodka Party at the SkyBar in Hollywood Thursday night, and she shared her big holiday plans with ET.

Video: What Turns Fergie on About Husband Josh Duhamel

"My plans are to go to my mom's for Christmas, have a nice Voli cocktail and her homemade lasagna. " said Fergie with a smile. "She makes turkey lasagna with low-fat mozzarella cheese. It's still indulging a little bit, but without all the guilt."

As for her big end-of-year appearance, she says, "My plans for New Year's Eve is I will be co-hosting the Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, counting down to the New Year, to 2013. Cheers!"

As for the evening's great charity, she says, "I get to present to the troops tonight a big calling card … It's a very special hosting gig I have tonight. It means a lot. … Cell Phones for Soldiers is such an amazing organization. … [For every old or broken cell phone donated], they give minutes to the troops, so tonight we are raising at least 500,000 minutes for the troops so that the troops can call home for the holidays. It's such a great cause, and I'm just a huge supporter of our troops."

Related: Fergie's Growing Business Empire Revealed

Of course, Fergie got to celebrate with her favorite drink, the Voli Cinnamon Kiss, using the first low-calorie vodka on the market. Watch the video to see which Voli drink is hubby Josh Duhamel's favorite!

Here's the recipe for that delicious-looking Voli Cinnamon Kiss:

Voli original

sugar free cinnamon syrup

fat free half and half

mixed with ice and served in a rocks glass

with a dash of cinnamon on top.

APPROX: 95 CALORIES

Read More..

'Split right down the middle': Released juror would have acquitted Hasidic leader in underage sex trial, others torn

One of the alternate jurors released today from serving on the explosive sex trial of a prominent Hasidic leader said she would have voted to acquit — and two other dismissed jurors said they would only have voted to convict him on some of the charges.

“I didn’t have enough evidence to nail the person. No video, no DNA,” said the juror, a middle-aged black woman. “There wasn’t enough evidence for me. Both sides were a little shady.”

Nechmya Weberman, 54, allegedly forced himself on a 12-year-old Brooklyn girl for three years after she was sent to him for counseling, prosecutors charge.

Spencer Burnett

Nechemya Weberman, a prominent Hasidic leader accused of sex crimes against a 12-year-old girl, leaves Brooklyn Supreme Court today. The jury, still deliberating, is reportedly torn.

The 12-person jury who will decide his fate began deliberations today, so the five alternate jurors were released from duty.

Two other alternate jurors said they would have voted to acquit Weberman of some of the 60 counts he faces.

“I still think there is enough evidence to convict — some of the charges at least,” said a white male juror in his 30s, who said he would have voted Weberman guilty of sex abuse and child endangerment, but not on the top count of sexual conduct against a child.

Weberman could face 25 years on the top count alone.

“I don’t know what the jury’s going to do. I think they are split right down the middle. I was split down the middle as well. It’s a tough one,” the juror said. “I thought there was a lack of evidence there. At the same time the Hasidic community does hide a lot. You can see it.”

Another alternate juror said he believed Weberman did abuse the girl in his office, but would not have voted to convict on every charge.

“I think he’s guilty, but it’s a matter of what he’s guilty of,” the dismissed juror said.

Deliberations halted early at 2:30 p.m. so Weberman could head home for the Jewish Sabbath. The jury will resume deliberations Monday.

jsaul@nypost.com

Read More..

Heico increases special dividend

Technology company Heico Corp. said Thursday that it would increase a previously announced special dividend by $1 per share after an enthusiastic reaction from shareholders.

The new special cash dividend will be $2.14, combined with a regular payment of six cents per share. A single $2.20 per share amount will be paid on or before Dec. 31.

Heico moved up the date of the regular dividend, which would have typically been paid in January, and declared the special payment because of tax increases expected in 2013.

The company, which has headquarters in Miami and Hollywood, makes replacement parts for airplanes and components for the space, defense, communications, medical and computer industries.

Read More..

A Pearl Harbor veteran remembers the horror

On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Abe Stein, a 21-year-old solider from Wilkes Barre, Penn., was asleep in the U.S. Army’s Schofield Barracks on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

The post was established in 1908 as home to the 25th Infantry Division, assigned to protect the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor.

But that day, no one could protect the ships docked there or personnel at surrounding installations from the Japanese sneak attack that took at least 2,400 American lives.

Sgt. Stein found himself running toward a base hospital, unsure what had made his bunk shake so hard that it woke him up.

“I was helping a colonel who was cursing: ‘The Japanese just bombed the hell out of us!’’ he recall today, more than seven decades later.

Stein, 92, an Aventura widower and retired hotel manager who dabbles in the travel business, says that the sights and sounds of that horrible day still haunt his memory.

“It’s like yesterday,’’ he says. “It’s not going away for me.’’

That’s both a blessing and curse for Stein: a blessing because he can speak about it as an eyewitness to history, a curse because whenever he hears “Taps,” he thinks about the dead and cries.

It’s thought that about 1,000 World War II veterans die every day, that by next year, only 1.25 million will remain, and that by 2036, all will be gone.

Pearl Harbor survivors like Stein are so rare that he believes himself one of only two left in South Florida. He belongs to the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, which used to meet every five years in Hawaii, but hasn’t since 2006.

“We’re getting about as extinct as the dodo bird,’’ the group’s president told a New York Times reporter at the time. “The way it’s going, our next national convention here we could hold in a phone booth.’’

Stein, who attended a 50th anniversary ceremony at Pearl Harbor, also participated in the Normandy invasion, for which he’ll receive the French Legion of Honor award on Dec. 19 at The Shul of Bal Harbour, where he prays.

Abe Stein had been a high school wrestler before he enlisted in the Army on Nov. 2, 1940, 13 months before the “date which shall live in infamy,’’ as President Franklin D. Roosevelt called the attack on Pearl Harbor, which brought the United States into the world war.

The seventh of 10 children, Stein followed a sister to Florida and signed up at a Miami recruiting office. He had his pick of posts and told the recruiter: “Hawaii looks good.’’

Had his family been able to afford it, he’d have become a doctor, Stein said. Instead, he trained in medical supply with the army, arriving at Schofield Barracks in January 1941.

He remembers sunny afternoons playing army/navy baseball during “11 months of peace.’’

The night of Dec. 6, 1941, Stein worked late.

“I was fast asleep when my bed started to shake,’’ he recalls. “Without opening my eyes I said, ‘Don’t bother me; I am off today.’ Then it shook again and I was ready to bop someone when I saw all of the soldiers running to the balcony. The clocked showed 7:55 a.m.’’

He saw fighter planes, which later strafed the barracks, but he didn’t realize they were Japanese.

Read More..

Shakira's Boyfriend Shares Ultrasound Photo

He's not even born yet, but Shakira's son already has a good side.

The 35-year-old singer's footballer boyfriend, FC Barcelona's Gerard Pique, posted a picture to his WhoSay account today, introducing his son to the world.

RELATED: Shakira Pregnant with First Child

"His first pic!" Gerard, 25, wrote as a caption to an ultrasound photo of his baby boy.

Shakira confirmed the news of her pregnancy in September via her website, writing, "Gerard I are very happy awaiting the arrival of our first baby! At this time we have decided to give priority to this unique moment in our lives and postpone all the promotional activities planned over the next few days."

The mom-to-be has since returned to the stage, showing off her baby bump during a concert at Baku Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan in October.

Read More..

Jurors convict former NYPD detective in fatal Bronx DWI

Jurors today convicted a former NYPD detective of manslaughter for mowing down a Bronx grandmother three years ago, but let him slide on a more serious charge because they thought evidence he was driving drunk was tainted.

Kevin Spellman, 45, faces 5 to 15 years in prison on the second-degree manslaughter charge, but he’d faced 25 years had he been convicted on the top charge of vehicular homicide charge.

Prosecutors said Spellman, an off-duty officer at the time, was boozed up and driving erratically when he plowed into a pedestrian, Drane Nikac, 70, on Oct. 30, 2009 with a city-owned Chevrolet Impala..

Robert Kalfus

Kevin Spellman.

Spellman was charged with vehicular manslaughter after his blood alcohol level was determined to be .21 — more than twice the legal limit of .08.

But jurors said they were swayed by defense arguments that blood tested after the accident was contaminated.

After the verdict was read in a Bronx court, Spellman’s wife broke down in tears, as did the victim’s family.

Read More..

New equity options exchange owned by Miami company starts trading on Friday

MIAX Options Exchange, a new fully electronic, equity options trading exchange, said it will begin trading on Friday.

MIAX Options Exchange is based in Princeton, N.J., but its parent company is Miami International Holdings. While MIAX’s executive offices, technology development center and national operations center are based in Princeton, additional executive offices, and a multi-purpose training, meeting and conference center will be located in Miami, the company said.

MIAX Options Exchange’s trading platform has been developed in-house and designed for the functional and performance demands of derivatives trading, the company said.

INA PAIVA CORDLE

Read More..

Fla. university leaders want to avoid tuition hike

TALLAHASSEE --
The presidents of Florida’s state universities have an offer for the Legislature: Give us $118 million and we won’t raise tuition.

“What we’re asking for this year is a significant investment from the state, tied to specific goals to universities,” said University of West Florida President Judy Bense during Wednesday’s news conference. “With an investment provided for our students, we promise not to seek one penny of a tuition increase this year.”

This new funding would be on top of restoring a $300 million cut the Legislature imposed last year, something lawmakers are already building into the budget. The $118 million would be distributed to the 12 state universities according to performance-based goals, the presidents propose.

Gov. Rick Scott, returning from a Colombian trade mission Wednesday, issued a statement praising the universities’ position against tuition increases without mentioning their request for more tax dollars.

“We are pleased to share this important goal with many of Florida’s finest higher education leaders who are committed to holding the line on tuition,” Scott said. “We look forward to working closely with them as we put together a proposed budget and other policies for the upcoming legislative session.”

University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft said the state is moving away from previous efforts to increase Florida tuition so that it is closer to the national average. Scott’s opposition to tuition hikes means that is no longer feasible, she said.

“We’re in a situation where the governor is very opposed to an increase in tuition and we understand,” she said. “And we’re also concerned about the strains” on students.

Sen. Joe Negron, who chairs the Senate’s budget committee, said he supports boosting university funding although it’s too early to say how it will be done or how much.

“I have believed for a long time that the state spends too much money in health and human services and not enough in higher education,” said Negron, R-Stuart. “And I believe that we should budget additional resources for our universities, which I believe don’t get the credit that they deserve for economic development and the well-being of our state.”

House Appropriations Chairman Seth McKeel said the state’s budget is expected to improve but there are pressures and challenges.

“We look forward to working with the presidents on any proposals they have on the floor,” the Lakeland Republican said.

The universities’ offer is separate from another money-related issue likely to be raised by the University of Florida and Florida State University. Both universities again are advocating for “pre-eminence” status that will allow them unlimited ability to increase tuition. Scott vetoed such a bill earlier this year because he’s against tuition hikes.

FSU President Eric Barron said “pre-eminence” is “a different topic that should be addressed differently” than the no-tuition pledge the universities agreed to. UF President Bernie Machen added that the “pre-eminence” proposal is more complex than just the tuition component.

“In fact, the major benefit of that bill for the state was to set up guidelines and benchmarks to identify excellence in our state universities,” Machen said. “We’re in favor of that, the Board of Governors remains in favor of that. The tuition aspect of it was simply one mechanism that could be used to receive new resources.”

Read More..