AutoNation: Back in the fast lane with expansion, higher sales

Despite an agonizingly slow economic recovery, the country’s largest auto retailer, Fort Lauderdale-based AutoNation, is thriving again as demand for vehicles expands. The company, one of Florida’s largest, is posting increasingly strong profits and revenues. Just last week, in a sign of confidence, Autonation announced a major acquisition — buying six large auto stores in...

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Tower Theater remains an asset for Little Havana

More than 20 years ago, when the city of Miami bought an historic but abandoned theater on Southwest Eighth Street, city leaders expressed their hope that the investment would help revitalize Little Havana.The troubled neighborhood that’s considered the symbolic heart of Miami’s Cuban exile community couldn’t afford to wait to see if “something will fall from the sky and...

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Hug It Out: Public Charter and District Schools Given $25 Million to Get Along

If you need a loan, ask Bill and Melinda Gates. Or better yet, ask one of the seven cities that are splitting a new $ 25 million grant courtesy of the couple’s philanthropic foundation.The funds are going to promote cross collaboration between charter and district schools, which have previously operated in a strict and contentious independence from one another.The foundation announced the award this...

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Abigail Breslin Lands Grown-Up Role In 'Final Girl'

Abigail Breslin isn't the adorable little girl we remember in the 2006 indie flick Little Miss Sunshine anymore. At age 16, the actress is taking on a new, mature role in photographer Tyler Shields' film Final Girl. Not set to be released until 2013, Shields shared photos of his film's stars, Breslin and American Beauty actor Wes Bentley, 34. The celebrity photographer wrote on his website: "I have...

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Bus driver in fatal casino crash feels 'sorry every day'

Bus driver Ophadell Williams said not a not moment passes without sad thoughts about last year’s horrific crash that killed 15 passengers returning from a gambling jaunt.William emerged from his Brooklyn home this morning, seeing morning daylight for the first time since he was acquitted Friday on manslaughter charges.“I feel sorry every day,” Williams...

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AutoNation: Back in the fast lane with expansion, higher sales

• AutoNation’s announcement December 4 that it was acquiring six auto stores in Texas, its second most important market after Florida, forms part of the company’s national growth strategy.• AutoNation operates in 15 states and, according to CEO Mike Jackson, prefers to build its brand network in existing markets rather than expand to new markets. It grows either...

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State scraps plan to have private vendors make license tags

TALLAHASSEE -- Backing away from a possible court fight, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles announced Friday that it will halt its attempt to bid license tag services to private vendors.Tax collectors — who distribute state tags — and two manufacturing groups tried to block the change by lobbying elected officials and filing legal action against...

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How They Pulled Off 'The Impossible'

The true story of the devastating 2004 tsunami that consumed the coast of Phuket, Thailand -- and how one family survived it -- is reenacted by Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor in The Impossible. Watch the video to go behind the scenes...Video: Tsunami Survivor Petra Nemcova Reacts to Latest Disaster in JapanIn theaters December 21, The Impossible finds Naomi as Maria and Ewan as her husband Henry, who...

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Federal tax breaks proposed for Sandy victims

ALBANY — Two Democratic senators are proposing federal tax breaks to help victims recover faster from Superstorm Sandy.Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Robert Menendez of New Jersey want to make all repair expenses fully tax deductible, reducing the tax bite of victims in their returns covering the current year.The breaks would also include credits...

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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...

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