Start the new year off with a bang! Set those goals and reach for the sky. Hard work does pay off!

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

New Years Eve is always a time for celebration. Remembering the good times and learning from the bad. Have a safe and happy holiday.

The size and strength of our network doesn’t go unnoticed by consumers or industry leaders. The CENTURY 21 System was again recognized by Franchise Times as being among the top 200 U.S. based franchise companies across all industries. This marks the eighth year that the success of the CENTURY 21 family has been nationally noted by the magazine, which is a national news and information source for the franchise industry.

The Federal Trade Commission receives about 300,000 samples of deceptive spam – forwarded by computer users – each day, and stores it in a database. The FTC and its law enforcement partners use the database to generate cases against people who use spam to spread false or misleading information about their products or services. To better handle the high volume of spam forwarded to the database, the FTC recently opened a new email box – SPAM@UCE.GOV.To learn more about how to avoid spam scams and reduce the clutter in your in-box, check out www.ftc.gov/spam.

Governor Crist Announces Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday

Governor Charlie Crist has signed into law House Bill 211 establishing a sales tax holiday from June 1 through June 12, 2007, for hurricane preparedness items. “I urge all Floridians to take advantage of the Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday so that every person is prepared for the possibility of a storm,” said Governor Crist. “We have learned from experience that prepared residents and communities are key to surviving and recovering from hurricanes or other natural disasters.”
Governor Crist thanked the Legislature and urged all Floridians to prepare for the 2007 Hurricane Season by taking advantage of the third annual sales tax holiday. The holiday is expected to save Floridians almost $25 million in sales taxes. “As public awareness of this tax holiday continues to grow, we are encouraging Florida retailers to prepare for even greater demand than last year,” said Governor Crist. “While we hope for a quiet hurricane season, the tax holiday will help give Floridians the opportunity to be prepared for any possibility.”

“Recent history shows us that hurricanes can impact every Floridian,” said Director Craig Fugate of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. “I challenge all residents to get a plan and prepare now.” Governor Crist encouraged all Floridians to update their disaster plans and to use the tax holiday during the first 12 days of June as an opportunity to restock their disaster supply kits. Below are a few examples of items that will be exempt during the sales tax holiday.
- Flashlights and other portable, self-powered light sources – $20 or less
- Portable radios, two-way radios and weather-band radios – $75 or less
- Tarps – $50 or less
- Gas or diesel fuel containers – $25 or less
- Batteries – $30 or less (AAA, AA, C and D cell, and 6 and 9 volt batteries)
- Non-electrical food storage coolers – $30 or less
- Portable generators – $1,000 or less
- Carbon monoxide detectors – $75 or less
- Storm shutter devices – $200 or less

For more information on the 2007 Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday or to find information on building a customized family or business disaster plan, please visit www.FloridaDisaster.org or www.myflorida.com

Hernando County Code Enforcement will begin stringently enforcing the current watering restrictions. The new once a week restrictions went into effect in January. Officers patrol at different times, both day and night. Violators can receive anything from a $100 citation, to a court appearance. Watering is allowed only before 8 a.m. and after 6 p.m. on resident’s designated day. No watering is allowed on weekends. For a complete copy of the current watering restrictions, please visit http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/restrictions.

Marilyn Pearson-Adams, President, and Dennise L. Vandegrift, Vice-President, General Manager of CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty recently attended the CENTURY 21 International Convention at the Mandalay Bay Hotel, Convention Center in Las Vegas Nevada.
There were many educational offerings and classes relevant to the current real estate market for the 5000 attendees. The highlight of the Convention for this writer was the keynote address, given by General Colin Powell, a dynamic American Patriot. CENTURY 21 is truly the “GOLD STANDARD” in Real Estate with 146,000 Sales Associates in 7500 Offices in 44 Countries around the world.

AAA Auto Club South and Budweiser will once again offer the Tow to Go program throughout the weekend. This program provides a ride home and tow, free, for adults who may have celebrated St. Patrick’s Day a little too much. Any adult who need a ride home from a bar or restaurant may call toll free 1-800-222-4357

In view of the recent tragedy in our community, please be reminded to check the batteries in your smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and any other battery operated safety device you have in your home. When you change your clocks for daylight savings time, please let that serve as a reminder to you to also check your smoke detector batteries.

Just as sunflowers turn their heads to catch every sunbeam, so too have we discovered a simple way to get more from our sun.

Beginning in 2007, most of the United States begins Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and reverts to standard time on the first Sunday in November. In the U.S., each time zone switches at a different time.

It’s that time. Don’t forget to turn your clocks forward tonight before you go to sleep.

You can learn about the history of daylight saving (or as some may say, daylight shifting), the standardization of time, and when regions around the globe spring ahead and fall back. Enjoy!

For additonal info visit: http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/index.html