May 2009 - Florida Yacht Brokers Association, Inc.

Floorplans Now Included in TALF: The Term Asset-
Based Securities Lending Facility, more commonly known as
TALF, announced that non-auto floorplan loans will now be
included as an eligible asset class under the program. For mor
information visit www.nmma.org.
Broward College Offering ABYC Certification: In an
effort to help the marine industry grow and meet today's technology
standards, Broward College is proud to offer continuing
education with ABYC (American Boat and Yacht Council) certification.
The BCC Marine Engineering Management Program is
an 18 month technical and academic curriculum that will enable
students to earn an A.S. degree, an ABYC Marine Certification.
For more information, visit www.broward.edu.
Number of Billionaires Drops: The number of billionaires
in the world has dropped 30 percent from last year’s 1,125 billionaires,
according to Forbes Magazine. The drop
reflects a loss in net worth of $2 trillion.
T I D B I T S . . .
Seat Belt Bill Sent to Crist for Signing: The legislation
permits $30 tickets for failure to wear seat belts even if no other
traffic laws are broken.
Ft. Lauderdale Maritime Museum Deal Fails: A lengthy
effort to open the city's first maritime museum has failed.
Marine-loving volunteers couldn't raise the money to run the
museum even though they were offered free rent in the New
River Trading Post. The museum would have had to pay
$40,000 to $60,000 annual maintenance, plus the cost of
operating the museum.
New Free Dock in Ft. Lauderdale: A new 100’ floating dock
is available on the New River just west of the train bridge along
Riverwalk near the Performing Arts Center. Boats up to 26’ can tie
up for free on the dock. The dock is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Florida Taxpayer Independence Day: As of Sunday,
April 19, 2009, Floridians began earning for themselves, not
the tax collector. The symbolic date is annually estimated by
Florida TaxWatch and assumes that every dollar earned since
January 1 goes to pay federal, state, and local tax obligations.
Still, the mid-April date means that Floridians have to work for
108 days of the 365 in 2009 exclusively for the benefit of
their government, approximately a third of the year.