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Florida’s World-Class Golf Courses

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Boyer Law Firm, P.L.

One of the great things about living and doing business in Florida, in addition to the warm weather and sandy beaches, is Florida’s world-class public golf courses. Whether you are meeting a client or playing a Saturday afternoon round with some buddies, Florida has some of the best golf courses in the country.

Whether you are in Jacksonville, Orlando, or Miami, Florida, there is a world-class public golf course near you.

Here are the top thirty Florida’s world-class golf courses, according to Golf.com:

1. TPC Sawgrass (Players Stadium), Ponte Vedra Beach/ Jacksonville

Floridas world class golf courses | doing business in Florida | Business Lawyer Jacksonville Miami Orlando2. World Woods (Pine Barrens), Brooksville

3. Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill, Orlando

4. Hammock Beach Resort (Ocean), Palm Coast

5. Innisbrook (Copperhead), Palm Harbor

6. Doral (TPC Blue Monster), Miami

7. PGA National (Champion), Palm Beach Gardens

8. Reunion (Independence), Orlando

9. World Woods (Rolling Oaks), Brooksville

10. Camp Creek, Panama City Beach

11. Waldorf Astoria, Orlando

12. Grand Cypress (New), Orlando

13. Sandestin (Raven), Destin

14. Sugarloaf Mountain, Minneola

15. Victoria Hill, Deland

16. Old Corkscrew, Estero

17. Tiburon (Black), Naples

18. Hammock Beach Resort (Conservatory),Palm Coast

19. Turnberry Isle (Soffer), Aventura

20. Southern Dunes, Haines City

21. Breakers (Rees Jones), West Palm Beach

22. Orange County National (Panther Lake), Winter Garden / Orlando

23. PGA Golf Club (Wanamaker), Port St. Lucie

24. The Deltona Club, Deltona

25. Southwood, Tallahassee

26. TPC Sawgrass (Dye’s Valley), Ponte Vedra Beach/ Jacksonville

27. Ponte Vedra Inn & Club (Ocean), Ponte Vedra Beach/ Jacksonville

28. Reunion (Legacy), Orlando

29. North Palm Beach C.C., North Palm Beach

30. Walt Disney World (Magnolia), Lake Buena Vista

For more information about living and doing business in Florida, download our “Living in Florida” guide.

Source: http://www.golf.com/courses-and-travel/best-public-golf-courses-florida-2012

Tags: Boyer Law Firm -- a Florida firm | Business Law in Florida

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The Copyright Act

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Boyer Law Firm, P.L.

The Copyright Act | Copyright Law Attorney | Intellectual Property Lawyer Jacksonville, Orlando, Miami, Florida

Under The Copyright Act of 1976, an owner of a copyright has exclusive reproduction rights, distribution rights, the right to create adaptations (derivative work), the right to prepare new works based on the protected work, and performance and display rights.

The owner may license or sell any of these rights for a profit. It is common for the owner to place certain limitations on how these rights can be used, such as the period of time in which they can be used, the number of times they can be used, the specific location in which the rights may be used, and more.

A good example of this is getting photographs from the internet. If you search Google images, most of those pictures are copyrighted. This is because copyright protection comes into existence when the protected work is created. However, certain photo-bank sites will license, or allow you to use, their photos if you give credit to the site or pay a fee for the pictures.

If you want to register your copyright, are wondering if you may be infringing on somebody’s copyright, or feel that someone is infringing on your copyright, contact Boyer Law Firm today. We can help you to enforce the Copyright Act.

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Tags: Business Law in Florida | Intellectual Property

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10 Facts About Florida Wills

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Boyer Law Firm, P.L.

Estate Planning Attorney, Jacksonville, Orlando, Miami | Will Lawyer, Trust Attorney, Power of Attorney

Here are some Florida will facts you may not know…

  1. The Florida Supreme Court has a program in which lawyers are board-certified as specialists in the area of wills, trusts, and estate law.
  2. A person age 18 or older is of legal age to make a will.
  3. Florida law presumes a person to be of sound mind unless proved otherwise, and proof requires a fairly high standard.
  4. Florida does not recognize handwritten or joint wills.
  5. Mutual wills are an option in Florida but are best for couples who do not have children.
  6. Florida does not recognize nuncupative or deathbed wills.
  7. You can set up a trust for an animal’s care. Florida recognizes a vehicle for this known as the Florida pet trust.
  8. A prior will is only revoked by a new will to the extent the new will expressly states it revokes the prior will and is inconsistent with the prior will.
  9. A lost will is generally presumed to have been revoked by the testator.
  10. A will provision granting anything to a spouse is expressly revoked by statute once the parties are separated with intent to be permanently divorced, or their marriage is divorced, dissolved, or annulled.

If you need to create a will, trust, or have questions about estate planning, contact Boyer Law Firm today.

*Image courtesy of Stockfreeimages.com

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Tags: Estate Planning for Florida

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Defamation and Litigation Privilege

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Boyer Law Firm, P.L.

Defamation, Litigation Priviledge | Florida Civil Litigation attorney Jacksonville, Orlando, MiamiLitigation privilege protects attorneys and parties in a lawsuit from defamation claims stemming from statements made during the trial. This privilege does not extend outside the courtroom, especially to comments made online.

This was the matter at fact in the 2011 case Ball v. D’Lites Enterprises, Inc. 65 So.3d 637 (Fla. 4 CA 2011). After the suit had been filed, the defendants posted statements on their website saying the plaintiffs had violated trademarks. Ball then filed a complaint against the defendants for defamation.

Defamation refers to any statement that harms a person or company’s reputation. Written defamation is called libel and spoken defamation is called slander.

The defamation claim was dismissed by the trial court, but the district court disagreed, stating “We analogize the publication of statements on the internet to calling a press conference with the media or otherwise publishing defamatory information to the newspapers or other media.

The moral of this case is to watch what you say, especially if you are online and/or in the middle of a litigation case.

*Image courtesy of Stockfreeimages.com

Tags: Business Law in Florida

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Siri Stores Your Personal Information

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Boyer Law Firm, P.L.

Siri stores your personal informationYou’ve probably heard about Siri from Apple, the virtual assistant app that lets you speak your questions. What you may not know is that Siri stores the questions you ask in a database. Siri also collects other information, such as the contacts on your phone, in order to be more efficient. This information is also sent to Apple.

In Apple’s iPhone Software License Agreement, it says: “By using Siri or Dictation, you agree and consent to Apple’s and its subsidiaries’ and agents’ transmission, collection, maintenance, processing, and use of this information, including your voice input and User Data to provide and improve Siri, Dictation and other Apple products and services.”

Apple does not specify where the data is stored, how long the data is stored for, or what “subsidiaries” and “agents” have access to the information.

Because of this, IBM banned its employees from using the software at work.

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Tags: Business Law in Florida | Intellectual Property

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Fictitious Names for Businesses

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Boyer Law Firm, P.L.

Doing Business As - Fictitious nameMany businesses operate under a name different than the one the legally registered their business with (the one that ends in Inc. or LLC). In order to do this legally, the business must register the name their doing as a fictitious name, also known as “doing business as (DBA).”

Some facts to know:

-          Registering a fictitious name does not give you legal rights to the name.
-          It is your responsibility to check for previous trademarks, service marks, or corporate name rights. If your fictitious name violates one of these, you will probably be sent a cease and desist letter. If you do not comply, you may be facing a lawsuit
-          The name to be registered must be advertised once in a newspaper.
-          Fictitious names are valid for five years
-          You register fictitious names with the Division of Corporations
-          If ownership of the company changes, you must file a cancellation and re-registration within 30 days of the change.

Fictitious names are one of the many aspects of starting a business. If you are looking to incorporate, need a business litigation attorney, or need assistance with business planning, contact Boyer Law Firm today.

*Image courtesy of Stockfreeimages.com

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Tags: Business Law in Florida

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Invest in a Restaurant Chain for a Visa

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Boyer Law Firm, P.L.

Foreign InvestmentFlorida restaurant chains, such as Sonic’s, Miami Subs, and Voodoo BBQ are encouraging foreign investors to invest at least $500,000 into their business in exchange for an EB-5 visa from the U.S. Government.

A group expanding their high-end restaurants, including Scarpetta and the Fontainebleu in Miami Beach resort are also encouraging foreign investors through this program.

An EB-5 visa allows for foreign investors, along with their spouse and children under the age of 21, to live in the United States if they invest at least $500,000 into an economically disadvantaged area or $1 million to a non-disadvantaged area. The investor must also create at least 10 jobs, which is why investing in a franchise is so convenient.

Franchises are also attractive for investors because they tend to succeed at higher rates than stand-alone businesses, according to the Sun Sentinel.

Restaurant groups are jumping on the “EB-5” bandwagon because they find it hard to get funding from U.S. banks after the recession and easier to go through the immigration process. With the new immigration bill on the horizon, we will see how long this holds true.

From January to September, 2012, the government approved 3, 677 EB-5 visas for foreign investors. This number does not include those investors’ spouses and children.

Source: Sun Sentinel

*Image courtesy of Stockfreeimages.com

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Tags: U.S. Immigration

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Pure Salon & Spa Grand Opening – Congratulations to Our Client

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Boyer Law Firm, P.L.

Please join us in congratulating our client on the opening of their new business:

Pure Salon Opening front

Tags: Success and Results

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Contracts and Minors

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Boyer Law Firm, P.L.

Contracts with MinorsThe law gives minors the ability to void the contracts based solely on their age, even if they misrepresented their age to the other party.

In order to void the contract, the minor must still be under the age of 18. Once the individual is no longer a minor, the contract is ratified, becomes legally viable, and can be held up in court. If a minor chooses to void a contract, they must void the whole thing; they cannot void one part and agree to another.

Additionally, if the contract included the purchase of goods, the items or money must be returned when the contract is voided. If there is damage to the goods, such as the purchase of a car, the minor must pay restitution. If a minor chooses to void a contract and does not return the goods, they could face criminal charges.

There are certain exceptions when a minor cannot void a contract. These include:

-          Sports or Entertainment Contracts
-          Contracts for goods that are necessary to the health or safety of the minor
-          If the minor has been married

Before entering into a contract with someone, especially if you think they may be a minor, you should check the person’s identification if they are not known to you, consider asking for a co-signer, and have a business law attorney review the contract before you sign it.

*Image courtesy of Stockfreeimages.com

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Tags: Business Law in Florida | Florida Civil Litigation

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Small-Medium Sized Businesses & International Trade

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Boyer Law Firm, P.L.

International TradeEnterprises engaged in international trade and cooperation are twice as likely to be successful as those that only operate domestically, according to a study done my HIS Global Insight and DHL Express.

We are becoming a more globalized world, and businesses need to be able to keep up with this trend in order to survive.

“[We] firmly support the view that international trade creates tremendous value for SMEs (small- to medium-sized businesses). It not only opens up new markets for their products and services, but also gives them access to international best practices and innovations,” said DHL Express CEO Ken Allen.

The South Florida Business Journal named the following countries the top trade partners of South Florida:

  1. Brazil – $13,688.3 MILLION in total trade, January – October 2012
  2. Colombia – $8,101 MILLION in total trade, January – October 2012
  3. Switzerland – $7,539.7 MILLION in total trade, January – October 2012
  4. Costa Rica – $6,147.1 MILLION in total trade, January – October 2012
  5. Venzuela – $5,494.5 MILLION in total trade, January – October 2012

The DHL study revealed that small to medium sized businesses are concerned with the lack of available information on foreign markets, high customs duties, difficulty establishing contracts with different foreign enterprises and the ability to generate an overseas customer base. Here at Boyer Law Firm, our expertise in International Law can guide you through every step of this process.

Sources: South Florida Business Journal

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Tags: Business Law in Florida | Import/Export | International Law

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