Paul Brinkmann:
Economic groups integrate even more.
The Orlando Economic Partnership revealed a new logo and a target date of September to integrate operations of the former Orlando Economic Development Commission and the Central Florida Partnership.
The groups merged officially at the beginning of this year, but integrating their websites, social media, programming and staffs will take longer.
Jacob Stuart, who led the CFP for 32 years, will become an ambassador and adviser to Tim Giuliani, who is taking the reins as the new CEO.
Giuliani said Stuart will “help me get out to our entire sevencounty region, to ensure our strategies are in sync.”
The new logo is an orange O, similar to the EDC’s logo, but made up of smaller dots that depict the various communities in the region.
The groups are expected to consolidate at the EDC’s offices, which are at the American Momentum building on Lake Eola.
Guiliani also said the new partnership will continue Orlando’s branding campaign, “You don’t know the half of it.”
In a welcome video posted online Friday, Giuliani’s message was accompanied by welcoming messages of support from Alex Martins, CEO of Orlando Magic; Frank DiBello, president of Space Florida; Harold Mills, vice chair at ZeroChaos; Ken Potrock, SVP and GM, Disney Vacation Club; and Cecilia Bonifay, partner at Akerman.
Publix brand
Fifteen brands in Florida made the most valuable brands in America list this year, led by Publix, according to marketing consultants at Brand Finance.
The annual list this year said Publix’s brand value dropped by 3 percent to $5.8 billion and is now only just ahead of Miami-based fast food chain Burger King, which came in second in Florida with a brand value of $5.1 billion.
The company said Publix remains Florida’s most valuable brand despite recent scandals, which included the recall of Edamame beans and seven failed health inspections in Florida.
Burger King saw its brand value jump by 11 percent in the wake of the announcement of a merger with coffee chain Tim Hortons.
Three Florida-based cruise line companies made the list: Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise and Carnival. Royal Caribbean and Carnival’s brand values dropped by 12 percent and 3 percent to $3 billion and $1.9 billion respectively. Despite its difficult 2016, Norwegian boosted brand value by 7 percent to $2.4 billion.
Nationally, the company said Apple has over-exploited the goodwill of its customers, and its rand value has fallen 27 percent since early 2016 to $107 billion. That allowed Google to capture the world’s most valuable brand with a value of $109 billion. Airlines have all soared in value with United, Delta and American growing by 60 percent, 47 percent and 59 percent
respectively. In the process, American has overtaken Emirates to become the world’s most valuable airline brand.
Attorney disbarred
Marlon Alphanso Smikle, a Lake Mary attorney who was arrested in 2015 for trying to smuggle a cellphone to a client in the county jail, has been disbarred, two years later.
The iPhone arrest wasn’t enough for the Florida Supreme Court to disbar Smikle at the time. He received two suspensions instead; the most recent suspension was for three years.
On Feb. 9, however, the Florida Supreme Court disbarred Smikle, for attempting to practice law while his license was suspended. According to a report filed with the court, Smikle attempted to visit the jail again — while suspended — and misrepresented himself as a licensed attorney by showing his attorney license. He was charged with unlicensed practice of law.
Smikle denied the smuggling charge in a statement to the Orlando Sentinel shortly after he was arrested in 2015. According to the court record in the smuggling case, Smikle entered a plea of “no contest” to the charge and was sentenced.
He told a Seminole County sheriff's investigator that Mitchell asked to look at the phone, then snatched it and refused to return it.
The 2015 arrest report says the Seminole County Sheriff ’s Office alleged that Smikle smuggled the phone at the request of his client, convicted car thief Don Mitchell of Jacksonville, who insisted on the latest model iPhone.
The warrant information said officers found the gold-and-white phone, clutched in his client's arm pit, during a jail cell inspection March 6.
Attorneys who are disciplined can seek a rehearing. Attorneys who are disbarred can seek reinstatement of their license after five years, but the Florida Bar says very few do.