Briefs
by John Temple Ligon
Turtles Elsewhere in the Southeast - and even Texas - states have passed restrictions on freshwater turtle exports. So far, South Carolina has not passed any such restrictions. Two bills are being taken up by a House subcommittee, one to ban the sale of eight turtle species and another to make it illegal to export any turtles from the state. From 2003 through 2005, more than 31 million turtles were legally shipped out of the United States. It is estimated that more than two percent of those were caught in the wild, while the overwhelming majority was raised on acquaculture farms.

Florida jumps in Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has proposed to increase his state's film incentives by 38 percent, bringing the annual total to $40 million. The economic impact of Florida's $40 million is estimated to make a $260 million difference in the Florida economy. Between 2006 and 2007, before S.C. reduced incentives for movie- makers, the film industry produced a $25 million economic impact in South Carolina.

That's the Spirit Starting May 22, Spirit Airlines Inc. will fly two daily routes from Columbia to Fort Lauderdale at an introductory fare of $7. Spirit will add a third daily round- trip on the same route on June 12.

Retail On the job for a little over a month now, Amy Stone is marketing downtown Columbia, looking for retail tenants. She and Midge McCauley of ERA in Washington, D.C., are implementing a plan described as cutting edge and classy.

A good idea for SCE&G to copy This month Santee Cooper is making it easier for 10 qualified retail residential customers to install solar panels. The program entry period for the 10 solar panels will begin March 10 and end April 10. Applications and the full requirements and restrictions can be found at www.SanteeCooperGreen.com. Together, the rebate from Santee Cooper and the maximum state tax credits available have the potential to offer as much as $17,500 for a four- kilowatt solar panel and installation.

Attendance record at CMA The Columbia Museum of Art set an attendance record of 1,084 visitors during Excavating Egypt: Great Discoveries from the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology and a Family Fun Day from 11 am to 2 pm, Saturday, February 16.

Educated ports workers The S.C. State Ports Authority has enrolled all its employees in the new federal Transportation Worker Identification Credential system. A federally mandated program, TWIC enhances security and access control at the country's ports.

Fast growth Nominations for S.C.'s Fastest- Growing Companies, a ranking being assembled by the S.C. Chamber of Commerce and accounting firm Elliott Davis, will be accepted until May 16. To ask for information, email fastest@elliottdavis.com.

Three banks could take a hit BB&T of Winston Salem, N.C., United Community Bank of Georgia, and Carolina First of Greenville, S.C., are defendants in a multimillion dollar real estate fraud case. The civil case involves the collapse of a 1,300- acre mountain development in Mitchell County, N.C., called The Village of Penland, which is less than an hour's drive northeast of Asheville. When the development failed last May, investors owed the banks as much as $100 million.

Thomas & Howard Charlotte- based McColl Partners has advised Columbiabased Thomas & Howard Co. in the sale of its food- service operations in Newberry, S.C., to Merchants Foodservice. The Newberry operations are expected to add $30 million in annual foodservice sales plus 1,200 accounts to Merchants. Merchants is based in Hattiesburg, Miss., and is an independent food distributor to hospitals, institutions, restaurants and schools in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, and South Carolina.

Can Trader Joe's look south? In the second half of 2008, California- based grocery chain Trader Joe's Co. is opening a third Charlotte- area store, while Columbia has none.

Museum for S.C.'s first citizens The Duke Energy Foundation is donating $1 million to the Museum of Life and the Environment on the Catawba River off I- 77 in eastern York County. The museum's exhibits will include interactive experiments with water and plant life and a planetarium.