Posey to host second summit

Florida Congressman Bill Posey will host a second event in January to continue to bring together various entrepreneurs from across the Space Coast region to showcase their innovative technologies to potential investors and to the public.

Posey’s second Entrepreneur Summit will take place at the Technological Research and Development Authority Business Innovation Center in Melbourne from 8 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Jan. 11.

Companies interested in presenting must complete and submit an application no later than Friday, Dec. 12, at 5 p.m.

Companies currently doing business in Congressional District 15 that have not made a presentation with Technological Research and Development Authority within the last 24 months are eligible to apply. An application can be obtained by contacting Pamela Gillespie at 321-632-1776 or pam.gillespie@mail.house

.gov.

Bronson urges consumers to check out charities

Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson is reminding consumers to do their homework before donating money to charities.  

People can check a charity's registration and funding history to ensure the organization is legitimate and to determine if donations are being spent prudently. Many charities collect about half their annual contributions in November and December during the holiday season.

Florida law requires most charities soliciting in Florida to register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services each year and provide financial information about income and expenses. Religious, educational and government-based charities are exempt. Registered charities also are required to disclose how much they have raised the previous year, how much has been spent on administrative costs including salaries, rent, etc., the amount spent on fundraising and the dollars that have actually been spent on the charitable purpose. There are more than 14,000 charities registered with the department.

“Consumers should first ensure a charity seeking donations is not a scam by checking on the registration or determining that the charity is exempt from registration,” Bronson said. “But there is a lot more information available for people to determine if they think enough of their donation is going to program services.”

Consumers can find out if a charity is registered by calling the department's Consumer Helpline at 1-800-HELPFLA (1-800-FLAYUDA for Spanish) or by visiting http://www

.800helpfla.com.  They also can check the complaint history of an organization.

Bronson provided the following tips to consider when deciding whether to donate to an organization:

• Don't judge an organization based on an impressive-sounding name. Find out what it actually does.

• Be wary of emotional appeals and organizations that have only vague plans for spending the funds they collect.

• Never give cash. Write a check payable only to an organization, not an individual.

• Be wary of organizations that offer to send a “runner” to pick up your donation.  Reputable charities are willing to wait for your contribution.

• Consumers have the right to ask for an organization's financial report and its federal tax identification number, the latter of which you'll need to claim your contribution as a tax deduction.

• Ask the organization to send you written information about its activities.

• If an organization is not registered or properly exempt, contact the department.