Hurricane Irma: FEMA continues adding workers to storm cleanup

news-press.com , SHENSON@NEWS-PRESS.COM

Southwest Florida continued to inch its way closer to normalcy post-Hurricane Irma on Saturday. Today will mark one week since Irma slammed into the region causing millions of dollars of damage, schools closing and scars to the landscape that will takes months to repair.

More and more businesses, public institutions and government agencies are marching forward as they put more distance between them and Irma.

Here is round up of key topics tied to Irma’s aftermath:

FEMA

The U.S. Government updated how it is working with hurricane recovery.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency continues coordinating the efforts of the federal family, working alongside state, Commonwealth, tribal, territorial, and local emergency responders to help address the immediate needs of survivors following Hurricane Irma.

Tens of thousands of federal workers are supporting preparedness, response, and recovery to Hurricane Irma, including more than 3,200 FEMA staff, and more than 13,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen from 22 states, in rescue, evacuation, security and support operations.

GULF COAST TOWN CENTER

Gulf Coast Town Center mall joined the other big three Southwest Florida malls — Edison Mall in Fort Myers, Coconut Point and Miromar Outlets, both in Estero — getting power turned on and opening stores Saturday.

SCHOOL CLOSINGS

Bishop Verot High School announced Saturday in an email to students and parents that the school now plans to open on Sept. 25.

It joins Lee County public schools, including all of its charter schools, are aiming for a Sept. 25 opening. All employees are due back at work next Friday.

Canterbury School students, faculty and staff are headed back to class Monday.

Southwest Florida Christian Academy is opening Sept. 25.

CIRCUIT COURTS

The Lee County Clerk of Court will reopen, with them open for those to pay fines and trials, foreclosure sales and tax deed sales to be rescheduled.

Chief Judge Michael McHugh authorized the reopening of all Twentieth Circuit courthouses on Monday.

The Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida serves Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties.

For the Lee County Clerk of Court:

Traffic fine payments and criminal court fee payments due on or before Sept. 11 will be given a 30-day extension to Oct. 11. No  drivers license suspensions will be issued during this extension period;

All payment plans  will be extended 30 days from Sept. 11 to Oct. 1;

Court hearings and trials will be rescheduled; parties will be notified of new dates;

Jury Service for those scheduled to report during office closure is considered canceled;

Foreclosure sales and tax deed sales canceled during office closure will be rescheduled and announcements will be posted on the RealAuction website. All cancelled sales will be rescheduled and republished within the next 30 days once regular business hours resume;

Check www.leeclerk.org or call 239-533-2556 for updates. 

FOOD DISTRIBUTION

The Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida will be distributing water and food at the following emergency mobile pantry locations on Sunday in Collier and Charlotte counties and Monday in Lee County:

Sunday

10 a.m. to noon: New Operation Cooper St., 650 Mary St., Punta Gorda

10 a.m. to noon: Naples Senior Center, Jewish Family and Community Services, 5025 Castello Drive, Naples

 10 a.m. to noon: Whistler’s Cove Apartments, 11420 Whistlers Cove Circle, Naples

Monday

10 a.m. to noon: Suncoast Community Center, 2241 Case Lane N., Fort Myers

10 a.m. to noon: Hope United Presbyterian Church, 7470 Hickory Drive, Fort Myers

1 to 3 p.m. Johns Hopkins All Children’s Outpatient Care, 4550 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers

4 to 6 p.m.: Cape Coral Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1813 El Dorado Parkway W., Cape Coral

OPERATION BBQ RELIEF

Operation BBQ Relief  is available from Germain Arena in Estero for the next seven to 10 days.

Churches, organizations and any groups that are aiding in providing relief to groups of people affected by Irma that need food.

The groups should contact 913-915-1059 with food available for pickup at Germain Arena beginning at 5 a.m.

‘DING’ DARLING REFUGE

The J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island plans to reopen in phases beginning Monday.

The refuge Visitor & Education Center will reopen at 9 a.m. Monday, with normal operating hours of 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily.

Tarpon Bay Explorers, the official refuge concessionaire, will reopen at 8 a.m. Tuesday, with normal operating hours of 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.

The Wildlife Drive will reopen at 7 a.m. Wednesday, with gate hours for September  7 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

To confirm refuge hours  call 239-472-1100 or check the refuge’s official Facebook page for the most current information: www.facebook.com/dingdarlingrefuge

HENDRY REGIONAL CORPORATE HEALTH

Hendry Regional Corporate Health, 203 S. Gloria Street, Clewiston, will resume normal operations beginning Monday, with all hospital services and clinics located in Clewiston will be open and fully staffed to accept patients.

Hendry Regional Convenient Care Center, 450 S. Main St., LaBelle, will continue to operate the rural health services portion of the facility.

The Specialty Offices and Physical & Occupational Therapy services at Hendry Regional Convenient Care Center in LaBelle will remain closed until further notice. The facilities will re-open as utilities are restored and staff is available.

AMERICAN RED CROSS

The American Red Cross is focused on safety, shelter, food, which includes shelf-stable meals, and positioning personnel and supplies.

More than 8,100 people were provided refuge from Hurricane Irma in more than 100 government and Red Cross evacuation centers across four states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  The Red Cross served more than 380,000 meals and snacks.

More than 3,000 Red Cross workers are responding to Irma now, with almost 350 more volunteers on the way.

ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has more than 350 personnel engaged and have received 35 FEMA Mission Assignments.

For Florida, it is providing temporary power, temporary roofing, debris removal, and infrastructure assessment.

NATIONAL GUARD

The U.S. National Guard Bureau  is sending additional personnel to support law enforcement and security operations; they’re scheduled to arrive in the affected areas in the next four days.

National Guard soldiers and airmen continue staffing critical points of distribution to deliver essential resources including food and water, and continue clearing debris to open roads in affected areas.

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

U.S. Department of Energy continues to ensure that fuel remains available in the areas impacted by Hurricanes Irma and Harvey.

The fuel situation is stable, and the department is working with its interagency and private sector partners to ensure that it remains available throughout the region.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve delivered 3.1 million barrels of crude, out of the 5.3 million authorized.

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Social Security Administration is working with the United States Postal Service and the Department of Treasury regarding check payments to be delivered.

Cycle 3 benefit payments will be delivered Wednesday.

They estimate approximately 5,700 checks will be issued in the areas affected by Irma. The agency will continue to monitor the status of all check payments in affected areas.

/by

How to Pick a Payroll Software for Your Business

Nav.com   By Eric Rosenberg

Congratulations! Your business has grown to the point where you are ready to hire employees. You are done with trading hours for dollars and you are building a team to help you with the hard work of running your company. But paying those new employees is easier said than done. As a new boss, you are held to strict payroll laws, tax rules, and employment regulations that are easy to mix up. If you want to hand off the hard work to a computer program or outsourced vendor, you are not alone. Here are some of the best options for a new business to manage payroll.

Do-It-Yourself or Full Service Payroll?

Your first question to ask yourself with payroll is a common first question when faced with a home improvement project: do it yourself or hire an expert? There are major upsides and downsides to both that are important to understand.

I used to run payroll manually for a nonprofit with one part-time employee. I used Quickbooks Desktop for this task, and found much of the experience straightforward. That said, I used to be a Senior General Accountant at a Fortune 500 company, so I had been around the block when it comes to bookkeeping and financial management.

Doing it myself, I was responsible for remembering to enter, print, and deliver paychecks. I had to send quarterly tax payments to the IRS, which when forgotten or delayed meant extra costs and fees. We didn’t have to pay anyone else to do the job and it wasn’t all that much work, but I didn’t have anyone looking over my shoulder or checking to ensure we were compliant with local, state, and Federal employment laws.

In my business today, where I am the only employee, I use an outsourced service to handle my payroll. I get a salary paid weekly, and my provider does everything for me. The cash is deducted from the business bank account, taxes are diverted for state and Federal payments, I get my paycheck direct deposited in my personal account, and all paperwork is taken care of without lifting a finger. However, I pay $45 per month for the service.

Bigger businesses with many employees and no dedicated accounting team are likely best off hiring a service to handle everything. However if you are confident, you can certainly save money doing it yourself.

Decide What Services You Need

Next, it’s time to figure out exactly what you need out of a payroll service or software. Do you want everything handled for you, or are you okay with a mix that includes some hands-on time with paperwork yourself?

These are some of the most common services offered for payroll:

  • Salary or hourly payroll entry
  • Paycheck delivery via mail and/or direct deposit
  • Tax withholding
  • Benefit withholdings and management
  • Tax reporting and payment

If you run a simple business with hourly employees, payroll, delivery, and taxes may be enough to meet your needs. If you are opening a startup with healthcare, 401(k), and other benefits, you may want that as well. Every provider is a little different, so find a service that offers everything you need and some features you may want in the foreseeable future.

Review Pricing, Support, And Customer Service

Most payroll services charge a base rate and then an additional cost per employee. My service charges $39 per month plus $6 per month per employee. As with most payroll providers, the average cost per employee goes down with more employees.

There are a range of companies offering these types of services, and each has its own unique cost structure and customer support. Options range from startups like Gusto and Justworks to large, established companies like ADP. Depending on your business model, the number of employees, and other factors, one might be a better fit for your needs than another.

Also take into consideration what types of support and customer service you have available as a customer of a payroll program. Because your payroll provider may be submitting tax filings on your behalf, it is important to work with a provider you can trust, easily contact, and quickly get answers to any question.

Narrow Down Your Top Payroll Software Option

At this point, you have reviewed your options, potential costs, and service options. With this information in mind, you should be able to quickly narrow your search down to a few top providers. After reviewing pricing and service, you can pick a winner that stands out from the rest of the pack.

Changing payroll software is not easy, so pick a company that you think will work for the long-haul. Factor in projected growth, as you don’t want to quickly outgrow your provider and change to a better suited service. The time, hassles, and costs of shutting down a payroll service and setting up a new one makes it important to choose the best provider the first time.

 

/by

Accounting Firm Among Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2017 Best Places to Work

ATLANTA, Sept. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ —

Acuity, an innovative accounting services firm, has been named one of Atlanta’s 2017 Best Places to Work by the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 14th-annual survey. Ranking 15th among medium-sized companies, this is the second consecutive year for Acuity to receive this honor.

Acuity Bookkeeping & Accounting

“When you think of an accounting firm, a fun and innovative work environment probably isn’t the first thing to come to mind,” said Matthew May, COO and founder. “Acuity is trying to change that. Our team has always been the backbone of our business, and we reward them for their commitment.”

The company also recently announced a partnership with MINDBODY, the world leader in software for the wellness services industry, serving more than 35 million consumers across 130 countries.

Bringing the Best Accounting Services to Fitness and Wellness Businesses
According to the Global Wellness Institute, the global wellness industry is “one of the world’s fastest-growing, most resilient markets.” Their research confirms that, even in the midst of a shrinking global economy, the wellness industry grew by 10.6% from 2013 to 2015 and is currently a $3.72 trillion dollar market.

Acuity is eager to extend their unique cloud accounting services to fitness and wellness businesses. To better serve and support an industry facing rapid growth, Acuity has expanded their dedicated bookkeeping team.

A Team Geared Towards Growth
Acuity credits their ability to expand into this new market to their exceptional team of accounting experts, eager to help fitness and wellness business owners offload the bookkeeping task, stay compliant, and coach them through strategic financial decisions.

“We saw a huge opportunity to serve fitness and wellness businesses and decided to do something about it,” said Kenji Kuramoto, CEO and founder. “These people are changing the world and are incredibly passionate about what they do. We found that our team really feeds off of that and our core values align very well.  Acuity is doing for businesses what fitness and wellness professionals are doing for individuals – helping them become balanced and whole.”

Acuity is set to attend MINDBODY BOLD, a fitness conference bringing together businesses across the wellness industry, on September 28 and 29 in San Diego, California. To celebrate the launch of this new vertical, Acuity is giving away a free trip to MINDBODY BOLD. You can nominate yourself, or a friend in the fitness or wellness space, right here.

About Acuity
Acuity is an online bookkeeping service that helps business owners reach their financial goals with confidence. By leveraging the best technologies and processes, Acuity gives businesses of all sizes easy access to a modern day accounting department. From basic bookkeeping to bill pay, invoicing to payroll and more, our forward-thinking financial experts serve as your dedicated bookkeeping team, giving you the freedom to focus more time on growing your business. For more information, visit acuity.co.

Media Contact
Kait Van Pelt
770 295 9325
rel=”nofollow”>kait.vanpelt@marketwake.com

/by