Staff Report | South Florida Times

Davie, Fla. – Air Pros USA, a leading residential and commercial air conditioning services company, has announced the appointment of Richard Outram, FCCA, CPA, CFE, CGMA, as its chief financial officer.

With more than 35 years of experience in financial management, Outram will lead Air Pros USA’s financial initiatives and develop strategies to optimize the company’s financial performance as they continue to rapidly grow and acquire new businesses.

Outram has extensive expertise in executive financial management, leading companies through strategic phases of profitable organic and acquisitive growth and life cycles.

In his previous role as CFO at Cinch Homes Services, Outram led the company through transformation and significant growth.

“As Air Pros USA continues to double their revenue yearly, it is my goal to keep them in a strong financial position for prime opportunities and investments,” said Outram. “I am excited to join their team at this critical time of expansion.”

Outram is a certified public accountant, certified management accountant, and certified fraud examiner.

He serves as a board member of Financial Executives International’s South Florida Chapter and the nonprofit Step up for Students.

Outram also has authored several books including, “Cracking the CFO Code- Relationship Selling to Finance Executives,” and the childrens’ financial literacy series, “The Adventures of Exokid and the Teachings of Money” and “The Adventures of Exokid – Growing Financial Wings.”

He also hosts the podcast series “Prepare4 Growth,” where he discusses leadership.

Air Pros USA was founded as a father-son business in Fort Lauderdale, with a single truck and two people.

Since then, the company has grown to more than $100 million in annual revenue, employs 500 people, and serves more than a half million customers in multiple markets.

Outram’s hiring comes at a key moment in Air Pros USA’s development as the company continues to grow its national presence in new cities and states.

Air Pros USA recently entered the Louisiana market in 2022 and now operates in eight states and more than a dozen metro areas including Miami, Orlando, Dallas, Atlanta, Colorado Springs, Mobile and Spokane.

Richard’s approach to financial management will help Air Pros USA identify key partnerships for development in new markets,” Anthony Perera, founder and CEO of Air Pros USA.

“His long track record of achieving results for fast growing companies will help guide our team as we work towards exceeding our 2021 records and ensure we stay on that trajectory.”

For other information visit airprosusa.com.

Washington (AP) – A jury decided Wednesday that former television talk show host Tavis Smiley, who was fired amid allegations of workplace sexual misconduct at the height of the #MeToo movement, must pay about $1.5 million to his former employer, the Public Broadcasting Service.

Smiley was suspended in December 2017 and later fired from the PBS after the network said it had received multiple, credible allegations of misconduct by Smiley on his late-night interview show. He was on air with PBS for more than a decade, broadcast to more than 200 stations nationwide. Smiley, who is black, was the only minority to have served as the solo host in the history of the network, according to his lawsuit.

He was fired amid the wave of #MeToo reports of sexual misconduct in the workplace by powerful figures in movies, media and politics that began with allegations against Harvey Weinstein and also led to the departure of Smiley’s fellow PBS talkshow host Charlie Rose. Weinstein has been convicted in New York City of rape and sexual assault against two women and will be sentenced next week.

Smiley first sued PBS in D.C. Superior Court, contending that racial bias contributed to his dismissal and he was wrongly terminated without proof. He acknowledged having romantic relationships with colleagues over his career, but says they were consensual. He sought $1 million. The network counter-sued, arguing in part that Smiley owed the network for a season that didn’t air.

At issue was the network’s “morals” clause, which bars romantic relationships in the office and also disallows employees from acting in a way that would impact the employee or network in a negative way.

Jurors heard testimony from six female employees who described misconduct claims. Smiley denied the allegations. The jury deliberated for about a day before reaching a verdict in the civil case.

Smiley’s attorneys said they would appeal. “We are disappointed in the jury’s verdict but respect the process,” said attorney John Rubiner. PBS later said in a statement the network was pleased with the jury’s decision.

“PBS expects our producing partners to provide a workplace where people feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect,” the network said. “It was important for us to ensure that the courageous women who came forward were able to share their stories and that we continue to uphold the values and standards of our organization.”

This article originally appeared in The South Florida Times.

(Black PR Wire) – The first international Essence Global Black Economic Forum is being held in Accra, Ghana during the eight day Essence Full Circle Festival experience.

The festival that began Dec. 27 and continues through Jan. 3, commemorates the “Year of Return,” honoring common heritage and celebrating African ancestry, culture and achievement.

Organizers said the Essence Global Black Economic Forum: Africa, at the Movenpick Hotel, has a mission to create new opportunities for economic development, cultural exchange and how the private sector can help sustainably drive this development and transform African communities on the continent and across the Diaspora.

The Forum, a centerpiece of the week-long Essence Full Circle Festival activities, is convening entrepreneurs, executives, entertainers, influencers and government officials to establish an agenda driving economic and cultural collaboration among Black communities globally.

The plan is to partner with additional African nations to further this mission, with upcoming cities to be announced.

The festival is uniting more than 200 influencers and business executives from the United States and across the Diaspora with Ghanaian and regional leaders and communities via a cultural exploration of history, cuisine, music, fashion, nightlife, commerce and more.

Local collaborations have been key in helping to curate the Essence Full Circle Festival experience, with Ghanaian businesses and brands such as Giraffe & Co., Gold Coast, BBnZ, Kollage & Glitz, Sankofa Chips, R&R Luxury, DUNK, Joselyn Dumas Foundation, Studio Online, Best AM, linkn solutions, and Enosh by Design.

In addition to the Essence Global Black Economic Forum: Africa, engagement activities during the week include cultural and heritage experiences in Cape Coast, Kumasi, and Ada, city tours of Accra, local events, and a Service and Exchange Day in Accra on Jan. 2 that will include volunteer initiatives as well as entrepreneurship and creative industry masterclasses.

The Essence Full Circle Festival is a venture between Full Circle Festival, LLC – founded by Boris Kodjoe, Bozoma Saint John, and Patrick Kodjoe, all of Ghanaian descent, and Nicole Ari Parker – in partnership with Essence Ventures, an independent consumer technology company – founded by Liberian entrepreneur, investor and social impact innovator Richelieu Dennis – that merges content, community and commerce and is the parent company of Essence Communications, Inc.

The inaugural Full Circle Festival took place in December 2018 and brought more than 100 guests to Accra for cultural engagement and ancestral reconnection, resulting in an estimated economic impact of more than $70 million in tourism revenue for Ghana.

Under the newly-formed partnership, the Essence Full Circle Festival is focusing on a three-part mission: (1) supporting cultural ownership and economic collaboration among Africans on the continent and people of African descent in the Diaspora; (2) connecting Black communities globally for the exchange of ideas and shared objectives that leads to cultural monetization and community reinvestment; and (3) facilitating the global learning and discovery of African nations as ancestral, spiritual, cultural and commercial epicenters.

“This partnership recognizes Ghana’s role as a beacon for people of African descent in this Year of Return,” said His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo, president of Ghana.

“The Year of Return, Ghana 2019, is a conscious effort to cement our pan-African legacy,” the president added. “Throughout the Year, the Tourism Authority has worked with several partner organizations to welcome home our brothers and sisters from the Diaspora. The Essence Full Circle Festival is a welcome addition to the activities and will hopefully become one of the legacies of the year which celebrates African resilience.”

For other details regarding the Essence Global Black Economic Forum: Africa, visit essencefullcirclefestival.wrstbnd.com.

This article originally appeared in the South Florida Times.

By Reverend O’Neal Dozier

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – God has heard my prayers, the prayers of the righteous and the true patriotic Americans who love America and who want to maintain our republic and democracy. I have asked and begged God in my prayer closet to remove Donald Trump from the office of the Presidency of the United States of America, because of his unfitness to lead this nation that God loves so dearly.

The righteous and the true patriotic Americans are pleased to see that the House of Representatives have launched a formal impeachment inquiry into president Donald Trump’s attempts to strong-arm Ukraine into digging up dirt on presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Yes, president Donald Trump used his presidential executive powers to pressure the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, to investigate his political rival, former vice president and 2020 presidential contender Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. The president threatened to withhold $400 million dollars of financial aid approved by Congress unless Ukraine met his demands. Ukraine depends upon this financial aid militarily to be able to counter Russia’s aggression at their border.

The president even implicated several of his top administrative officials in the phone call on July 25, 2019 to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, including, Attorney General William Barr, Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ruby Giuliani, president Trump’s personal attorney.

This offense was made worse when the president tried to conceal the call transcript from the public by moving it to a system or server reserved for the government’s most sensitive secrets. Such a misuse and abuse of presidential power is grounds for impeachment.

After the controversy broke, the media reported that the Trump administration had also restricted access to records of Trump’s conversations with the leaders of China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Australia. It was subsequently revealed that this placement was for political reasons, and not for national security reasons, which are the only valid reasons to use such a server. Later on, president Trump also publicly urged Ukraine and China to investigate the Bidens. All of president Trump’s multiple conspiracy theories about the Bidens have been proven to be false.

These theories have been spread by Trump himself, his supporters, and right-wing media.

Here, we have a clear and classic case of abuse of power by president Trump and his administration, which calls for impeachment of president Trump.

The framers of the United States Constitution recognized that abuses of presidential powers are impeachable offenses. Therefore, according to Article II. Section 4 of the United States Constitution, President Trump has committed an impeachable offense, which calls for his removal from office.

He has committed “high crimes and misdemeanors”. Article II. Section 4 of the United States Constitution states that, the president, vice president and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

President Trump committed a “high crime” because what he did was severe. You see, it depends on the severity of the abuse of power. In the phrase “high crimes and misdemeanors”, the word “high” was intended to signal that the offense needed to be serious. We shouldn’t remove presidents in particular, for any misdeed or mistake they may make. However, when a president withholds financial aid approved by Congress to a foreign nation unless that foreign nation digs up dirt on his presidential opponent, this is certainly a serious offense and should qualify as a “high crime.”

President Trump was willing to let Ukraine fall under foreign (Russian)

domination unless they dug up dirt on his presidential opponent. What he did was not justified because it was not in America’s national interest. Rather, it was all about his personal interest. Remember, it’s not a crime argument here. The only overriding issue at hand is whether president Trump abused his powers to get dirt on his presidential opponent by withholding financial aid, approved by Congress to a foreign nation. The facts surrounding this controversy are crystal clear: President Trump, indeed used his executive powers to urge the Ukrainian president to dig up dirt on his presidential opponent, Joe Biden and his son. Moreover, president Trump has admitted to it openly on television, giving the U.S. House of Representatives all of the evidence it needs to prepare Articles of Impeachment and vote to impeach him from the office of the presidency.

I have come to the realization that America’s democratic process is broken and that our democracy and Republic are in danger of total destruction under the leadership of president Donald Trump and that the only entity that can save our democracy and Republic is the true church of Jesus Christ. America’s democracy is broken because the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate and the Republican minority in the U.S. House of Representatives are hell bent in their support of president Donald Trump’s corruptive and dictatorial leadership.

The reason the Republicans in both houses of Congress overwhelmingly support and defend president Trump openly, not privately, is because they are held hostage by president Trump’s Republican base, which is about 24 percent of eligible voters.

This 24 percent base believes everything president Trump says, no matter what the facts are. President Trump can shoot someone on Wall Street and they would still support and defend him, according to President Trump himself. Yes, I know that it is hard to believe that this 24 percent Trump base could hold the Republicans in Congress hostage, but it is a fact.

The Republicans in Congress are afraid to speak out against president Trump, in fear that he would tweet a nasty message against them and that his base would not support their next election. The Republicans are selling their souls to the devil and disgracing themselves to maintain their seats in Congress. Many of these Republicans are confessed Christians, who are violating the tenets of their religion in the support of president Trump.

The majority of the voters within the 24 percent of Trump’s base are also confessed Christians, who have decided to violate their religious convictions.

It is time for all Christians to reveal the courage that resides within us.

It is time to impeach and remove president Trump!

Rev. Dr. O’Neal Dozier, a Republican stalwart, is pastor of Worldwide Christian Center in Pompano Beach, Florida.

This article originally appeared in the South Florida Times.

By C. B. Hanif

AVENTURA, Fla. – What a difference 32 years make.

Ronald Reagan was president when the National Association of Black Journalists last held its annual convention in South Florida.

That 1987 gathering at the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami, was memorable for its day cruise to the Bahamas, and for DeWayne Wickham’s landslide election as the group’s president.

Today, Wickham, one of NABJ’s founders, also is the founding dean and a professor of Journalism at Morgan State University’s School of Global Journalism and Communications, whose unprecedented partnership with The Wall Street Journal he announced, along with the Journal’s Editor-in-Chief Matthew Murray, at this year’s convention.

Not only did 4,200 journalists arrive for NABJ’s 2019 Convention and Career Fair hosted by the local NABJ-South Florida Chapter.

Four presidential candidates – Corey Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders and Bill Well – also made appearances, foreshadowing next year’s meeting in Washington, D.C. There, it’s unlikely any November 2020 candidate will bypass an invitation to address the nation’s largest organization of media professionals of color. Then again, odds are, one candidate will.

Meanwhile, Journalism students from Arated Inlet Grove High School in Riviera Beach, refusing to miss an NABJ Convention in their backyard, traveled to volunteer, learn, meet lifelong mentors and new friends, and capture some of the photos appearing with this story. They are encouraging friends to join them next year in the nation’s capitol.

Speaking of 2020, NABJ also announced a return to joint conventions with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists next year, and at Ceasar’s Palace in Las Vegas in 2022.

Between is NABJ’s return to Houston.

What a difference 32 years make. In 1897, Riviera Beach native Yvette Miley, and her best friend Kim Godwin, were local television producers in West Palm Beach – and soon founding members of the Palm Beach Association of Black Journalists. Today, Miley is senior vice president for NBC News & MSNBC, and Godwin is CBS executive vice president of News, both based in New York.

Another thing that wasn’t happening in 1987 is the NABJ Student Multimedia Project. Founded by longtime NABJ-er Sheila Brooks, the project guides “NABJ Babies” in producing the NABJ Monitor daily convention newspaper, as well as daily NABJ TV newscasts, podcasts and more, under the tutelage of seasoned professionals.

Find all that coverage at nabjmonitor.com/2019. For other information regarding the National Association of Black Journalists, visit nabj.org.

This article originally appeared in the South Florida Times.

By South Florida Times

MIAMI – The number of states that have approved legalizing marijuana increases each year. Florida has taken another step in that direction. Prosecutors in Florida’s largest county say they will stop prosecuting minor marijuana cases as a result of a new state law that legalized hemp.

There is no police crime lab in South Florida that tests for a cannabis chemical that gets users high. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a Friday statement that authorities can’t “visually or microscopically” distinguish marijuana from hemp, which only has trace amounts of the psychoactive compound.

Miami-Dade police hope to conduct lab tests for felony cases within six months. Fernandez Rundle said proving misdemeanors of possession of 20 grams or less would be a “significant expenditure”a practice that is not favored.

Tallahassee’s state attorney also halted marijuana prosecutions after the law went into effect July 1.

This article originally appeared in the South Florida Times.