Florida Agenda

By Dale Madison When you sit across from George Castrataro, you can tell immediately that he is a man possessed of a welldefined vision. “When I started to practice law, I had a definite business plan,” recalls Castrataro, as we take our seats in the new downtown Fort Lauderdale location of the Law Offices of [...]

When you sit down with Keith Blackburn, the President and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (GFLGLCC), you know you are facing someone who is on a mission. That mission—one that Blackburn has defined for himself and for the Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors area—is to create the world’s [...]

AIDS Health Foundation (AHF):Taking the Fight Locally By Dale Madison   When Mark Martin was tapped in December 2010 to take over the local branch of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), he knew there were some pretty big shoes he had to fill. His predecessor, Mark Bode, was recognized for doing an amazing job in opening [...]

By Dale Madison   Stephen Fallon, the Executive Director of Latinos Salud, knows his way around an HIV/AIDS service organization, having worked in that niche of the non-profit industry since 1995. In 2000, he began working with gay and minority-based agencies and clinics that wanted to expand their HIV prevention and support services. “I’ve met [...]

By DALE MADISON Long a fixture on Wilton Drive, Shawn & Nick’s Courtyard Café has been known for years as a great place for breakfast and lunch, or a late-night, post-weekend-bar-crawl snack. The story goes well beyond that. When was the last time—especially in South Florida—that you heard of a business deal being made over [...]

By DALE MADISON Brad Casey has been a name synonymous with the publication business in South Florida for over 20 years. Having started out with his deep, dulcet voice on AM radio (yes, it was in the Stone Age) Casey quickly rose to the top of his game in broadcast. Then a new offer came [...]

By DALE MADISON One of the legendary figures in South Florida’s club scene is Victor Zepka, owner of the Boardwalk Bar. Looking back from the “vantage point” of 1984, who would have thought that what started as a piano bar in Sunny Isles would become one of the world’s most famous male strip nightclubs? Zepka [...]

By DALE MADISON I always enjoy hearing the back stories of how so many entrepreneurs got their starts in business. This writer first met Russ Johannsen when he was a young, star bartender at the original Cathode Ray on Las Olas Boulevard. I knew him again for years at the Eagle, and finally after he [...]

By DALE MADISON Do the names Jean Doherty and Veronique Leroux sound familiar? These women own one of the hottest little restaurants in South Florida. Le Patio boasts just 282 square feet, making it one of the most intimate dining places around. It has certainly become one of my favorite eateries. On April 1, the [...]

By DALE MADISON Stephanie Lee, one of the owners of the new Wilton Drive eatery Pinché Taqueria, has enjoyed her share of twists and turns, both personally and professionally. Lee, along with business partner Jeff Chartier, has been a professional restaurateur for three years. She and Chartier met when both worked in the financial industry, [...]