FYI Miami is a weekly feature of Miami Today, keeping readers ahead of the news. Here are highlights from the most current edition.

METER ADS EXPIRED: Due to opposition from downtown business owners and residents, the Miami Parking System has postponed indefinitely a plan to raise revenues by placing advertising on parking meters, said Art Noriega, executive director. He said people are overwhelmed with advertising on newsstands and banners and "don't want to see anything else installed in the public right of way."

CENTER FUNDING: Although Gov. Jeb Bush vetoed $150,000 for the Trade Mission Center of the Americas because he said the program lacked a statewide focus, Chairman Jay Malina said it is fully operational thanks to county funding, including $200,000 this year and $100,000 sought next year. Another $30,000 source, he said, will soon be announced. Mr. Malina said the center, which within two weeks will have three staffers, will refocus on federal and state grants to advance international trade. He said the fledgling agency may review priorities. "We're obviously going to sharpen our focus. We're very optimistic about the trade mission center's future."

NACHLINGER PAY: Robert J. Nachlinger, who will replace Bertha Henry as Miami's assistant city manager for finance and administration July 5, was offered a salary of $122,169 plus benefits, including a leased car and an 8% contribution to his city pension. Mr. Nachlinger formerly worked for the city in 1997 during its financial emergency and most recently was finance director for Homestead.

NEW BANK: Bristol Bank has opened for business at 1493 Sunset Drive, Coral Gables. The bank, said Peter Dunbar, president and CEO, "has spent the last six months honing the skills of its staff and fine tuning its operations."

PRO SEARCH: Pro Player Stadium President Bruce Schulze says executives remain in a search mode, scouring the globe for a naming-rights partner to replace the 10-year, $20 million Pro sports line contract with Fruit of the Loom. Stadium officials won a federal court's permission in April to change contract names after the clothing retailer filed for bankruptcy in December, shutting down its sports apparel division this year. Mr. Schulze said the goal is to land a new moniker by the start of the Miami Dolphins' season in September.

SHIPS GET MOVING BUFFER: Miami-Dade Commissioners approved an ordinance Tuesday to restrict personal boats, including jet skis and wave-runners, from coming too close to commercial boats in the channels of the Port of Miami. The ordinance prohibits recreational boaters within 500 feet of the front of a commercial ship and 100 from a ship's sides or stern. Bruno Barreiro sponsored the ordinance as a way, he said, to increase safety and protect commercial interests at the port.

MORALES HONORED: Miami-Dade Commissioner Jimmy Morales was awarded the 2000 Bill Colson Leadership Award at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce's weekend goals conference. According to the citation, Mr. Morales was cited for taking the lead in government reform issues, including campaign finance and procurement.

E-ELECTION DATA: In the spirit of campaign finance reform, commissioners Tuesday OK'd an ordinance sponsored by Mr. Morales that requires electronic reporting and posting of campaign contributions and expenditures for candidates seeking elected office in the county. The information is to be posted on the Internet within three business days of reporting. A final report is due four days before an election and is to be posted at least two days before an election. The measure applies to candidates for the commission, mayor, community council and fire board.

BUDGET WORKSHOP: Miami-Dade Commissioners will get a first chance to discuss the 2000-01 county budget at a workshop June 13. Commissioners will take up the budget after weighing potential changes to the governance structure at Miami International Airport at 2 p.m.

SIGN OFF: Florida Gov. Jeb Bush signed a bill into law that would promote the growth of the information technology sector in Florida. Among other things, it includes a tax exemption for investments in infrastructure to create a Network Access Point — an Internet data switching station. Also on hand for the signing was Roy Cales, the state's chief information officer, and Julia Johnson, chair of the Information Service Technology Development Task Force. Details: www.flgov.com.

INTERESTING FACTS: Forty-two percent of Hispanic households in the US have a computer, According to 2000 figures from Cheskin Research. That number is up 68% from the past two years, experts say. Also, 28% of these households are Internet users.

JOINT E-VENTURE: Foodtrader.com, which is a business-to-business marketplace for global food exchange announced a joint marketing agreement with Tachyon Inc. — an Internet infrastructure company. Through Tachyon's two-way satellite connections Foodtrader members in rural communities will be able to access the Internet. The service utilizes geostationary satellites to make two-way broadband access to the Internet available to remote locations, company executives say.

TEEN E-TALK: StarMedia, an Internet company for Spanish and Portuguese speaking audiences and Pepsi-Cola launched www.pidemasonline.com. Promoters are calling the site the first pan-regional online community created for teens by teens. The site, which was launched in Puerto Rico, will soon be launched in Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela.

SPORTS STARS: Miami-based Sportsya.com — a Spanish and Portuguese language Internet sports portal — announced a partnership with two Brazilian sports stars. Formula One World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi and soccer player Zico will serve as advisors to the portal by contributing editorial content and multi-media commentaries, promoters said.

LEGAL MATTERS: Do you have any legal questions? Get answers to them at b4blaw.com. The Coral Gables-based site is an interactive solution provider that allows users to address legal problems either alone or with their attorney, promoters say. The site also makes legal forms and information more accessible to small businesses and the general public. Company executives say b4blaw.com provides free legal information in four areas: bankruptcy & collections, estate planning, real estate and start-up & small business. Details: (305) 476-0680

CREATIVE SURFING: QuickCreative.com, an online graphics design company, was launched in Miami. Promoters say the site allows users to download professionally designed marketing materials. "QuickCreative customers are offered professional, Fortune 500-looking designs at a fraction of the cost and time," said Brian McCarthy, the company's co-founder.

NEW TENANT: MCI Worldcom purchased 14.9 acres for $8.3 million at International Corporate Park located between Northwest 107th Avenue and Northwest 19th Street in the Airport West area. Broadband fiber worth $70 million will be installed at the facility, promoters said. Easton & Associates, which owns the property, closed the transaction.

E-XPANDING: Viajo.com, a provider of Internet travel services for Latin America, launched operations in Brazil, Argentina and Chile, company executives say. By 2003 Brazil is expected to have some 20.1 million Internet users. Argentina and Chile are expected to have 4.0 million and 1.3 million Internet users by 2003, respectively, according to Forrester Research. Details: (305) 344-436

NEW NEWS: Executives at the Web Hatchery — a South Florida-based incubator launched MundoIT.com, a Spanish language Internet news service focused on information technology issues. Promoters say the up-to-the-minute news service tracks trends and developments in the technology sector and how they affect Latin America. The e-company has an in-house staff of journalists and correspondents in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Spain. Details: (954) 334-0400.

SOFT TO SOFT: Softbank Latin America Ventures spearheaded the first round of financing for LearningSoft Corp., which is the parent company of Jugamos.com and VamosBrincar.com — Spanish and Portuguese-language educational game websites, company executives say. The total round was $13 million, promoters said. Details: LearningSoft, (305) 500-9959.