TAMPA - A former Westshore Hotel employee has filed a lawsuit claiming the business knowingly exposed its employees and occupants to a dangerous work environment of asbestos, mildew and mold.
 
The lawsuit, filed by former hotel engineer Tom Voorhees, says the hotel wrongfully fired him for blowing the whistle on the conditions. Voorhees wants lost pay, medical expenses and punitive damages for possible health issues. The lawsuit was filed in Hillsborough Circuit Court last month.
"I was definitely directly handling asbestos with no protection because I didn't know it was there," Voorhees said.

Recent studies have shown that green buildings lead to higher rental income, lower occupancy rates, and an additional premium at the time of sale. Now a new study by the University of San Diego and CBRE allows building owners to add increased worker productivity to their list of green building benefits.
 
Norm G. Miller (University of San Diego) and Dave Pogue (CBRE) wrote the report, which will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Sustainable Real Estate.

ATLANTA (MyFOX ATLANTA) - Many of the flood shelters are closing down Thursday, including one of the largest, the Cobb County Civic Center. Many of the flood victims can't go home yet, but those who are home could be facing the long term problem of mold.