Thursday's Afternoon Update

Will Short Gorham | 3/8/2012

Florida employers announce 1,380 cuts in February

Florida employers announced 1,380 job cuts in February, according to data from global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Florida’s job cuts ranked fourth in the Southeast, surpassed by Virginia (1,506 job cuts), North Carolina (1,446) and Georgia (1,389). Unlike 2011, when government job cuts dominated, cuts in 2012 have been concentrated in the consumer products and transportation sectors. Read more from the South Florida Business Journal and South Florida Sun-Sentinel and see the report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

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Business Profile Mike Ragsdale started his 30A.com website and mobile app as a hobby to help visitors to Santa Rosa Beach enjoy the scenic stretch of county road 30A. The guide highlights places to visit and eat, upcoming events and other details about the area. Then two of his friends, Jeff Armstrong and Darren Nelson, started similar mobile guides in Panama City and Destin — and soon their sidelines ballooned into a partnership, Town Wizard. » More about Town Wizard

Florida Democrats bash state budget plan

Florida Democrats are sending a blistering message to Republican legislative leaders about next year's budget deal and calling on Gov. Rick Scott to veto it. Democrats call the $70 billion spending plan a reckless pork-barrel budget that continues an assault on education in Florida. [Source: First Coast News]

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Fuel economy key as Lauderdale Auto Show opens

Carmakers from around the world will be showing off their 2013 models, electric vehicles, classic autos and even motorcycles and jet-skis when the 21st annual Fort Lauderdale International Auto Show opens Thursday. An estimated 100,000 to 125,000 people are expected to attend the four-day show at the Broward County Convention Center. Proceeds benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County. Fuel efficiency will be a top concern this year, as the price of gas nears $4 a gallon, said Cliff Ray, show coordinator for the South Florida Automobile Dealers Association. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

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Vote coming on private renovation of historic Miami Marine Stadium

After several false starts, Miami commissioners are poised to vote on creating a committee to oversee the $30 million renovation of historic Miami Marine Stadium — a Virginia Key architectural marvel and concert venue until Hurricane Andrew ripped through two decades ago. [Source: Miami Herald]

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Sanford company receives Exporter of the Year award

Hernon Manufacturing Inc. was named a 2012 Exporter of the Year award winner in the materials category by ThinkGlobal Inc. The Sanford-based company is a manufacturer of high-performance adhesives, sealants and related dispensing and curing equipment. It is currently the 12th-largest manufacturing company in Central Florida, up from 16th-largest in 2011. [Source: Orlando Business Journal]

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One for the History Books FSC Campus Designated a National Historic Landmark Florida Southern College's Frank Lloyd Wright-designed campus has been designated a National Historic Landmark. The Florida Southern College Historic District, known as Wright's "Child of the Sun" Campus, is the world's largest single-site collection of his work. Florida Southern was one of 13 sites in the nation to receive the designation Tuesday. Florida Southern President Anne Kerr said that nearly 75 years after Wright started work on the site, the west campus still offers a "marvelous educational ?environment" that has become "one of the nation's most significant and most visited cultural tourist destinations." Read more from the Lakeland Ledger and see our video and photo gallery of FSC.

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