Thursday's Afternoon Update

Will Short Gorham | 3/15/2012

How workers' compensation fared in 2012 Florida Legislature

Lawmakers managed to make workers’ compensation one of the more intriguing stories of the recent session. Since 2003, when lawmakers last reformed the state’s workers’ compensation law, any proposed workers’ compensation changes have been deemed a non-starter and at first that looked like it would be true again in 2012. [Source: Insurance Journal]

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Business Profile Crazy Woman Kayaks Sissel Robertson started Crazy Woman Kayaks three years ago in Montana and expanded the business last year to Fort Myers Beach, where she rents and sells kayaks during season at Fish-Tale Marina. Robertson, 59, found that starting a business here was more complicated than in Montana. "There are more regulations in Florida," she says. » Crazy Woman Kayaks

Old Amway Arena to be imploded on March 25

The city of Orlando has set March 25 for the implosion of the old Amway Arena. But it won't be like the full-blown blast that took out the old City Hall two decades ago and served as a background for a "Lethal Weapon" movie. The plan is to blow out the sides of the building and leave the roof standing, officials said. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

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Beach replenishment a tough issue in Florida

The St. Joseph Peninsula is picture-perfect Florida: 17 miles of sugar sand beach interrupted by a few clusters of homes, each with a million-dollar view of the Gulf of Mexico. But according to state officials, the peninsula on Florida's Panhandle cradles the state's most rapidly eroding beach — and replenishing the sand is costing state and local taxpayers millions of dollars. [Source: AP]

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OPINION: U.S.-Korea trade agreement good for Florida business

Good news for Florida's businesses: The U.S.-Korea Trade Agreement officially takes effect today. As a result, local firms have more opportunities to sell their goods and services in the 12th-largest economy in the world. As we all know, exports are important to the nation's economic health and are vital to Florida's economy. [Source: Tampa Tribune]

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Online job postings in Northeast Florida up for the month and year

Online job advertising in Northeast Florida is on the rise. The number of online job ads rose 2.3 percent in February from the year before, and surged 17.4 percent from January. That’s according to WorkSource, the First Coast Workforce Development Inc. office that covers the region of Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties. [Source: Jacksonville Daily Record]

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Classic Collection Classic car auction rolls into Florida A 1956 Rolls-Royce featured in the 1981 comedy "Arthur" starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli is among the vintage cars up for grabs this weekend at the 10th annual Collector Cars of Fort Lauderdale auction. Its expected sale price? A mere $100,000 to $125,000, according to organizers. "This is by far our biggest year ever," with more vehicles being offered, said Donnie Gould, president of Auctions America. "It's a great place to put your money right now," Gould said of the car collectors market. "It's a very safe investment." Read more from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and see the collection.

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