Tuesday's Daily Pulse

Will Short Gorham | 9/13/2011

Obama's jobs plan touts $7.5 billion, up to 63,000 jobs for Florida

Florida could haul in $7.52 billion used to create or save 63,000 jobs through President Obama's proposed American Jobs Act, according to projections released by the White House. Gov. Rick Scott is waiting to see whether the money comes with a commitment that the state provide future funding for jobs created or saved or for infrastructure. In the past, Scott has declined to compete for such funding. [Source: Palm Beach Post]

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Citizens Insurance agrees to phase in hefty rate hikes

Florida's largest insurer of homes and businesses has agreed to lower a proposed rate hike for sinkhole coverage that would take effect next year. But some critics said the move didn't go far enough and they still want state legislators to change the law that allowed the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to propose increasing rates for sinkhole coverage by more than 400 percent statewide and as much as 2000 percent in counties such as Orange and Hillsborough. The board that oversees Citizens held an emergency conference call Monday and voted to cap rate hikes for sinkhole coverage to 50 percent in 2012 and then phase in future hikes over the next several years. [Source: AP]

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Keiser University celebrates 35th year by becoming a nonprofit

Keiser University is starting its 35th year in business by giving away scholarships and giving up its status as a for-profit school.

Special Report Higher Education in Florida • Reven-U: Funding Higher Education • Taking Academics Online • A Mission Leap for Florida's Colleges • Non-Profits, For-Profits and Historically Black Colleges and Universities There are more stories in the series including a look at trendy dorms, education lobbyists, department successes, and class size struggles.

The university, founded in 1977, has received final approval from the Florida Department of Education to become a nonprofit college, officials said. The school was bought out earlier this year by the nonprofit Everglades University, based in Boca Raton. To mark the occasion, Keiser is holding events around the state and giving away $1 million in scholarships. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

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Investors hop on the bus for foreclosure bargains

They boarded the Foreclosure Express Bus early Saturday, ready to hunt for bargains amid South Florida's housing bust. The monthly tours, which start at $99, help investors find, buy and fix up the thousands of bank-owned homes across Broward and Palm Beach counties. "The distressed real estate in California and Florida is the biggest opportunity I've seen in my career," said Ray List, 67, a former chief executive of public companies and one of eight investors on Saturday's tour. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

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Small businesses can get new federal tax credit for offering health insurance

The Internal Revenue Service wants to make sure that small businesses know they may qualify for a new federal tax credit -- if they pay at least half their employees' health insurance premiums. This tax break could help some of the more than 4 million Floridians who don't have health insurance. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta said 27 percent of the Sunshine State's population lack the insurance. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

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ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Boca Raton's FriendFinder to acquire social sales site [Palm Beach Post]
FriendFinder Networks said today it will pay up to $65 million for a social deals site with operations in China, Malaysia and South Korea. Shares of Boca-based FriendFinder (Nasdaq: FFN) jumped as much as 6 percent on the news. FriendFinder, which publishes Penthouse magazine and such websites as AdultFriendFinder.com, said it will buy BDM Global Ventures Ltd., which owns JigoCity. FriendFinder describes JigoCity as "a global social commerce organization" that offers deals in 20 cities and has 150 employees.

› Sarasota Post Office sold for $1.06 million [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
After a protracted court fight, the U.S. Postal Service has taken title to the Sarasota Post Office property that had been held by the Band and Olivieri family trusts at a price well below the property's assessed value. The Postal Service had an option in its lease to purchase the property for $825,000, but that option had been the subject of a 2-year-old fight in federal court between the agency and the owners.

› FSU making push to be 'entrepreneurial university' [Tallahassee Democrat]
Sure, the nation's No. 1-ranked football team is coming to town this Saturday. But for multi-tasking students at Florida State, this is also the start of eWeek, or Entrepreneurial Week. What started out as eDay has evolved into seven days of championing the creative business spirit on FSU's campus.

› U.S. scrambling to meet offshore drilling date [Fuel Fix]
The Obama administration has less than 10 months to finish assembling its plan for selling offshore drilling leases over the next five years, and some oil industry leaders are worried the government is barely on track to meet a July 1 deadline for issuing the document.

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