March 28, 2024

Tuesday's Daily Pulse

What you need to know about Florida today

| 12/4/2012

Health insurers learn how to woo customers

As the health care overhaul moves ahead, the nation's health insurers are scrambling to reinvent themselves, hoping to boost their image and entice millions of Americans to enroll, some for the first time. The new customers will mostly shop for and buy their own insurance — a different and harder-to-reach group than the industry's traditional employer clients. [Source: Kaiser Health News]

Related:
» Florida Senate committee takes first look at implementing health care law
» Federal health law touches off brouhaha
» 'Obamacare' foes vent to Senate panel


Florida Trend Exclusive
Panama Canal expansion: A game changer?

Panama Canal
At this story, you'll find what you need to know when you cut through the hype about the expanding of the Panama Canal.

Florida is that rare state with a trade surplus; thanks largely to south Florida, it exports more than it imports. Florida’s 15 deep-water ports plan to spend $2.6 billion over five years deepening their channels, adding cranes, dockside rail and other infrastructure to better position themselves to capture the cargo traffic and the good-paying jobs that trade generates. Part of the building boom is focused on giant ships that will begin transiting a wider Panama Canal in 2015. Read the full analysis of what the canal expansion will mean for Florida.


Florida Trend Exclusive
Florida international trade stats

Florida employs 530,671 people in trade and logistics, including air, rail, water and truck transportation, pipelines and warehousing. The top five counties for trade traffic are Miami-Dade, Duval, Hillsborough, Polk and Broward. Read our full rundown of Florida trade stats and Florida's Seaports, Airports and Foreign Trade Zones by-the-numbers


YOU'RE INVITED
to a FREE Web Chat

Topic: Florida-Colombia Trade Links
When: Tues., Dec. 11 @ 12 noon
Where: FloridaTrend.com/chats
Downtown Bogota
Downtown Bogotá
Join Florida Trend writer Lilly Rockwell and other guests as they take your questions on doing business in Colombia.

arrowClick for more information, and to sign up for an email alert!

Gas prices staying flat – for now

Gas prices continue to be flat at the start of December and experts say it's likely prices will remain relatively flat until the New Year. "Although gas prices are forecast to remain relatively stable throughout the month, if a plan is announced to resolve the nation's debt issues, we could see gas prices inch back up,” said Jessica Brady, AAA spokeswoman. [Source: Gainesville Sun]


Counties fear $100M price of state cost-cutting proposal

A state cost-cutting proposal that would shift about 5,600 inmates from state prisons to county jails would blow a $100-million hole in the budgets of counties already suffering from revenue losses in a down economy, according to the Florida Association of Counties. And that has many county officials, who say they can't afford – or, in some cases, physically house – more inmates in their jails, on high alert. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]


ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› University of Florida moves up in national rankings for research spending
A new report from the National Science Foundation shows the University of Florida jumped from 14th to 12th in a national ranking of research and development spending at the top 30 public universities in 2011. Nationally, universities increased their expenditures for research and development by 4 percent between the 2010 and 2011 fiscal years. UF beat the national average, increasing its research expenditures by 8.5%.

› Training-simulation trade show looks for record year
Despite jitters over the potential for "fiscal cliff" cuts in U.S. military spending, the training-simulation's industry's largest trade show is in Orlando this week for what organizers hope will be the biggest show in its history.

› Street art brings life to a Miami neighborhood
One of the nation's largest art fairs, Art Basel, opens this week in Miami. But days before the fair launches in Miami Beach, the party had already started across the bridge, in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood.

› Maitland's Digital Risk to be acquired by HP subsidiary
In a deal worth at least $175 million, an Indian subsidiary of the Hewlett-Packard Company has agreed to acquire Digital Risk LLC, one of Central Florida's fastest growing high-tech companies in recent years.


Go to page 2 for more stories ...

Tags: Daily Pulse

In case you missed it:

Florida Trend Video Pick

Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices
Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices

Central Floirda chocolate shops are left with a bitter taste as cocoa prices hit an all-time high earlier this week.

Video Picks | Viewpoints@FloridaTrend

Ballot Box

Should Congress ban the popular social media app TikTok in the U.S.?

  • Yes
  • No
  • Need more details
  • What is TikTok?
  • Other (Comment below)

See Results

Florida Trend Media Company
490 1st Ave S
St Petersburg, FL 33701
727.821.5800

© Copyright 2024 Trend Magazines Inc. All rights reserved.