March 29, 2024

Thursday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 1/24/2013

Florida turns to Massachusetts for health insurance advice

Florida lawmakers considering how to implement the federal health care overhaul sought information this week from two economists on the Massachusetts initiative that served as the blueprint for the national plan. Massachusetts pioneered an approach emulated in the federal Affordable Care Act with its 2006 health care initiative and is currently the only state that requires individuals to have health insurance. More at the Insurance Journal.


Orlando Magic charity announces gifts totaling $1 million

The Orlando Magic Youth Fund surprised 17 local charities with more than $1 million in checks at an NBA-draft-style ceremony this morning at the Amway Center. It's big money that will help the nonprofit organizations promote literacy, childhood nutrition and education and help foster kids and teen moms. More at the Orlando Sentinel.


"Marketplace" searches for the new American Dream in Miami

Marketplace Morning Report is spending the first week of President Obama’s second term broadcasting from Miami and demonstrating what some of the president’s inaugural themes mean in real life. More at the Miami Herald and Marketplace.


Squatting in style: 23-year-old occupies empty $2.5 million Boca home

Regulations

Cheesemaker Hits Wall With the Law

cheese
Antonio Casamento got into the cheese business innocently enough. Seeking a healthy hobby for his two children as an alternative to video games and other electronic fare, the Tampa man -- who grew up in Florence, Italy -- invested in water buffalo and began using the animal's milk to make the white, milky cheese of his homeland. There's just one problem: he can't legally sell the cheese for human consumption.

» More from the Lakeland Ledger.

Andre Barbosa is squatting in style. The 23-year-old has moved into an empty $2.5 million mansion in a posh Boca Raton neighborhood, using an obscure Florida real estate law to stake his claim on the foreclosed waterside property. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.


Famous Dave’s barbecue chain eyes Florida

Barbecue restaurant chain Famous Dave’s is looking to add as many as 50 stores in Florida over the next several years. The company is in talks with franchise candidates all over the state and is scouting locations for corporate stores along the I-4 corridor. More at the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Out of the Box
Flying High

g650 It's a screaming banshee of speed, the fastest civilian jet in the sky, capable of flying from London to Los Angeles in under 10 hours. An airborne carriage of luxury, the Gulfstream G650 private jet also carries a sky-high pricetag: $65 million. So leave it to Preston Henn, colorful owner of the Swap Shop in Lauderhill, to buy the first G650 off the assembly line.

» Full story from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel


Tags: Daily Pulse

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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

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