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Wednesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 5/15/2013

Florida 'fertile ground' for fraudsters

With its retirees sitting on their nest eggs, a transient immigrant population and plenty of wealthy Floridians, it may come as no surprise there are a lot of schemers targeting the Sunshine State. "It does create a fertile ground for fraudsters," said Glenn Stuart Gordon, associate regional director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Miami office. On Wednesday, Gordon and other financial and law-enforcement authorities gathered in Orlando to discuss fraud, identity theft and other types of financial exploitation. More at the Orlando Sentinel.

FAU President Mary Jane Saunders resigns

Florida Atlantic University announced today that President Mary Jane Saunders resigned late Tuesday, acknowledging that several recent controversies had taken a toll. In the past year, Saunders defended a professor who asked students to stomp on a paper after writing the name "Jesus" and was involved in a failed attempt to name the football stadium after jail contractor Geo Group. “There is no doubt the recent controversies have been significant and distracting to all members of the University community," Saunders wrote in her resignation letter. More at the Tampa Bay Times.

Orlando still most 'financially distressed' in U.S.

Business Profile

Welder's business is smoking hot

The outside of Aston Tunsil’s shop is littered with tanks, metal drums and burnt wood. Inside the shop, he and his crew cut, grind and weld those tanks and drums into proper wood-burning vessels. Most of what A-Quality Grills and Metalworks makes are grills and smokers: Smaller ones for backyards, bigger ones for caterers.

» Full story from the Florida Times-Union

Fighting economic crosscurrents, Orlando-area residents managed to improve their financial situation in recent months, though not enough to change the region's first-place ranking among the country's most financially troubled metropolitan areas, according to a study released Wednesday. More at the Orlando Sentinel.

Two teams, two visions for Miami Beach Convention Center

In their first fully fleshed-out presentations on Tuesday, the developers competing to redevelop the Miami Beach Convention Center area described a vibrant new urban district of interconnected green spaces and cultural opportunities anchored by cutting-edge designs — even as they crossed swords over which plan would yield more benefits to the city at a better cost. More at the Miami Herald.

Tampa Bay Times CEO Paul C. Tash named chairman of Pulitzer board

Paul C. Tash, chairman and CEO of the Tampa Bay Times, has been elected chairman of the Pulitzer Prize Board, Columbia University announced today. He succeeds co-chairmen Gregory Moore, editor of the Denver Post, and Thomas L. Friedman, foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times. Board members serve a maximum of nine years while a chairman serves for only one year. More at the Tampa Bay Times.

Research Resource
Database offers look at state business incentives

There's been a bunch of buzz lately about the incentives the state has been handing out to businesses to get them to locate or expand here. Now you can dig deeper into the deals by checking out the state's searchable website on incentive deals. You can look by company name or by county. The site will tell you how much a deal was worth and how many jobs it's supposed to produce. Read more from the Orlando Sentinel and see the database here.

Tags: Daily Pulse