March 28, 2024

Thursday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 9/5/2013

Florida joins lawsuit against federal gun restrictions

Florida is supporting a National Rifle Association challenge of a federal law restricting young adults from purchasing guns. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi joined 22 other attorneys general in signing onto a brief intended to bolster the NRA's case. The gun rights organization wants the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down a federal law restricting people ages 18, 19 and 20 from buying handguns. More at the Miami Herald.


Orlando’s tourism industry comes together for electric vehicle program

Orlando’s hotels, attractions and travel services providers have come together to launch Drive Electric Orlando, a program that will try to encourage visitors to rent an electric car. More at the Orlando Business Journal.


AutoNation new vehicle sales up 32 percent in August

Business Profile

SmartBox

smartbox
Brandon Stallings launched SmartBox last year while living at his parents’ Jacksonville home. His idea was to build cashless vending machines that sold healthy snacks. A year later, he has SmartBoxes in dozens of offices, schools and gyms.

» Full story

» SmartBox official site

Fort Lauderdale-based AutoNation reported its best August for new vehicle sales in a decade. The company sold a whopping 32 percent more new vehicles this August than last year, marking its strongest performance for the month since 2003, according to a statement early Thursday. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.


Miami targets venture capital magnet

Local venture capital firms, angel investors and academics are building a system — both independently and sometimes working together — where promising and established entrepreneurs have ways to find the cash they need to make their business plans become a reality. More at Miami Today.


Big casino companies quiet as gambling debate set to begin

Las Vegas-style mega casinos have long wanted to build in South Florida, making big promises of jobs and more tax dollars for public schools. But now, as the Legislature prepares to begin hearings later this month on the future of gambling, the so-called "destination casinos" are silent. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Editor's Page
Calculations and choices for health insurance

mark howardThe new health care law is an interesting state of affairs. The success of the law depends largely on getting uninsured healthy young people to participate; the fewer that sign up, the higher the rates for those who do. Meanwhile, however, the law itself is, in purely economic terms, replete with incentives for them not to get insured. Behavioral economists — those who study how people incorporate non-economic factors into their economic decisions — will have a field day with this one.

» Read Florida Trend Executive Editor Mark Howard's column


Tags: Daily Pulse

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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

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