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Wednesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida cities' economic output grows
The economic output in Florida's three largest metro areas grew by more than 3 percent last year. The Bureau of Economic Analysis said Tuesday that the gross domestic product grew by 3.5 percent in South Florida, 3.1 percent in Tampa and 3 percent in Orlando. More from the AP and the Miami Herald.
Why South Florida workers are learning Portuguese
Miami Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. All three counties beat the national average when it comes to the number of homes that have foreign language speakers. We already know that local polling places offer ballots in English, Spanish, Creole. And that business is conducted in those three languages. But in recent years, it’s Portuguese that has established itself as a new language of commerce. [Source: WLRN]
» Brazil brings real benefit to Florida
Gambling in Florida: Running the numbers at Dania Jai Alai
When Broward County horse and dog tracks and jai alai frontons won the legal right in 2005 to offer slot machines, owners rushed to put in slots and reap the profits — with one exception. Dania Jai Alai, eight years later, still offers no slots — and has suffered from its reliance on the “fastest game on earth.” Full story.
U.S. poverty rate flat, number of uninsured dips
The percentage of Americans living in poverty remained steady last year at 15 percent after rising for several years in the wake of the recession, while the number of people without health insurance fell slightly to 48 million, U.S. government data released on Tuesday showed. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Slower holiday sales growth predicted for 2013
Coming off of a weak back-to-school shopping period, a research firm expects holiday sales growth will be slower this year during the crucial holiday season. Shoppers are also expected to visit fewer stores as they research purchases online. [Source: AP]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Florida’s Congressional Delegation Backs NASA’s Plan to Lease Old Shuttle Pad
Two weeks after Blue Origin filed a protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) about NASA’s tenant search for an unwanted space shuttle launch pad, Florida’s entire congressional delegation has banded together in support of NASA’s approach, which has come under fire from another group of lawmakers not keen to see the agency grant an exclusive lease.
› Florida business mission to Dominican Republic set for February
Gov. Rick Scott is slated to lead a Florida business mission to the Dominican Republic in February, the state’s economic development group Enterprise Florida announced. The trip is scheduled for Feb. 23-24 in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Caribbean nation of 10 million residents. The Dominican Republic is the second largest economy in the Caribbean.
› Dexter Douglass, Tallahassee lawyer and political adviser, dies at 83
William Dexter Douglass, a wily Tallahassee lawyer revered for his legal mind, a key aide to former Gov. Lawton Chiles and a gentleman farmer, died Monday. He was 83. Some of his recent accomplishments include serving as chairman of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission in 1997 and 1998, working to update and reshape the state’s constitution. His last big job: redrafting a proposed state constitutional amendment that would legalize medical marijuana. Full obit is here.
› Versace mansion auctioned for $41.5 million
The former Versace mansion fetched a top bid of $41.5 million from a group that included New York’s Nakash family, which controls Jordache Enterprises, at a court-ordered bankruptcy auction Tuesday.
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