Friday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 11/15/2013

Florida sets new tourism record

About 22.9 million visitors came to Florida between July and September, setting a third quarter record for the state. The numbers, the latest in a string of records set as tourists continue to flock to Florida, represent a 1.7 percent increase over the same period a year ago. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Inn the money: The new Alfond Inn

The new Alfond Inn is a stylish $30-million addition to downtown Winter Park, not far from fashionable Park Avenue and a short, tree-shaded walk to Rollins College a block away. But the inn is more than just a place for heads in beds.

The 112-room boutique hotel also is an investment in future students of the private school, founded in 1885.

» Read more

Florida Sunshine Law could lead to data breaching

Identity theft is still the fastest growing crime in America. Experts say most cases are the result of people failing take proper precautions to protect their private information. But Florida's Sunshine Law could also be contributing to the problem. [Source: WJHG]

Startup Quest offers crash course in creating companies

Put 130 smart, experienced professionals together. Give them training, mentorship and access to cutting edge technologies. Then tell them to go build a company. This was not your typical government workforce training program. [Source: Miami Herald]

» FRIDAY PREVIEW: Coming next week to FloridaTrend.com:

Florida Career Connections: If you are unemployed, underemployed or just seeking a new career path, Florida Trend's Career Connections magazine and Facebook alerts can help navigate a path to success.
Vespas of the Sky: An Italian maker of small, relatively inexpensive airplanes is bringing the bulk of its manufacturing to Kissimmee.
Movies Plus: Southeast Florida is fertile ground for entrepreneurs pushing innovation in movie theaters.
SharpSpring: Rick Carlson created Gainesville-based SharpSpring to help marketing firms measure the success of their efforts across all advertising platforms — from social media websites to print.

» You'll find all these stories first on the Daily and Afternoon Pulse e-mails.

Currency Trends
Virtual Money Spurs Questions

If cash is king, virtual cash may be the crown prince in waiting. Programmers around the world have been churning out new digital currencies that try to improve on the concept of bitcoins, the hot but controversial virtual money that has swept the Internet. As questions still swirl around bitcoins' legality, many technology entrepreneurs are trying to sidestep the currency's pitfalls by devising new ways to make payments in a cashless future. More at the Lakeland Ledger.