Wednesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 11/20/2013

Florida's housing market continues positive track

Florida's housing market continued its upswing in October 2013, with more closed sales, higher median prices, more new listings and a stabilizing supply of homes for sale, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. Read more from Florida Realtors and see also:

» Orlando tops Florida home price growth
» Broward existing home prices jumped by double digits in October

New Office Depot CEO's earnings tied to performance

Office Depot's board of directors has set a starting salary of $1.4 million for new chief executive Roland Smith, according to document filed with securities regulators on Monday. Office Depot recently merged with OfficeMax. Smith's total payout next year could be as high as $20 million, if all performance targets are met and stock awards made. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Firestone becomes title sponsor of St. Petersburg IndyCar race

Business Profile

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. “It’s one thing to be able to execute on all these new tactics,” Carlson says. “It’s another thing entirely to be able to analyze and understand what is working.”

» Full story

The IndyCar race along the St. Petersburg downtown waterfront has a new sponsor, and a new name. Promoters of the race announced Wednesday morning that Firestone has entered a multi-year deal to sponsor the event, the opening race of the IndyCar Series. More at the Tampa Bay Times.

Turnaround towns: How Orlando and Phoenix are making a comeback

The two cities' recoveries have much in common, including an emphasis on technology and renewed focus on education, quality of life, environment- and business-friendly policies and incentives, infrastructure and civic involvement. More at CNBC.

Law school grads trade top pay for job experience

Grant Levine, 28, graduated at the top of his class in May at Nova Southeastern University's law school. He soon found work as a "resident attorney" with Greenberg Traurig in Fort Lauderdale. In years past, Levine wouldn't have been recruited by a big law firm. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Business Etiquette
In business, manners still matter

Today’s workplace etiquette is tricky, and most of us still are trying to figure out the rules. Between relaxed dress codes, use of technology and blurred boundaries, navigating the crucial distinctions between professional and social courtesies has become complicated.