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Wednesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Ruling on Internet sales tax could boost Florida efforts
A number of major Internet retailers do not pay Florida’s 6 percent sales tax, an issue that has vexed Florida-based businesses and state lawmakers for years. A U.S. Supreme Court decision this week rejecting an appeal from Amazon.com that contested a New York law that requires the Internet retailer to pay sales taxes there could provide momentum for a similar measure in Florida. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Bright Ideas for Florida in 2014
Call them New Year's resolutions if you like. As 2014 approached, Florida Trend asked dozens of Floridians this question: What's something Florida could do — in 2014 — to make the state a better place to live? In this continuing series, today we look at bright ideas on the topics of:
» Term Limits - They're Too Short
» Business Courts - More, Please
More Florida Teachers Earn Top Ratings
Nearly 98 percent of Florida teachers earned a top rating, according to statewide teacher evaluation data released Tuesday, a slight increase over last last year’s results. More from StateImpact Florida and the Orlando Sentinel.
Cyber Monday was biggest online shopping day ever
Online sales surged 20.6% compared with the same day last year. Cyber Monday capped the highest five-day online consumption period in the books, as sales boomed 16.5% over the same stretch last year. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
ADVERTISING SECTION
Vacation and Business Travel Planner
Follow these links to great ideas for your next vacation getaway or corporate meeting!
• ShareALittleSunshine.org
• Orlando | • Viva Florida
• St. Petersburg & Clearwater
• Jacksonville and the beaches
• Miami International Airport
• Ocala and Marion County
New website allows deep dive into business data
Want to find a 10,000-square-foot office for rent within a 3-minute drive to a Starbucks in a neighborhood where the average household spends at least $5,000 on clothing gifts every year? Or how about a large warehouse that’s within 15 miles of Miami International Airport and where nearby residents tend to be high school graduates? Miami-Dade now has a free website for the job. [Source: Miami Herald]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Restaurants change their tune on music to lure more customers
Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin have crooned through the speakers of Olive Garden dining rooms for years. Lately, though, diners at the Italian chain also have been hearing Adele, David Bowie and U2. Central Florida casual-dining restaurants are undergoing musical makeovers as they try to attract more cash and customers — especially younger ones — by playing cooler tunes.
› SpaceX makes its point with Falcon 9 launch from Cape
SpaceX had already proven it could launch cargo to the International Space Station. On Tuesday, the company achieved another milestone when its upgraded Falcon 9 rocket deployed its first commercial communications satellite into an orbit high above Earth.
› Plant City manufacturing firm James Hardie adding 100 jobs
James Hardie, an Irish manufacturer of fiber cement siding, plans to invest $80 million in an expansion of its Plant City operations that will create 100 new jobs by 2015. The announcement caps off a particularly strong year for job creation throughout Hillsborough County.
› Sarasota-Bradenton wins Pentathlon bid
A last-minute drive to bring three world cup events and an Olympic qualifying event to Southwest Florida paid off this week, when it was announced that the Sarasota-Manatee area will host three modern pentathlon events starting next year.
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