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Wednesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Shoppers spent less than expected in 2013
More consumers spent less than they expected, but only 14 percent said they spent more than expected, reported Bankrate.com, a Palm Beach-based consumer financial firm. Being on a budget was fairly universal: no age group spent more than expected, Bankrate.com data showed. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Wall Street rebounds as sales point to healthy economy
U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday, erasing much of the previous session's steep drop, after as a strong December retail sales reading eased concerns about a slowdown in the economy. [Source: Reuters]
Agriculture Commissioner proposing 'complete rewrite of Florida's charity laws'
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam on Wednesday will propose “a complete rewrite of Florida’s charity laws,” aiming to increase state oversight and transparency in direct response to investigative reports published last year in the Tampa Bay Times. [Source: Times/Herald]
Florida tops US in ID theft, tax fraud
A top federal prosecutor says Florida has the nation's highest rate in the nation of identity theft, with the information often used to commit tax fraud. Miami U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said Tuesday that Florida had an identity theft rate in 2012 of more than 361 complaints per 100,000 residents, tops in the country. [Source: AP]
Questions linger about Florida's involvement in Common Core
Will Florida continue to be part of the Common Core initiative? The answer isn't clear. The words "Common Core" have become a political lightning rod, both in Florida and elsewhere. More from the Tampa Bay Times and StateImpact Florida.
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Tampa International Airport wants to hear from women- and minority-owned businesses
Tampa International Airport is planning to spend millions to remake its concessions in the next few years, and the airport wants to make sure that women- and minority-owned businesses have a chance to join that future roster of shopping and dining options.
› Sarasota company's technology making hospitals safer
The IntelligentM hand hygiene-monitoring system is a little like Big Brother on a mission of mercy, its goal being to encourage proper hand washing so health care workers do not accidentally infect patients.
› Air Force expects more Cape Canaveral launches in 2014
The Space Coast could see as many as 21 launches this year, the Air Force's 45th Space Wing reported today. That would be a 50 percent increase over last year, which saw 14 launches of spacecraft on Atlas V, Delta IV and Falcon 9 rockets, plus submarine-launched Trident missile tests.
› St. Petersburg job fair draws smaller crowd than past years
Tampa Bay's economy isn't without its post-recession blues, from a dearth of high-paying jobs to a glut of long-term jobless, particularly among older workers. But a walk through Tuesday's job fair in downtown St. Petersburg underscored that the worst of the recession is long gone.
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