March 28, 2024

Thursday's Daily Pulse

What you need to know about Florida today

| 2/13/2014

Obamacare enrollment surges in Florida, nation

Nearly 300,000 Floridians selected a health-insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act as of Feb. 1, federal officials announced on Wednesday. Nearly a quarter of them – 23 percent – are age 18 to 34, a sign that younger people have joined the late surge of applications. More from the Miami Herald, the Orlando Sentinel and the South Florida Business Journal.

See also:
» Most states lag in health insurance sign-ups


Florida State Fair
Cattle on parade in the Charlie Lykes Arena at the Florida State Fair. » Story

Florida Trend Exclusive
A day at the state fair (in photos)

The Florida State Fair is almost hard to describe. It's a combination of a theme park, flea market, mall, animal nursery, pub and food court — with neon thrill rides to top it all off. But the fair can also be quaint, with agricultural and educational exhibits, homemade crafts and entertainment. Read more and see a photo gallery.


Donald Goodman is a 'Florida Icon'

The founder of Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville shares life’s lessons. One quote: "I measure the whole thing in terms of dead versus alive as opposed to one arm versus two arms. I’d much prefer to be right-handed, but I’m just glad to be handed." Read more...


Zombies are attacking Florida's small businesses

In a number of states, small businesses have high delinquency rates—they’re late on lots of payments—but a relatively low numbers of bankruptcies. In other words, struggling, debt-ridden companies are still hanging on, and they’re eating up sales that might otherwise flow to businesses with brighter futures. The report says this problem is particularly severe in Florida. [Source: Businessweek]


South Florida foreclosures top nation in January

South Florida began 2014 where it left off the year before – leading the nation in foreclosure filings, according to a study by RealtyTrac. There were 10,302 foreclosure filings here in January, a 50.4 percent surge from December although a 4.56 percent decline from January 2013.
[Source: South Florida Business Journal]


ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› NSU to open $80 million research center
Nova Southeastern University is expanding its role in research, building a new $80 million facility that could boost South Florida's efforts to become a hub for studies of cancer, heart disease and other problems.

› APR Energy lands pre-fab power plant contract with Myanmar
Jacksonville-based APR Energy has landed a contract for its “fast-track” power plants in Myanmar, a Southeast Asian country most known as Burma.

› Bradenton economic growth projected to be in top 20 percent of US
The Bradenton-North Port-Sarasota metro area averages a little better than mediocre when it comes to recovering from the recession, but the forecast for this year makes the area stand out.

› Expanded Aventura Mall would be nation’s second largest
Florida’s largest shopping mall is planned to get even larger. The owners of Aventura Mall are proposing to add a three-story, 241,000-square-foot retail wing and a seven-level parking garage to the massive shopping center north of Miami.


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Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices
Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices

Central Floirda chocolate shops are left with a bitter taste as cocoa prices hit an all-time high earlier this week.

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