Tuesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 5/27/2014

In Florida schools, it's Common Core by another name

Despite political maneuvering and heated public debate around Common Core, Florida schools are well on their way to fully adopting the new education standards. Just don’t call them Common Core. After more than two years of discussion the state is now moving forward with its own version of the CCSS, which were designed to revamp the way schools instruct and assess students. More at New American Media.

Small Business Advice
Policies that work against great customer service

So many times, businesses establish policies that work for them but penalize their customers. A smart businessperson needs to make sure policies that seem like they are serving your business are not really reducing your sales and diminishing the quality of customer service you provide. More from Jerry Osteryoung.

Unemployment system costs Florida $30.6M so far

Profile

With help from Harry Potter, a bet on Florida pays off

In 2008, when American businesses were almost universally hoarding cash in a struggle to survive the financial crisis, Harris Rosen made a different call.

Instead of pulling back, Rosen, the biggest independent hotel owner in this city built on tourism, hit the gas.

» Full story at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Florida has paid $30.6 million so far for a new unemployment filing system that ended up delaying millions of dollars in benefits for laid-off workers. Contractor Deloitte Consulting has a $42.9 million contract for the Connect system. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Banks moving away from bricks and mortar

Florida banks shut the doors on 168 branches last year, the most in any state. But as a result of a continued population influx brought about largely by baby boomer housing investments, financial institutions also opened 85 new offices, which ranked second best in the U.S. More at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Plantation call-center company with $200 million in revenues growing worldwide

In just four years, the team behind the former Precision Response Corp. has grown Plantation-based C3 CustomerContactChannels into a global powerhouse, employing nearly 10,000 people worldwide and likely reaching $200 million in revenue this year. That includes 90 people so far in Plantation. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Industry
Craft Beer Industry Taps Profits of “Big Beer”

Laws regulating the brewing and distribution by small or “craft” brewers in the Sunshine State have become a flashpoint for efforts to change liquor laws in other states. Larger beer interests and wholesale distributors are looking to legislatures for regulations that would make the smaller brewers follow the same state-by-state rules as they do. Those rules govern everything from the size of containers used for the beer to how much can be distributed, if any, outside the wholesaler system.