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Friday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Orders for durable goods up in June
Orders for long-lasting manufactured goods rebounded in June after a May decline, helped by a recovery in demand in a key category that signals business investment plans. Last month, there were solid gains in demand for commercial aircraft and machinery. Analysts expect economic activity will strengthen in the second half of the year, helped by stronger factory production. More at the AP.
Auto title lender TMX Finance skirts Florida's ban on high-interest loans
When Florida lawmakers banned high-interest car title loans in 2000, then-Gov. Jeb Bush proclaimed that the new law would protect Floridians from lenders "who prey on the desperate." But in the past three years, the largest title lender in the country has swept into the state, offering a new version of the loans. More at the Tampa Bay Times.
No tolerance for workplace bullying, experts say
Bullying in the workplace happens at all levels and in many different workplaces, even to 6-foot, 200-lb. Miami Dolphins football players, experts said at a conference Thursday in Deerfield Beach. The Broward County Crime Commission gathered local and national experts to talk about adult and workplace bullying. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Deadly fungus spreads in Everglades, killing trees
A fungus carried by an invasive beetle from southeast Asia is felling trees across the Everglades and the damage may be leaving Florida's fragile wetlands open to even more of an incursion from exotic plants threatening to choke the unique Everglades and undermine billions of dollars' worth of restoration projects. More at the AP.
Developers buy land with plans to create Miami Riverwalk
New York real estate investors Chetrit Group and Miami developer Ari Pearl have bought 6.2 acres of land along the Miami River with plans to build a mixed-used development called Miami Riverwalk. More at the South Florida Business Journal.
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