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Monday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida regaining economic steam
After falling harder than most states during the Great Recession -- the result of double-digit unemployment and housing values cut in half in many areas -- the Sunshine State has regained lost ground in the categories of jobs, visitors, housing, manufacturing and other key sectors. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Homeowners tapping equity as prices rise
Higher home values have restored hope to thousands of South Floridians, particularly those who owed more than their properties were worth. Now many are tapping newfound equity to finance home repairs, college costs and other major expenses. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Miami a leading luxury capital of the world
A cosmopolitan playground for the world’s wealthy, South Florida is increasingly synonymous with luxury in all its many manifestations: multimillion-dollar real estate, exotic cars, yachts, high-end watches, designer apparel. [Source: Miami Herald]
See also:
» Floridian of the Year: Miami
Florida is popular again with retirees and workers
Florida is growing again with nearly 300,000 new residents making the Sunshine State their home last year. For Florida, which surpassed New York in population, that means more people buying homes, paying taxes and demanding additional goods and services. [Source: Florida Today]
Changes in social media marketing for 2015
Until now, social media — at least the “big boys” of business-centric social media world (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) — have been essentially free to those businesses that proactively worked these platforms for messaging to their businesses target audiences. Things are changing, though. [Source: Florida Today]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Gas prices continue to drop in Florida
The average price in Florida is $2.23 a gallon. A year ago, the price was $3.39 a gallon. Nationally, gas costs $2.14 a gallon, 7 cents cheaper than last week, according to AAA.
› PACE Loan program for home energy improvements stalled
By now, the innovative loans were expected to be flowing in Broward and Palm Beach counties, letting homeowners make energy-saving improvements without spending a dime of their own money up front.
› White House's top economic adviser trumpets Tampa Bay's job growth
With his State of the Union speech less than two weeks away, President Barack Obama has been stressing how well the economic recovery has gone so far and rolling out new initiatives to keep it going
› Push for medical pot in Florida resumes
Proponents of medical marijuana began an encore campaign for legalization Friday, filing a rewritten ballot measure just two months after one narrowly failed to pass.
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