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Friday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Fed offers plan to solve Florida budget mess
The administration agreed Thursday to extend Florida's federal hospital funds for two years, but only at about half the amount the state received last year. That means Florida lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott may have to dip into other programs or state hospitals will get less money in the coming year. More from the Tampa Bay Times, the AP, and WESH.
Brace yourself for a busy Memorial Day weekend
All indicators point to more people hitting roadways and hopping on planes this year to celebrate the holiday. Travel group AAA expects 37.2 million Americans to travel 50 miles or more from home for the holiday between Thursday and Monday. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Applications for U.S. jobless aid up, but from very low level
More Americans sought unemployment aid last week, though the number of applications remains at a historically low level that is consistent with a healthy job market. Weekly applications increased 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 274,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. [Source: AP]
Opinion: How to attract new business to Florida
When the Florida Legislature reconvenes, amid the highly visible bills on education, healthcare and the state budget, there is pending legislation on another important, but less understood, state function — economic development and the role of financial incentives, such as tax credits. [Source: Miami Herald]
Florida Python Invasion: ‘No Going Back’ As Snake Population Spirals Out Of Control
Florida’s invasive Burmese pythons, which have become as much a symbol of Florida’s raw and untamed wilderness as they have a pest, pose a grave threat to the ecosystem as scientists say their population is spiraling out of control. Today, there are simply too many snakes for the species native to Asia ever to be eradicated in the U.S. [Source: IBTimes]
› State warns auto insurers: Prices must be based on risk
Florida insurance regulators don't know if auto insurers are charging a "loyalty tax" to customers less likely to shop around at renewal time, but they want companies to know the practice will run them afoul of state law.
› Thousands of Floridians still eligible for mortgage-refinancing programs
Thousands of recession-battered Florida homeowners remain eligible for two popular mortgage refinancing programs backed by the federal government that were set to expire but have been extended through 2016.
› Florida takes another plunge to clean up massive tire reefs
Florida officials have resumed raising some of the hundreds of thousands of tires dumped off its shores decades ago during an unsuccessful attempt to create an artificial reef.
› UM-led research team wins $125 million grant
A research team led by the University of Miami working to unravel what made Hurricane Sandy tick and how climate change will play out in the short term has won up to $125 million in federal grants.
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