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Wednesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida's Medicaid rolls are about to swell
Medicaid is projected to add nearly 250,000 Floridians next year. That would boost the program to just over 4 million people and account for nearly one-third of Florida's state budget, according to projections from the Legislatures's top economist during a committee hearing Tuesday. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
See also:
» Forecast for Florida lawmakers: Budget surplus, rising Medicaid costs
» Prescription Drugs Driving Cost Increases In Medicaid, State Health Benefits
» Jacksonville Senator Says Medicaid Expansion Unlikely In 2016
The increasing importance of Hispanics to the U.S. workforce
Sparked by immigration and relatively high fertility rates, the number of Hispanics in the civilian U.S. workforce more than doubled, from 10.7 million to 25.4 million workers between 1990 and 2014. The growth rate of the number of Hispanic civilian women in the labor force has been particularly acute. Another shift worth noting is that during the past decade, U.S.-born Hispanics have been driving population growth more than immigrants. See the essay from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, here.
Gambling or fun? Florida lawmakers may make call on fantasy sports
The growing fantasy sports industry, which is already subjecting television viewers to a barrage of wall-to-wall advertising with the new football season, is now setting its sights on getting the blessings of the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature. [Source: AP]
Retailers score big with high-end college goods
As college sports fans seek out more than T-shirts and ball caps, businesses and stores are making and selling university-themed luxury goods such as handbags, jewelry and silk ties. It's a growing trend: The market for officially licensed collegiate products was $4.6 billion in 2014, up from $3.8 billion two years earlier. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
How student earnings compare for Florida colleges
Lots of schools promise to train students to be nurses, technicians or other in-demand medical careers. But a new federal database shows that isn’t always the case. At some schools only a small percentage of students who attend using federal grants or loans earn more than a high school graduate a decade after enrolling in college. [Source: StateImpact Florida]
› Miami-based ArX opens European headquarters
Miami-based architectural visualization firm ArX Solutions announced its strategic expansion into the European marketplace. Its European headquarters, which opened this month in Madrid, will serve the European Union and parts of the Middle East.
› Gov. Scott won't block state bear hunt
Gov. Rick Scott will not use executive authority to block the state's first bear-hunting season in more than two decades, despite pleas from animal-rights groups.
› Millennials face house-hunt challenge
Orlando's housing pinch of dwindling home listings has hit first-time buyers seeking affordable options more than anyone, new data shows. Overall, listings in the core Orlando market were down 4 percent in July from a year earlier.
› Jury awards $34M to family in Florida tobacco lawsuit
A jury in Florida's Panhandle has awarded $34 million to the family of a man who died of lung cancer 15 years after he quit smoking.
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