Wednesday's Daily Pulse

What you need to know about Florida today

| 10/28/2015

Home values, rents defy global slowdown

U.S. housing appears to be insulated so far from the cooling global economy. Home values and rental prices are rising steadily, fueled by strong demand and a tight supply of available properties, a pair of reports showed Tuesday. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

State lands director resigns amid questions about parks contract

Kelley Boree

The director of Florida's state lands division has quit amid questions about oversight of the state Department of Environmental Protection and its state parks system under Gov. Rick Scott. Director Kelley Boree quit after the Tampa Bay Times started asking about a $500,000 contract awarded to a company founded by another DEP employee and her husband. This is the second time in two years Florida's lands division director has resigned. Last year, the director quit after a politically unpopular drive to sell off surplus state park land netted zero sales. [Source: Tampa Bay Times ]

Group wants voters to decide whether Florida gets casinos

A group wants Florida voters to have the final say on whether Las Vegas-styled casinos should be allowed in the state. A newly-formed group called Voters in Charge announced Tuesday it will start gathering the nearly 700,000 signatures needed to get the amendment on the 2018 ballot. [Source: AP ]

What killed America’s climate-saving nuclear renaissance?

One doesn’t hear much about the nuclear renaissance these days. A decade ago, nuclear was poised for a revival. It had backing not only from utility executives but also from climate activists feeling new affection for its low-carbon emission profile. [Source: Bloomberg]

Medical school applications increased in 2015

The number of medical school application rose by more than 6-percent in 2015, double the percentage of the previous year, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Universal theme parks record highest summer attendance [AP]
Harry Potter and the Fast and Furious helped boost attendance at Comcast Corp's theme parks in Orlando and California. Comcast on Tuesday said the theme parks had their strongest ever summer attendance.

› Port Canaveral must work out expansion project finances [Florida Today]
Port Canaveral has lots of big-ticket projects in the works. Now, port commissioners must decide how to pay for them.

› Spirit Airlines posts $97 million third-quarter profit [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Lower fuel costs and more flights bouyed Spirit Airlines' profit during the third quarter of 2015. The Miramar-based low-cost carrier on Tuesday reported net income of $97 million or $1.35 a share.

› Mystery surrounds largest donor to rival solar power ballot initiative [Tampa Bay Times]
The biggest donor yet to a rival solar power ballot initiative backed by utility companies is a group that has never given campaign donations before in Florida and will not disclose who its supporters are.

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