Monday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 12/21/2015

Feds reject revised Staples-Office Depot deal

The nation's trust-busting agency has rejected Staples's latest revised deal to buy Boca Raton-based Office Depot and has not made a counteroffer. The Federal Trade Commission's decision to turn down the new terms is yet another issue for an acquisition already in trouble. More at the South Florida Business Journal, Fortune, and USA Today.

Chinese investors target Tampa Bay real estate

Tampa Bay's hot real estate market has drawn the attention of an unusual investor — a pioneer of China's Internet commerce. Since March 2014, entrepreneur Bo Wu and limited liability companies connected to him have paid cash for at least 37 properties in in bay area. More at the Tampa Bay Times.

SpaceX comeback launch set for Monday night

Six months after its unmanned spacecraft exploded shortly after liftoff, SpaceX is once again taking to the sky. Elon Musk's space exploration company is set to launch a spacecraft on Monday just after 8:30 pm ET at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. More from Money.

Here's what to expect for living costs in 2016

You could get a break on some prices in the new year — at least for driving and powering your home. Gasoline and electricity prices are expected to remain low in 2016, although medical and food costs could rise, according to economists and other experts. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Small Business Advice
The holiday season is time to be grateful for your staff

The holiday season is a special time for your staff for so many reasons, not the least of which is the opportunity to be with their families and have some much-needed time off. As wonderful as this time of year is, it is also very stressful. More from Jerry Osteryoung.

Health Business
A Trail of Medical Errors Ends in Grief, But No Answers

Over the course of her lifetime, Paula Schulte survived painful scoliosis that contorted her spine, a head injury that left her in a coma for weeks, and cancer that cost her part of a lung. What she couldn’t survive was 11 weeks in Florida hospitals.

» More from ProPublica

Profile
Millie's Glass & China

Millie Downey can tell a story about every one of the 10,000 pieces of Depression glass in her shop just north of Orlando. For 45 years, Downey and her husband, Bill, have bought and sold the cups, saucers, plates and bowls that were given away with laundry detergent, oatmeal and other products or purchased inexpensively during the Great Depression.