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Wednesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
U.S. to track secret buyers of luxury real estate
Concerned about illicit money flowing into luxury real estate, the Treasury Department said Wednesday that it would begin identifying and tracking secret buyers of high-end properties. The initiative will start in two of the nation’s major destinations for global wealth: Manhattan and Miami-Dade County. The crackdown, which targets cash buyers of $1 million homes and up, will require insurance companies to report owners of shell companies used to buy real estate. More at the New York Times and the Miami Herald.
See also:
» Full statement from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) regarding their "Geographic Targeting Orders"
» Buyer used secret shell company to purchase $47 million Key Biscayne mansion
Florida shows best private-sector hiring in months
Florida added 23,800 private-sector jobs in December, the state's best performance since June, a survey released Wednesday showed. That hiring also was up 16 percent from November, when Florida had added 20,500 jobs. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Advocates launch social media campaign to boost mental health funding
Several mental health advocacy organizations have launched a campaign to pressure state lawmakers to restore cuts to Florida's mental health programs, including the $100 million from state mental hospitals that was the focus of investigation this year by the Tampa Bay Times and Sarasota Herald-Tribune. More at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Embry-Riddle tops U.S. News online rankings
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is flying high at No. 1 while Daytona State College came in at No. 7 for having the best online bachelor’s programs in the 2016 U.S. News & World Report rankings released Tuesday. More at the Daytona Beach News Journal. and see the full rankings from U.S. News & World Report.
JetBlue inks partnership deal with Orlando City Soccer
Central Florida’s third-largest commercial carrier has signed on as the newest corporate partner of Orlando’s Major League Soccer team. JetBlue Airways was named the official domestic airline partner for The Lions, Orlando City Soccer Club announced Jan. 13. More at the Orlando Business Journal.
Security Business
Theme parks hire more security in new era
Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando are hiring additional security employees as theme parks enter what experts say is a new era of stepped-up efforts to shield visitors from possible terrorism and mass shootings.
» More from the Orlando Sentinel
Out of the Box
January madness
Forget March Madness brackets or Super Bowl point spreads or Girl Scout cookie season. The most maniacal workplace frenzy of all time broke out across America this week as office pools for tickets to Wednesday’s $1.5 billion Powerball lottery accelerate to space-time-continuum-warp speeds.
» More from the Miami Herald
See also:
» Playing the lottery with co-workers? Set some rules.
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