Tuesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 1/19/2016

Workers in "gig economy" face different tax issues

About 14.6 million people — roughly 10 percent of the U.S. workforce — were self-employed in 2014, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data. Of those, about 3.2 million are working in the so-called "on-demand" or gig economy. More from the AP.

Floridians among most likely to live by paycheck

Floridians are among the most likely to live paycheck-to-paycheck, according to a new ranking. The ranking looked at median income in a state, and then subtracted average costs in each state for major expenses like housing, food, transportation, utilities and health care. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Miami readies a fight over Cuban consulate

As Havana and Washington expand their diplomatic embrace, some Miami leaders have a stern message to both parties: Leave us out of it. Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado said Monday he would sue to block Cuba should the country ever try to open a consulate within city limits. More from the Miami Herald.

Here's the true cost of smoking in Florida

With this being Tobacco-Free Awareness Week, WalletHub’s analysts gauged the true per-person cost of smoking in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and Florida ranked No. 21. More from the Orlando Business Journal.

For American flyers, this year is likely to be even more miserable than the last

With the holiday highs behind us, it is time for a dose of sobering reality. Brace yourselves: for travellers in or through America, 2016 is likely to be worse than 2015. More from the Economist.

Higher Educations
Is the cheapest fiscally sound?

This report, from the Florida Research Consortium and the Florida Chamber Foundation, looks at whether Florida's higher educational systems are keeping up with the pace and scale of technology-driven change. This report analyzes components of Florida’s innovation economy, and identifies a significant revenue shortfall for higher education in Florida.

» Read the full report.

Around the State
Groceries are ‘Shipt' home

Shipt, based in Birmingham, Ala., enables customers to order and pay through its mobile app. Shipt then sends shoppers to Publix stores to pick up and deliver the groceries the same day.