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Wednesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Gov. Rick Scott and Cabinet deadlock on insurance commissioner
Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Chief Financial officer Jeff Atwater, the two most important votes on the cabinet for the position, could not agree on either of the two finalists that interviewed for the position, forcing them to reopen the application process with a shot a trying again in late April to come to a consensus. More from the Tampa Bay Times, Florida Politics, the News Service of Florida, and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Florida Trend Exclusive
Cash menageries: Exotic and wild animals as entertainment in Florida
Randy Stearns plays with a tiger cub at Dade City's Wild Things.
Some exotic animals in Florida live in accredited zoos and respected conservation facilities. Most, however, are either held for research or serve as entertainment — housed in roadside attractions or rented as backdrops for corporate events or birthday parties. Access full story.
How millennials and low-income consumers are propping up the U.S. economy
Consumer-spending growth allowed the U.S. economy to dodge contraction territory late last year, and the source of strength was not the wealthy, but rather low-income consumers and millennials. [Source: Wall Street Journal]
The Uber business model loses some of its sheen
The era of cheap money is easing as valuation expectations adjust. Some start-ups have discreetly cut staff. IPOs remain weak. And it turns out the Uber business model — this broad idea that any sector might be disrupted by an army of freelancers, overlaid across a mobile platform — doesn't necessarily translate. [Source: CNBC]
America's 2nd-largest homebuilder outlines why the housing crisis is good news
The housing supply crisis is not bad news for everyone. Lennar Corporation, America's second-largest homebuilder by construction, reported first-quarter earnings Tuesday morning that were better than analysts expected. [Source: Business Insider]
› Office Depot, Staples CEOs to testify in FTC case against merger
Office Depot CEO Roland Smith and Staples CEO Ron Sargent are scheduled to testify this week in Washington, D.C., in the Federal Trade Commission's court challenge to Staples' $6.3 billion acquisition of Office Depot.
› Orlando-based EASE app spreads to dozens of U.S. hospitals
Dr. Hamish Munro and Dr. Kevin de la Roza, pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists at Arnold Palmer Hospital of Children, created the EASE app in 2013 to keep families abreast of their loved ones' status in the operating room.
› Mayo Clinic's $100M expansion at Jacksonville campus
Following breaking ground on a new lung restoration center, Mayo Clinic will infuse $100 million into its Jacksonville campus with a new construction project starting this summer.
› Aldi plans Florida expansion
Grocery store chain Aldi is eating into Walmart's business in the Sunshine State. The company is known for its smaller stores and cheaper prices. It has currently has 52 stores in Florida.
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