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Friday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Could 10 year Florida hurricane drought end this year?
While some areas of the country still have snow in the forecast, the folks at Colorado State University are already turning their attention to the upcoming 2016 Atlantic hurricane season. Next Thursday, the first official forecast for the season will be released and we anticipate that it will be busier than the 2015 season as El Niño fades and La Niña develops. More from WJXT and Reuters.
See also:
» Intense Atlantic hurricane season depends on ocean cooling
Identity theft-related tax fraud remains the top scam
Rampant identity theft by criminals who file fraudulent returns using someone else's Social Security number is the nation's biggest tax-related scam — and a costly one — the Internal Revenue Service says. The IRS estimates it will lose $26 billion due to fraudulent refunds from 2012 through this year. And Florida has been a hotbed for identity theft that exploits the way the IRS doles out tax refunds. Learn how to protect yourself: Read the Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft from the IRS (includes a video). Also see more at the Palm Beach Post.
America’s fastest shrinking cities
While urban areas on the whole are growing, the population of several metro areas shrank last year. Over the last five years, the populations of 23 metros declined by more than 2%. By contrast, the U.S. population increased by 3.9% over that time. [Source: USA Today]
Bomb suit business is thriving
Business is ramping up for bomb suits as the world becomes a scarier place. "We're experiencing a lot more requests than normal simply because of what's going on in the world," said Tony Tanner, president and owner of Kejo Limited Company, a small business in Clearwater that makes the suits. [Source: Money]
National group to launch voter registration drive in Florida
The nation's largest Hispanic civil rights organization is launching a major voter registration drive in the battleground state of Florida that will include door-to-door canvassing and an online app designed to reach millions of potential voters. [Source: AP]
› SpaceX, Musk, and money: Here's what's riding on Friday's Falcon launch
Space. So close and yet so far. Elon Musk's SpaceX on Friday is expected to launch a rocket to the International Space Station for the first time since a weak support strut tipped a mission into catastrophe two minutes after launch in June.
› MSC Cruises signs deal for four natural gas-powered ships
More cruise ships — and bigger ones, too — are on the horizon as cruise operators look for ways to carve out a larger slice of a largely untapped market.
› Orlando's hotel supply to increase nearly 3 percent in next two years
For 2016, Orlando's inventory is expected to increase by 0.9 percent, with 1.9 percent growth on top of that in 2017, according to STR, a company that tracks the hotel industry globally.
› UCF scientist part of $317M initiative to revolutionize textiles
A University of Central Florida scientist is playing a critical role in shaping a $317 million U.S. Department of Defense program that could expand the function of clothing to include monitoring our health, sensing the environment, and harvesting energy.
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