Friday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 4/15/2016

Florida posts anemic job gains in March

The state added an anemic 3,000 jobs in March, according to figures released Friday by the state Department of Economic Opportunity. That follows a meager 5,900 jobs added in February. Both represent a small fraction of Florida's population growth, indicating more working-age newcomers are entering the state than the job market can absorb. Also in March, Florida's unemployment rate dropped to 4.9 percent. More from the Tampa Bay Times and see the report from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

Still need more time? How to file a tax extension

Procrastinators rejoice: tax day is a bit later this year and if you still can't make that, there's still time to file for an extension. Taxpayers who need more time to complete their return can easily request an automatic six-month extension from the IRS. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Construction begins on SunRail's southern expansion

The southern expansion of SunRail into Osceola County began earlier this month and is set to be completed in a little under two years, adding an additional 17 miles and four stations to the commuter rail system. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Farmworkers coalition has transformed Florida fields

Described as recently as 2003 by a U.S. Justice Department official as “ground zero for modern slavery,” Florida’s tomato fields are becoming an unlikely civil-rights success story. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

VA boosts health services for women vets

Women are the fastest-growing group within the veteran population, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. They make up about 10 percent of the total veteran population in Florida and around the nation, and their number is expected to grow to more than 16 percent by 2043. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Investment
Venture Capital

Almost no other company has attracted as much venture capital this year as virtual reality developer Magic Leap of Plantation. Magic Leap received $793.5 million in investments in the first quarter, the second-highest amount in the country, a new MoneyTree Report shows.

» More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Tallahassee Trend
Taxing Corporations

A number of states have started changing the way they tax corporations, using what’s known as a “single sales factor” formula, which ignores how much property a company has in a state and how many workers it employs there. Instead, those states tax a percentage of profit that’s based solely on the portion of the company’s sales that occur within their borders.