Wednesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 5/11/2016

Wall Street drops as Disney, Macy's lead rout in consumer stocks

U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday as weak earnings reports from Walt Disney and Macy's reverberated across the consumer sector. Disney (DIS.N) shares were down 4.5 percent at $101.82 after the company posted a rare earnings miss. Department store chain Macy's (M.N) tumbled 12 percent to $32.58. See the full story from Reuters, here.

Baby lull raises fear of growing pains for U.S. economy

The U.S. is experiencing a baby lull that looks set to last for years, a shift demographers say will probably ripple through the economy and have an impact on everything from maternity wards to federal social programs. More from the Wall Street Journal.

New poll shows strong support for medical marijuana in Florida, but Senate race still up for grabs

Florida's crowded U.S. Senate field still has no clear favorite, but there is no doubting where the majority of voters stand on medical marijuana, a new Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday morning shows.

As you may know, there is a state constitutional amendment on the November 2016 ballot to allow medical use of marijuana for individuals with debilitating medical conditions as determined by a licensed Florida physician. Do you think that you will vote for or against this amendment?
	Florida
Vote for	80%
Vote against	16
DK/NA	3

More from the Times/Herald and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Experts: U.S. and Cuba on verge of historic oil spill accord

For more than 50 years, the broken political relationship between the United States and Cuba kept them from working together to protect the Gulf of Mexico from an oil spill. That could be the next thing to change in this new age of normalized relations. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Gov. Scott heads to D.C. for Zika prep

Gov. Rick Scott heads to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday for a two-day trip in search of more resources and greater coordination with the federal government in responding to the outbreak of the Zika virus. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Higher Education
Which Florida colleges offer the best value for students?

Are you trying to find the best deal for college? A new list ranked the schools in Florida that give you the most bang for your buck. Smart Asset released its second annual Best Value Colleges Study on Tuesday, taking into account the scholarships provided, in-state tuition cost where applicable, student living costs and average starting salary.

» More from WKMG.

Health Care in Florida
Video Diagnostics

Hospitals are investing millions of dollars in video-conferencing systems in an effort to find ways to reach new patients. Although telemedicine remains a small part of the health care market, providers, patients and even some payers are beginning to use it more often.