Tuesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 8/2/2016

Judge rules poker-style card games break Florida law

In a decision that could have a ripple effect throughout the state of Florida, Judge Suzanne Van Wyk ruled on Monday that the player-banked games offered by Jacksonville Kennel Club are illegal. Player-banked games include a hybrid of three-card poker and resemble casino-style card games but are played among gamblers instead of against the house. Pari-mutuel operators --- who are banned by law from offering "banked" card games, such as blackjack, in which players bet against the house instead of against each other --- contend the games are legal. More from News4Jax.com, the Orlando Sentinel, and World Casino News.

» From Florida Trend's archives: Poker rooms and the pari-mutuel industry

Fort Lauderdale-based Patriot National Inc. mulls takeover bid

Fort Lauderdale-based Patriot National Inc., a national provider of technology and outsourcing services for insurance companies, employers, and other clients, announced it has received a $475 million takeover bid from Ebix Inc. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

U.S. News & World Report calls Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville the best hospital in Florida

The Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville is ranked the top hospital in Florida In U.S. News & World Report’s annual evaluation of top hospitals, released online Tuesday. Mayo in Jacksonville was also named among the top hospitals nationally in eight specialties. More from First Coast News.

All Southwest Florida community banks report profit

For just the third time in four years, all of Southwest Florida’s community banks were profitable in the second quarter. It also was the second straight quarter that all of the locally based lenders were in the black. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

University research tax worries Florida growers

This summer, the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences imposed a 12% indirect costs charge on groups funding university research. More from the Packer.

Healthcare Trends
Bandwidth challenges

The ability to quickly scale bandwidth to support emerging technologies is a necessity in today’s healthcare environment. This is particularly true in light of the rapid and increased adoption of cloud computing, a market predicted to grow from $3.73 billion in 2015 to $9.48 billion by 2020. [Sponsored Report]

» See the story from Bright House Networks Enterprise Sollutions, here.

Out of the Box
Airport Launches 'Restroom' for Service Dogs

Service animals and pets now have their own bathroom at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport in the B terminal. The new lavatory is outfitted with a small Astroturf patch, a sink and clean up supplies, so that animals preparing to take flight can relieve themselves without having to go through the security checkpoint again.