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Friday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
New Florida House speaker wants crackdown on lobbyists
Florida's next House speaker wants to put in place a long list of rules to crack down on lobbyists, vowing to battle back against perceptions of corruption and influence peddling. Speaker-designate Richard Corcoran has proposed new rules for 2016-2018 that include:
- All earmarks must be filed as stand-alone bills, can be voted up or down (and no more last-minute pork)
- No member of the House can come back and lobby their former colleagues for 6 years after they leave elected office
- No member of the House can go into business, or have a financial relationship with a lobbyist
- Lobbyists will have to identify which bills they are trying to influence, and who is paying them
- No member of the House will be allowed to fly on a private jet owned or paid for by a lobbyist
- House will have a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment. Members, staff and lobbyists will act professionally.
See a 1-minute video that explains the new rules proposed by Speaker-designate Richard Corcoran, here. Also read more at the AP.
FanDuel lays off Maitland workers but will not say how many
The fantasy sports website FanDuel has laid off employees at its Maitland location, although company representatives will not say how many or provide further information. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Palm Beach County tourism leaders raise ‘yellow’ flag as hotel bookings slow
Palm Beach County tourism leaders raised a warning flag Thursday, saying the Zika outbreak in Miami-Dade County and the contentious presidential election have caused a slowdown in hotel bookings for the normally busy winter travel season. More from the Palm Beach Post.
Zika virus to put strain on Florida's budget
Despite Congressional approval of a $1.1 billion federal aid package to combat the virus nationally, Florida still has not received any of the money, forcing the state to dip into its reserves. See the Budget Watch report from Florida TaxWatch, here.
UF reveals Strategic Development Plan
After hundreds of interviews with local residents, the University of Florida took the next step toward forging a shared vision with the Gainesville community when it revealed the findings of its strategic development process. More from UF News.
Profile
Strickland Ranch
Strickland Ranch, about 27,000 acres, has mixed survival years with periods where it thrived, much like other farms in Florida. Both Stricklands, also like many other Florida farmers, say they are in it for the passion and heritage, not necessarily sales and profits. “I’m just a cowboy,” Jim Strickland is fond of saying.
» More from the Business Observer.
Florida Originals
Snooty: The face of Manatee County
His mother’s name was Lady, but Snooty knew her only briefly. When he was still a pup in 1949, living in a Miami aquarium affiliated with a restaurant and beer garden, Snooty the manatee was taken from her and transported to Bradenton, where a new life and a 3,000-gallon tank awaited.
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