March 28, 2024

Wednesday's Daily Pulse

What you need to know about Florida today

| 11/16/2016

Holiday forecast bright for Florida retailers

Florida Primary 2016

Forecasters are predicting a robust holiday shopping season for Florida retailers. The Florida Retail Federation, the trade association representing the state’s retailers, is predicting a 4 percent increase in sales for Sunshine State retailers, expected to outpace the national average of between 3.3 and 3.5 percent. Full story here. Also read more at the Palm Beach Post.

» Your expectation of the $ amount you will spend on holiday shopping this year? (quick poll)

Study says medical marijuana in Florida could be $1.5 billion industry

The medical marijuana industry promises to be very lucrative for the state of Florida. Researchers say the state’s medical marijuana industry will be worth more than $1.5 billion by 2020. See the full study by New Frontier Data, here. From the study:

Florida could command as much as 7.9% of the total US legal cannabis market (and 16% of the US medical cannabis market) by 2020. As the state with the fifth-highest median age, and one of the most popular retirement destinations in the country, Florida is very well positioned to serve aging residents with medical cannabis products.

Also read more at WPTV and the Jacksonville Business Journal.

Closed foreclosures in Florida still highest nationally

Lenders in Florida are completing nearly twice as many foreclosures as in any other state. Florida recorded 53,084 closed foreclosures during the 12-month period ended in September, according to a report from real estate data provider CoreLogic. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

GOP governors gather in Florida amid push for 'disruptive change'

The country's Republican governors are meeting in battleground Florida with what many of them see as an opportunity for "disruptive" changes to wrest power from Washington and rework health care following the election of Donald Trump. More from the AP and the Tampa Bay Times.

Florida metros gain strength as entrepreneurial areas

Three of four major Florida metro areas moved up in the rankings among the top 40 most entrepreneurial areas in the nation, according to the 2016 Kauffman Index of Main Street Entrepreneurship. The Florida metros that improved in the rankings are Greater Miami (including Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach), Orlando (including Kissimmee and Sanford), Tampa Bay and Jacksonville.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› 40 Jacksonville employers agree to new ‘Ban the Box’ interview initiative
Applicants to about 40 companies across Jacksonville won’t have to immediately disclose any past arrests when seeking employment, due to a new Jax Chamber initiative announced Tuesday morning.

› Lake Wales juice business has good financial year, despite citrus industry decline
Despite “the biggest existential threat (the Florida citrus industry) ever faced,” Florida’s Natural Growers had one of its best financial years in 2015-16.

› Orlando-based Darden picks former fast food exec for board of directors
Darden Restaurants Inc. has brought in former fast food executive Nana Mensah to take a place on its board of directors. Mensah runs an export company and is the former chief operating officer at Long John Silver and Church's Chicken.

› Investors closer to $60 million takeover of Miami theme park
Investors are closing in on a complex $60 million deal for Jungle Island, the animal theme park on city-owned Watson Island with a troubled financial past.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

Tags: Daily Pulse

In case you missed it:

Florida Trend Video Pick

Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices
Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices

Central Floirda chocolate shops are left with a bitter taste as cocoa prices hit an all-time high earlier this week.

Video Picks | Viewpoints@FloridaTrend

Ballot Box

Should Congress ban the popular social media app TikTok in the U.S.?

  • Yes
  • No
  • Need more details
  • What is TikTok?
  • Other (Comment below)

See Results

Florida Trend Media Company
490 1st Ave S
St Petersburg, FL 33701
727.821.5800

© Copyright 2024 Trend Magazines Inc. All rights reserved.