Tuesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 2/28/2017

Florida Legislature at 'open war' with Supreme Court

The Republican-dominated Legislature's tense relationship with the state Supreme Court is hanging over this year's legislative session, as lawmakers take up two bills to deal with the aftermath of court rulings that Republicans don't like. More from the AP.

Florida consumer sentiment in February drops from record high

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After three months of positive gains, consumer sentiment among Floridians fell 3.3 points in February to 94.0, according to the latest University of Florida consumer survey. Full story from UF here.
See also:
» US consumer confidence rises to highest level since 2001
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» Rate your personal consumer confidence (i.e. HIGH - it's an OK time to make major purchases, or LOW - I need to save money)

Should Florida reconsider $15/hr. minimum wage?

A 2016 study from the nonpartisan research institute Florida TaxWatch showed that an increase to a $15/hr. minimum wage would most likely have a negative effect on Florida’s economy and job market, although minimum wage workers only make up about two percent of workers in the state. More from WTSP.

SpaceX wants to launch 2 private citizens on flight from Florida around the moon

SpaceX has set its sights on launching two private citizens on a flight around the moon in 2018, which could be the farthest manned mission into space since the Apollo program. See the news release from SpaceX, here. Also read more at the Orlando Sentinel.

Carnival Corp. adds gas exhaust cleaning systems to 60 ships

Cruise operators are advancing initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of their ships on the destinations they visit around the globe. C giant Carnival Corp. & PLC announced it has completed installation and certification of exhaust gas cleaning systems on 60 ships across its 10 brands. Full story here. Also read more at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Out of the Box
Forensic 'body farm' opens in Florida

A new forensic 'body farm' is finally in the works in the state of Florida -- just the seventh human decomposition research program in the United States. The state-of-the-art facility will include body donation, but will also serve as a training ground for K9, ballistics, and remote sensing, among other cutting-edge forensic techniques.

» More from Forbes.

Tech Trends
Cuba becoming software development destination

In Havana’s iconic Bacardí building, teams of computer programmers are working for U.S. companies with the tacit permission of the Cuban government. Could the island become the next international hotspot for software development?