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Thursday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Medicaid fraud recoveries top $165 million in Florida
The Sunshine State – and South Florida – are hotspots for health care fraud. And in fiscal year 2016, federal Medicaid Fraud Control Units recovered more than $165.5 million from investigations and cases in Florida. See the numbers of Medicaid fraud for Florida at this chart. Also read more from the South Florida Business Journal and Health Payer Intelligence.
See also:
» For Florida, caps on Medicaid could increase burden on local governments
Florida’s new ‘Hurricane Hunter’ base on schedule for storm season
Officials say they’re on schedule to open the new home base for the U.S. government’s “hurricane hunter” aircraft before the Atlantic hurricane season begins. The agency’s aircraft are scheduled to move May 1 to Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Fla., from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. [Source: Insurance Journal]
Can Miami rise from being a service economy?
Although Miami is largely a service economy, the region’s talent base in the professional and creative industries is the 11th largest in the nation, according to the latest report from the joint FIU-Miami Creative City Initiative of Florida International University and the Creative Class Group think tank. See the report, Building Miami's Creative Economy," here. Also read more at the Miami Herald.
Judge sides with House speaker in lawsuit in Florida Lottery contract dispute with Scott administration
In a move that could escalate tensions further among Florida’s Republican leaders, a Tallahassee judge on Tuesday sided with House Speaker Richard Corcoran in a lawsuit that contends the administration of Gov. Rick Scott approved an illegal contract. More from the Times/Herald and the AP.
Brightline names new CEO Dave Howard
Michael Reininger (left), Executive Director at Florida East Coast Industries (FECI), talks with Dave Howard, new CEO of Brightline. The two were discussing Brightline in front of a scale model of Downtown Miami. [Photo:Brightline]
Brightline, the privately funded express inter-city passenger rail service in Florida, announced that Dave Howard, a veteran executive from the sports and entertainment industry, has joined Brightline's leadership team as Chief Executive Officer. Othe rmanagment changes at Brightline include naming Michael Reininger to lead new development and growth opportunities as Executive Director at Florida East Coast Industries (FECI), Brightline's parent company, and Patrick Goddard has been elevated to Chief Operating Officer of Brightline. More at the news release.
› Actors win historic vote to unionize, join SAG-AFTRA at Hialeah-based Telemundo
In a historic National Labor Relations Board vote, Telemundo performers voted to join SAG-AFTRA in a secret-ballot vote conducted Feb. 7-March 8 . Telemundo becomes the first Spanish-language network to be unionized by its talent and the first network in 65 years brought to a union vote.
› OneWeb buys five launches on Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket
Two big new players on Central Florida’s Space Coast are teaming up: OneWeb and Blue Origin. Blue Origin and OneWeb are building large new manufacturing plants across the street from each other at Space Florida’s Exploration Park, on the doorstep of Kennedy Space Center.
› Major pharma company to create 150 jobs in South Florida
Apotex Inc., the largest Canadian-owned pharmaceutical company, will create 150 full-time jobs in Broward County as part of a $184 million U.S. expansion.
› 12 Japanese firms visit for huge Miami-Dade Water and Sewer contracts
Over two dozen representatives from 12 Japanese firms visited the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department last week to learn about the many construction projects associated with its multi-year capital improvement plan.
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