Thursday's Daily Pulse

› Florida House Moves Bill to Cut Unemployment [AP]
Florida's jobless may soon find the going even tougher as the Florida House moves quickly toward passing a bill that would sharply reduce state unemployment benefits. The House is set to vote Thursday on its proposal (HB 7005) that is designed to reduce unemployment compensation taxes that businesses pay, and reduces the limit on state benefits from 26 to 20 weeks. The state pays a maximum of $275 monthly in addition to federal unemployment assistance, which lasts up to 99 weeks. "These are people who have to feed their families, clothe themselves and they are trying to not lose their homes to foreclosures," said Rep. Geraldine Thompson, an Orlando Democrat who offered an amendment aimed at getting more federal grant money. But Republicans hold an 81-39 advantage in the Florida House and used that muscle Wednesday to reject a handful of amendments aimed at softening the blow to those jobless workers who depend solely on their unemployment checks to pay bills.

› Mike Haridopolos ('The Senator from the 26th') Admonished by Senate [St. Petersburg Times]
For the first time anyone can remember, a Florida Senate president was admonished by his own Senate in the first week of session for breaking ethics rules — specifically failing to fully and accurately detail his finances as required by the state Constitution. Rules Chairman John Thrasher never mentioned the president by name Wednesday and instead referred to him as "The Senator from the 26th" District. Thrasher mentioned that the errors, from 2004-2008, were "inadvertent." Haridopolos signed a consent degree that said the errors were "neither willful nor intentional." The decree was read on the Senate floor as Haridopolos sat with his arms slumped forward. A letter of apology from Haridopolos, who said he wasn't "trying to hide" anything, was also read.

› COLUMN: Re-Energize Workers through Cross Training [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
When presented with the idea of switching jobs at his employer, Jeff Eddinger admits it was something he had to think about, because he thoroughly enjoyed his current job. "Change is always uncomfortable. You have to balance the positives with the disruption you're going to cause," says Eddinger, who recently was asked to switch jobs with another manager at NCCI, a data analysis firm in Boca Raton. But Eddinger recognized that he could use a new challenge. "You start a new job with a lot of passion. After 10 years, it becomes more of a routine," he says.

› Economists Say Green Energy's a Silver Lining on the Space Coast [Florida Today]
There likely are few people in Brevard County not aware of the long-term economic threats facing the county as the shuttle program winds down. But the situation also is creating economic opportunities, according to participants in the first day of a Florida Tech seminar on sustainable energy. "Recessions do create opportunities, not just threats," Alex Vamosi, an economist and associate dean of Florida Tech's College of Business, said Tuesday in the opening session. The key to taking advantage of those opportunities is creativity and innovation, Vamosi said. With a shrinking supply of fossil fuels -- coupled with a dramatic increase in energy demands from emerging economies such as China and India -- many economists point to the development of "green energy" technologies as the 21st century equivalent of the space race.

› Urban Flats Files for Bankruptcy but Stores Open [Orlando Sentinel]
Urban Flats (Orlando) LLC has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in federal court, but some restaurants remain open. Lori Shew, a former vice president at Urban Flats who resigned late last year, said she now independently owns the downtown Orlando Urban Flats so her restaurant is not affected by the bankruptcy. Shew, who heads up the new Pine 22 restaurant in downtown Orlando, founded a company called Church Street Flats last month at the same address as Urban Flats. Urban Flats owner Suzanne Bonham could not be reached for comment. In its court filing, Urban Flats listed estimated assets of $0 to $50,000 and estimated liabilities of $1 million to $10 million. Employees at Urban Flats' other Central Florida restaurants in Winter Garden and the Villages said the stores are independently owned and will not close.

› OP/ED: The Anachronism Of State Income Taxes [Forbes]
Nine states survive perfectly well with no state income tax at all. These include large states such as Texas and Florida, medium-size states such as Tennessee and Washington, and smaller states, in terms of population, such as New Hampshire, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Alaska. This policy should now be extended to the other 41 states. Income taxes are the most economically destructive of all taxes. That is because income levies tax directly the reward for work, savings, investment, and entrepreneurship. With the reward reduced, the incentive for pursuing these economically productive activities is reduced. The result is less work, less saving, less investment, fewer new businesses, less business growth, less job creation, lower wages and income, and lower overall economic growth.

› Feeling Lucky? Airline Lets You Gamble on Fare [Florida Today]
If Allegiant Air gets its way, you might be able to purchase a ticket where the final cost would rise and fall with the price of jet fuel. For the Las Vegas airline, with service into Orlando International Airport and others in Florida, it's another way, besides higher fares and fees, to guard against rising fuel costs. For travelers, it's a chance to gamble on a cheaper fare. When booking a flight, passengers could choose between a traditional fixed-price ticket and a discounted, variable-price one. If the price of jet fuel falls by the departure date, customers with a variable ticket would get some cash back. If the price climbs, they would pay more, up to a pre-disclosed cap.

› Sarasota's PPi Wins Award for Stewardship [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Sarasota's PPi Technologies Group has won the EarthCharter US Sunstainability Award for the small business category. The company met or exceeded all 16 of the major principles of the EarthChater, a guide developed by the non-profit Earth Charter US Inc. PPi makes stand-up pouch machinery as well end-of-the-line systems. One of the pouches is made from petroleum and then used as fuel once it has served its drink-bearing purpose.