Tuesday's Daily Pulse

› Economic 'Gardeners' Seek Bumper Crop of New Florida Jobs [St. Petersburg Times]
We're not cultivating tomatoes or citrus, but we are talking about gardening. Economic gardening. A statewide initiative called the Florida Economic Gardening Institute identifies and helps nurture small private companies with high growth potential in the Sunshine State. This is not a venture capital undertaking or a program for start-up businesses with high failure rates. Now in its second year, the Institute uses a program called GrowFL that targets so-called "second stage" companies that survived the chaos of birth and now show great promise of expanding and creating jobs. "In start-ups, they don't even know what they don't know," says GrowFL director Tom O'Neal. "In the second stage, at least they know what they don't know." The program estimates that after a year in operation the second-stage firms it has touched have added at least 425 jobs. Not bad in a recession.

› Hanjin Cargo Terminal Delayed up to Two Years at JaxPort [Florida Times-Union]
The Jacksonville Port Authority and Hanjin Shipping Co. agreed to delay construction of a new cargo terminal for the South Korean shipping giant by 18 months to two years, JaxPort officials said today. Instead of opening at the end of 2014, the terminal would be ready for its first cargo ship in 2016. The pushback is the latest in a series of delays for the terminal, which originally was supposed to be built by the end of 2011 when Hanjin and the port authority signed a lease agreement in 2008. JaxPort officials said that new milestone of 2016 for the terminal would dovetail with a scenario in which the federal government finishes deepening the ship channel the same year, allowing the giant ships deployed by Hanjin to sail up and down the river. However, the deepening of the ship channel still must undergo an intensive study by the Army Corps of Engineers, slated for completion in 2014, and then win congressional authorization and funding. JaxPort will compete with other entities nationwide so there is no guarantee when a deeper channel for Jacksonville would get funding. The estimated cost would be around $500 million, with the federal government and the port authority sharing the expense.

› Startup Forum, Hatchery Team Up on Inaugural Event [Miami Herald]
Local entrepreneurs will get the opportunity to pitch their businesses before a panel of venture capital investing experts next month. That’s thanks to an initiative between two nonprofit organizations, South Florida’s The Startup Forum and New York-based The Hatchery, which have partnered up to form The Hatchery Miami. The “Are You Serious Miami” event will be held at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Miami Dade College Auditorium on the Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami. The Are You Serious event will feature five startup companies, each presenting a five-minute pitch in front of a panel of judges and an active audience. All the startup businesses will have their presentations critiqued in both a constructive and entertaining manner (a la American Idol). Judges will include Dan Rua, managing partner of the Inflexion Fund, Jose Vargas of Doral Capital and Healthcare.com, Jose Rivera Font, formerly of Yahoo!, and David Blumenstein, co-founder of The Hatchery. The goal of this event is to help the businesses improve business operations, sales technique and pitching capabilities. The most successful startups will be awarded prizes and invited to travel to New York City to pitch to investors at one of The Hatchery’s local events.

› New Measures to Fight Medicare Fraud Announced [Associated Press]
Federal health officials announced new security measures Monday to combat Medicare fraud, including tougher screenings for providers and the ability to withhold payments during investigations. Authorities recovered $4 billion in health care fraud judgments last year — a record high up 50 percent from 2009 — according to a new report. Authorities have long said the solution to solving the nation's estimated $60 billion to $90 billion a year Medicare fraud problem lies in vigorously screening providers and stopping payment to suspicious ones, ending the antiquated "pay and chase" system authorities say has kept them one step behind criminals. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius touted the Affordable Care Act as one of the toughest anti-fraud laws in history. "The days when you could just hang out a shingle and start billing the government are over," she said.

› $3M in Job-Creating Grants Given to Florida Companies [Gainesville Sun]
Four Gainesville companies are among 13 statewide sharing in $3 million in grants designed to advance high-tech companies and create jobs. The Florida Research Commercialization Matching Grant Program was created last year by the Florida Legislature to match federal research grants and overcome funding gaps. The Gainesville companies are: Captozyme; Convergent Engineering; Sinmat Inc.; and, WiOptix Inc.

› Orlando's VA Medical Center Taking Shape [Orlando Sentinel]
The Orlando VA Medical Center slated to open next year in Lake Nona will offer some nationwide firsts for the more than 100,000 Central Florida military veterans expected to seek treatment there. The $600 million-plus facility, which includes a hospital, clinic, nursing home and rehabilitation center, will be the only such center in the country in which all of the rooms are private. Each one will be equipped with a hoist and railings for lifting patients, and they will accommodate all but intensive care so patients don't have to move to new rooms as they recover. Each room will also have a view of a lake, conservation area or garden, and offer Internet access. "It's very much different than anything else you'd see around here," said Joe Battle, who oversees construction of the center for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. "It's very much about making this as home-like of an environment as possible."

› Construction Forecast Flat [Florida Today]
Construction jobs gave a huge boost to both the state and local economies five years ago, with nearly 17,000 people in Brevard County working in that sector. Five years later, construction jobs have dropped more than 50 percent in Brevard and the outlook for any substantial growth in that field this year is minimal. The Associated General Contractors of America, which released its 2011 business forecast, amplified those sentiments Monday. The organization's outlook comes from an in-depth survey of 1,277 large construction firms across the country. Overall, it's going to be better this year than in 2010 but the market still won't be as vibrant as it was five to six years ago when the economy was growing at a torrid pace. In Brevard, some firms just want some type of growth, no matter how miniscule, in order to survive until there is a greater turnaround.

› Leu Gardens May Grow [Orlando Sentinel]
Orlando's popular Harry P. Leu Gardens could have a facelift in its future. City officials said Monday they are putting together a new master plan for the publicly owned botanical garden's growth, and preliminary plans call for a café, more parking and a larger amphitheater area. One thing the gardens does not have yet is money. It generates about $1 million a year from admission and event fees, but that's not enough to cover its expenses. The city likely will seek grants to pay for long-term improvements, as it did when the park's last master plan was done in 1993. Director Robert Bowden said the proposed changes reflect the amenities that visitors have most often requested.