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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Battle against illegal massage parlors offers new solutions to old problems
Brothels posing as massage parlors and Asian spas have been part of the American landscape for decades, hidden in plain sight. But the Florida prostitution sting that ensnared New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft last week is a reminder of the human trafficking and abuse taking place behind the darkened windows of many of these storefronts — and how challenging they are to address. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the AP.
Naples tech firm starts 2019 with $116 million in new contracts
FTE Networks, a provider of technology solutions for smart platforms, network infrastructure and buildings, has been awarded approximately $116 million in new infrastructure projects during January and February of 2019. Contracts awarded to Naples-based FTE and its subsidiaries include a variety of infrastructure projects. Read the statement from FTE here and read more from the Business Observer.
Ultimate Software gets green light to proceed with $11 billion sale
Ultimate Software is one step closer to a deal that could make millionaires out of some long-term employees who are stockholders. The company got the green light from federal regulators to proceed with a merger that will result in an $11 billion sale of the company to private investors. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Full-court press on AmericanAirlines Arena naming rights
Miami-Dade sold 20-year naming rights to American for $42 million ($2.1 million yearly) starting when construction ended in 1999. Miami Heat sister company Basketball Properties Ltd., which manages the county-owned arena, collects $6.4 million a year from the county plus $2 million for the naming rights. The county’s share is $100,000. More from Miami Today.
Pensacola wants to put retired police officers back to work
Pensacola wants retired police officers to come back to work part time to put more full-time officers on the streets. The Pensacola City Council is set to vote Thursday on an ordinance that will allow retired police officers under the city's pension plan to come back and work on a part-time basis. More from the Pensacola News Journal.
Sporting Business
Florida greyhounds: Where will they go?
It's in the final lap but greyhound racing is not over yet in Florida. That won’t happen until races must legally stop at the end of 2020, as approved by voters last year under Amendment 13. Between now and then, and with a potential flood of dogs available starting on Jan. 1, 2021, thousands of dogs will need homes as Florida tracks phase out racing.
» More from Florida Weekly.
Out of the Box
Creative control
In 2018, Aaron Cendan formed the company Stickless, and started building custom controllers for competitive and disabled gamers. Now he’s got more orders than he can fill, making 85 custom controllers last year alone. This is on top of his graduate work at FIEA, where he is in the production track with a focus on audio.
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