SHARE:
Wednesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
The future of Florida judicial districts was to be discussed in secret. Not anymore.
Following questions from legal experts and others, the committee tasked with considering whether to shrink the number of judicial circuits in the state said it will allow the public into its upcoming discussions. Florida’s Supreme Court established the committee this year at Republican House Speaker Paul Renner’s request, who suggested that merging some of Florida’s 20 judicial districts could increase efficiency. The committee is tasked with providing a recommendation by December to the Legislature, which will then make a decision. Officials from across Florida have warned that merging districts could disrupt the judicial process. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Report: Florida ranked as nation's most entrepreneurial state
Florida is the most entrepreneurial state in the U.S., according to a recent data study that looked at eight indicators. The research was done by project management researchers at The Digital Project Manager. The group says it looked at indicators including the percentage of the population that started a new business, the percentage of startups still active after one year and the number of small businesses per 100,000 of the population. [Source: Business Observer]
Meet 4 native Florida species that have gone extinct
Florida lost another native species this week. The Bachman’s warbler, one of the rarest songbirds in North America, was declared extinct Monday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The birds joins the growing list of 650 extinct U.S. species, and is the fourth Florida animal to become extinct in recent years. The main culprit? Development that caused the destruction of their habitats. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Here's what it takes to be in the top 1% of earners in Florida
Being in the top 1% of earners in Florida requires nearly a quarter more in gross income than it did five years ago. That's according to data from the Internal Revenue Service, which shows the cutoff for each adjusted gross income by percentile in each state. The data is based on the 2020 tax year. In Florida, the cutoff for being in the top 1% of earners was $597,787 in 2020, ranking the state at No. 9 for the highest 1% cutoff. [Source: Orlando Business Journal]
Sports betting by cellphone is still blocked in Florida while litigation continues
Athletes are contending in all of the major professional sports leagues, not to mention college football, but if you want to bet on any games in Florida you still have to appear in person at one of the casinos operated here by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. That’s because U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts has blocked remote sports betting in Florida for now, via cellphones or computers. [Source: Florida Phoenix]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› ‘Incredible find’: 19th-century shipwreck discovered during road project in Florida
Construction crews in northeastern Florida discovered a 19th-century shipwreck while working on a road project, state officials said. According to the Florida Department of Transportation, road crews unearthed the nearly intact wooden boat on Oct. 5 while working in St. Augustine near the Bridge of Lions on State Road A1A.
› Show me the money: Which Palm Beach County industries pay top dollars these days?
Sugarcane, sweet corn and sun-kissed tourists. Think of Palm Beach County's economy, and industries such as agriculture and tourism come to mind. But the county's economy now is widely diverse. In fact, industries such as finance, insurance, professional business services and real estate are dominating the county's job growth and pushing up wages, according to Jerry Parrish, Florida State University's chief economist and director of the state and local policy analysis at the Institute of Government.
› State audit committee blindsides Gainesville officials by ordering new investigation
At what was supposed to be a review of Gainesville’s response to a two-year-old state audit, Republican state lawmakers passed a pre-prepared motion asking Florida’s auditor general to launch a new investigation into the city of Gainesville, as well as Mayor Harvey Ward and his role in a delayed bond issuance that cost taxpayers millions.
› Tupperware fires CEO Fernandez amid struggle to stay afloat
Tupperware fired its CEO about six months after the Osceola County-based company had said it might not be able to survive. Miguel Fernandez was terminated “without cause” by Tupperware’s board on Monday, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission document. The company revealed Tuesday that Laurie Ann Goldman, a former CEO of Spanx and Avon North America, had replaced him.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
In case you missed it:
