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Thursday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today.
The Sunshine, but not the solar, state
Ask state lawmakers why Florida doesn't focus more on solar energy and they'll complain about too many clouds. So with little political will to aggressively tap the sun, Florida now lags behind other not-as-sunny places such as Massachusetts, Ohio, New York and New Jersey in developing more solar capacity. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Related:
» Solar Energy Industries Association report
Foreign buyers bullish on Florida housing even if Floridians are not
To the snowbirds of Canada, the sunseekers of Europe and flight capitalists of Latin America, Florida sends you all a great big Thanks! for buying homes here in such abundance. When it comes to international buyers snapping up housing in the United States, Florida property remains the runaway favorite. The state tallied 26 percent of international sales in the country, says a new National Association of Realtors report for the year ending March 2012. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Legal voters may have been purged from rolls in noncitizen hunt
Gov. Rick Scott often says that no actual citizens have been removed from the voter rolls in his program to make sure noncitizens don’t have the chance to cast ballots. “Not one person has been taken off the voter rolls that was a resident, a U.S. citizen who has the right to vote,” Scott said Tuesday in Miami. But that might not be the case. [Source: Miami Herald]
Related:
» Florida's voting standoff deja vu?
EPA gives OK to $880M Everglades clean-up plan
An $880 million plan to improve Everglades water quality was given federal approval Wednesday, setting the clock on a massive 12-year cleanup project. The Environmental Protection Agency approved permits for the proposal, saying its completion "would represent a significant and historic milestone in restoring America's Everglades." [Source: AP]
Jobless claims continue to drop in South Florida
Fewer people in South Florida are seeking unemployment aid, an encouraging sign for the labor market at a time when its recovery seems in doubt. However, the declines are slowing, which could signal a new phase in the rebound.
[Source: Miami Herald]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Kiplinger likes Orlando’s job-growth potential
Kiplinger has named Orlando as one of eight cities around the U.S. expected to see the best job growth over the next five years. The region is ranked up there with Raleigh, N.C., Nashville, Tenn., and San Antonio, Tx.
Kiplinger projects Central Florida will fare better than any of the other big-market cities in the state.
› Lightning owner Jeff Vinik brings investment firm to downtown Tampa
A Boston-based hedge fund and investment firm founded and controlled by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik will relocate to downtown Tampa.
› Another record month of bed tax revenue signals Pinellas tourism's strength
Pinellas County tourism continued its record-setting tear in April.
The county collected $3.14 million in bed tax revenue that month to make it the best April on record. That's a 9 percent increase from last year, when tourists shelled out $2.9 million. It's also the first time tax proceeds have breached the $3 million mark in April.
› Will next UF president come from academia, politics, business or elsewhere?
The search for the University of Florida's next president has yet to begin, but talk already has started about the ideal background of candidates.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
