Friday's Daily Pulse
Small business owners more stressed
More than three out of five small business owners in South Florida are experiencing more stress — a higher number than their counterparts in Boston and Philadelphia. Small business owners "have the whole burden of the enterprise on themselves," said economist William B. Stronge, of Florida Atlantic University. "The worst person you can work for is yourself." [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
See also:
» PNC survey: Weak sales forecasts dampen Florida business optimism
Risky work: Making gear for the iPhone 5
Making Apple gadget accessories can involve as much secrecy as a military project. Just ask Edward Martin. He once helped design nuclear submarines. But now Martin's Hollywood-based Marware makes accessories for Apple iPods, iPads and iPhones, including the latest — hot-off-the-production line — iPhone 5. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
2011 was Year of the Apartment, statistics show
There is mounting evidence that 2011 was the Year of the Apartment in Southwest Florida. In the wake of the economic downturn, the number of households in the area shrunk, as young adults moved back home and more people moved in with roommates. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Northeast Florida banking: Ever growing
Unheard of a decade ago, Jacksonville-based EverBank is now the eighth-largest bank in Florida — and the largest bank headquartered in Florida, with $15 billion in assets and $11 billion in deposits — more than triple its 2007 size. Having grown so large, so fast, can Jacksonville still claim it as a community bank? Full story...
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Medicare drug plan deals exist -- if you shop
Medicare open enrollment season is around the corner, and lots of bargain plans are available to beneficiaries who shop around. But will they? Two-thirds of drug-plan enrollees say they won't bother, according to a survey released Wednesday by Medicare Today, a consortium of consumer and professional health groups. [Source: Health News Florida]
Related:
» How Will The Election Change Medicaid?
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Business alliance would like to see hotel in downtown Ocala [Ocala Star-Banner]
Good-bye garage. Hello hotel. Ocala’s Downtown Business Alliance does not want tax dollars accumulating in the Community Redevelopment Area’s fund to be used for a parking garage downtown. Instead, the group would like the money spent on such projects as creating a Gas Light District and building a hotel.
› InterContinental Miami ready to shine after renovations [Miami Herald]
Once the biggest and best upscale hotel in downtown Miami, the InterContinental has found itself with plenty of company in recent years. Now, the 641-room hotel that has welcomed presidents, movie stars and sports legends over the 30 years since it opened is reinventing itself to the tune of $30 million.
› See how the Space Coast is marketed to lure business [Brevard Times]
The Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast’s powerful, information-packed brochure touting Brevard County’s competitive advantages in technology, work force, quality of life and other areas received a Silver Excellence in Economic Development Award from the International Economic Development Council.
› Entrepreneur converts old fridges into beer 'pub-hubs' [Orlando Sentinel]
Refurbishing full-sized refrigerators and equipping them with kegs and taps, Orlando entrepreneur David Brunson is taking the hassle out of providing draft beer at parties.
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› Sign maker commits to adding 271 jobs in Brooksville [Tampa Bay Times]
Accuform Signs, a maker of industrial safety signs, plans to add 271 jobs and nearly double the size of its Brooksville workforce to more than 500 with a new 304,000-square-foot facility in the industrial park at the Hernando County Airport.
› Winter Garden lures storage firm headquarters with incentives [Orlando Sentinel]
Winter Garden has agreed to pay $54,000 in financial incentives to encourage a storage company to build its headquarters in the city. The five-year-old company, also known as Storage Management and Leasing Co., wants to build or buy a permanent headquarters in Winter Garden, City Manager Mike Bollhoefer said. "They're going to need a lot more room," he said.
› Favorable forecast for Sunday SpaceX launch [Florida Today]
The first official forecast shows a 60 percent chance of favorable weather for SpaceX’s planned 8:35 p.m. Sunday launch of a Dragon capsule bound for the International Space Station.
› Chief executive officer of Lazydays RV Center steps down [Tampa Bay Times]
Lazydays RV Center chief executive John Horton will step down next week after five years at the wheel of the largest single-site RV center in the country.