Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Friday's Daily Pulse

A bright future seen for Florida's space industry

A perception persists in some quarters that Atlantis’ exit from Kennedy Space Center, the last move of a retired shuttle, marks the end of human spaceflight and even of the center itself. Not so, NASA officials repeated Thursday. [Source: Florida Today]

Related:
» Final 10-mile trek for space shuttle Atlantis
» 'An amazing career': Atlantis painted a proud legacy
» Spotlight's on shuttle Atlantis, but that's not all
» Titusville aircraft company spreading its wings


Reports reveal encouraging signs for economy

A flurry of data issued Thursday sketched a brightening view of the U.S. economy in the final days before a presidential election that will pivot on the strength of the recovery. Cheaper gas, rising home prices, and lower unemployment have given consumers the confidence to spend more. And retailers, auto dealers, and manufacturers are benefiting. At the same time, many employers remain anxious about the economy. [Source: AP]


Social networks give rise to Internet law specialty

The next time you log into Facebook, Twitter or any other social media network, keep in mind that anything you post could be used as evidence in a lawsuit. That's the message that experts in Internet law, a complex and new emerging aspect of the legal profession, are trying to get across to consumers. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]


LeBron James proving to be a winner in business, too

LeBron James’ friendship with Warren Buffett tells the story of another side of the Miami Heat superstar. As focused as James has been on his goal of winning NBA championships, he’s just as driven off the court about building a business empire and breaking the billion dollar mark, an accomplishment golfer Tiger Woods was the first athlete to achieve. [Source: Miami Herald]

Related Florida Trend Archived Content
»
The Business of Sports: Play Money.


Across Florida, state candidates sidestep fundraising limits

It may be the least effective law in Florida. For two decades, Florida has barred candidates for local or state office from accepting more than $500 from a single donor per election. And yet, more than ever this election cycle, candidates for the Florida Legislature are evading that cap by establishing murky political committees that accept checks in four-, five- and even six-figure amounts — and then spending that money on their own campaigns. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]


ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Profits with a purpose: Thrift stores' proceeds go to charities
Buy a pair of jeans at the Sanctuary Thrift Shop and you’ll not only be grabbing a great bargain, but you will also be helping some of man’s best friends.

› Vets looking for jobs find attentive, interested prospective employers
Court Norton is ready to move on with his career after his honorable discharge from the Navy in January. He was hoping his visit to Hiring Our Heroes at Jacksonville’s EverBank Field Thursday would help.

› Tampa International sues over Hernando airport's use of the word 'Tampa'
The two airports are 40 miles apart and couldn't be more different. But just in case someone confuses Tampa International Airport with the recently renamed Brooksville-Tampa Regional Airport, the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority board voted Thursday to sue the Hernando County Aviation Authority in federal court.

› Paid mooring begins on Sarasota bayfront
For a few years while Ken DeLacy was in nursing school he lived in his boat off the shore of downtown Sarasota, surrounded by what he called the city’s Wild West. For better or worse, that community is gone.


Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› "I Built My Business" bus tour heads out across Florida
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) launches a nationwide bus tour in support of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Small businesses are calling it the "I Built My Business" bus tour.

› Mood of the Nation: Businessman sees a recovery
On the eve of the 2012 elections, The Associated Pressinterviewed dozens of Americans to try to gauge the economic mood of the nation. People were asked about jobs, housing, gas prices, retirement and other issues. Among them was a man in Boca Raton, Fla.: Jay Baker, 69. He owns a flooring business whose revenue dropped after the housing bust. Recently, though, Baker has begun to enjoy a recovery.

› More South Floridians file for bankruptcy
A sharp increase in South Floridians filing for bankruptcy occurred in October after falling the month before, according to records released Thursday by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Miami. Consumers' filings jumped nearly 19 percent in October and were even running ahead of August filings. Still, personal bankruptcy filings were down 6 percent in South Florida from a year ago.

› St. Petersburg taxpayers only on the hook for $29,000 in RNC expenses
The $580,000 controversy over expenses from the Republican National Convention might be over. Taxpayers, Mayor Bill Foster said, are on the hook for $28,000 in police expenses, not the $580,000 detailed in a city document in August.