Thursday's Daily Pulse

Posted 3/7/2013

Updated 1 decade ago

Immigrants buoy the housing market

Immigrant homebuyers have bolstered the housing market across the country in the past decade and will continue to fuel demand at least through 2020, according to a new study. In Texas and Florida, the number of foreign-born homeowners continued to climb between 2000 and 2010 even while growth in the immigrant population leveled off. [Source: Wall Street Journal]

Florida's unemployed will take 2 hits as sequestration's bite is felt

Once a worker in Florida has gone through 19 weeks of unemployment compensation, federal emergency compensation checks kick in. But because of the automatic budget cuts now winding their way out of Washington to various direct providers through the so-called "sequestration," those checks will be about 11 percent less by the end of March. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune ]

Thirteen Florida farms under quarantine over EHV-1

A total of 13 farms in central and northeast Florida are now under quarantine as state authorities work to ensure an outbreak of equine herpes virus-1 (EHV-1) does not spread. At last report, seven positive cases had been confirmed in the state. More at WKMG and Horsetalk.

Florida students to spend 8 hours on standardized tests

Third grade students will spend at least eight hours a year taking Florida’s next standardized test, while high school juniors will spend nearly 10 hours a year to complete the new online exam. [Source: StateImpact Florida]

Study: Daylight savings switch will be costly

Switching to daylight savings time on Sunday will cost South Florida more than $12.5 million in lost productivity, workplace injuries and even heart attacks, according to an economic study commissioned by the website Sleepbetter.org. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› ArtHouse draws crowd for redeveloped business district [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Nestled among more than a dozen restaurants and antique shops within walking distance, art fans have a new venue in the historic Northwood Village business district in West Palm Beach.

› Miami will remain a draw for Venezuelans [Miami Herald]
Venezuelans have been the No. 1 foreign buyers of Miami real estate, ahead of much larger nations like Argentina and Brazil, at least since 2006 when the Miami Association of Realtors began tracking foreign sales.

› State files lawsuits against time-share resale companies [Orlando Sentinel]
The Florida Attorney General's Office said Wednesday it has sued four Orlando-area time-share resale companies, accusing them of deceptive and unfair trade practices.

› Restaurant engineering [Florida Today]
There must be something in the engineering courses at Florida Tech that prepares the students for a career in the restaurant business. There are so many graduates-turned-restaurateurs from the university that a hungry alum has created a list of these restaurants to circulate among the student body.

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› Wage theft ordinances could be overturned by state legislation [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
The controversial issue of unpaid wages makes a return appearance at Florida's spring legislative session, which opened Tuesday. Two bills have been proposed that could overturn ordinances passed in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, and force workers to go to court to fight for wages owed.

› Harris lands contract to improve on weather satellites [Florida Today]
Harris Corp. announced Wednesday that it has been awarded a contract to study and make recommendations to help modernize the U.S. Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center’s Defense Weather Systems Directorate.

› Market expansion may give downtown Tampa a grocery store [TBO.com]
Downtown Tampa may soon have its own grocery store, though perhaps not the one people expect. Not a Publix, not a Sweetbay, not a Walmart or even a Trader Joe's.

› Kohl's awarding scholarships to student volunteers [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Kohl’s Department Stores is accepting nominations until March 15 for Florida youngsters, ages 6 to 18, who have made a positive impact on their communities through philanthropic and volunteer efforts.