Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Thursday's Afternoon Update

Snowbirds fueling Florida's housing recovery

Canadians’ unrelenting passion for sun and sand has helped drive a 12 per cent increase in Florida real estate over the last two years, according to a BMO report. More than 500,000 Canadians now own property in what was one of the hardest hit U.S. states in the 2008 housing meltdown, making them the biggest foreign purchasers of Florida real estate. More at The Star, the Advisor, and the Globe and Mail.


Drop, small size keep citrus taste sour

The ongoing problems of pre-harvest fruit drop and small size sent the 2012-13 Florida orange crop down another 1 million boxes, and few industry observers think that's the last of the reductions until the season wraps up in June. More at the Lakeland Ledger.


Resident card helps Naples businesses thrive during summer lull

Business Profile

From junker to recyclable scrap in seconds

car shredder
After a car's check-engine light winks on for the last time, there's a place in south Orange County where the expired vehicle can be reduced to fist-sized chunks of unrecognizable metal in less time than it takes to read this sentence.

The action end of this metal-salvaging operation on Landstreet Road sounds like a mechanical dog chewing an iron bone, steams with the heat of metal being ripped apart and suggests a post-apocalyptic scene.

» Full story from the Orlando Sentinel

Fifth Avenue South businesses are hoping for a spike in foot traffic as this season winds down. About 4,000 city residents are expected to flood the street for tonight’s Evening on Fifth event. While it’s open to all, the night is geared toward the roughly 1,500 members of the Resident Club Card program, which encourages city residents to shop and dine locally — and year round. More at the Naples Daily News.


Home office expenses are specific, must be documented

There are a number of deductible expenses from a business home office but to do so you will need to make sure that you meet the requirements that the home office be used regularly as the taxpayer's principal place of business, as a place of business used to meet patients, clients, customers, or be a separate structure used in connection with the taxpayer's trade or business. More at Florida Today.


Miami entrepreneur pushing to make South Florida a tech hub

Led by one of South Florida's most successful tech entrepreneurs, a newly formed non-profit foundation announced Wednesday a campaign to make the region a tech hub. Manny Medina, who sold his Terremark data services company last year to Verizon for $1.4 billion, helped form the nonprofit Technology Foundation of the Americas to spearhead the tech push. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Business Honors
Sid Martin incubator honored as year's best

sid martinThe University of Florida's Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator was named 2013 international Incubator of the Year by the National Business Incubation Association after one of its graduate companies landed a major defense contract and three companies were acquired in multimillion-dollar deals. Associate Director Patti Breedlove said the award caps “a cascade of really good news over the last eight months. We've had our best year ever.”

» Full story from the Gainesville Sun
» Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator