Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Friday's Afternoon Update

Floridians slower to file income taxes

With a quarter of Florida's 10 million individual tax returns coming in usually during the last two weeks before the April 15 deadline, it's crunch time ramped up. This year, even more Floridians are filing later since the tax season got off to a slow start with Congress and President Barack Obama not agreeing to budget compromises until the new year [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

See also:
» The future of tax season in America — Will filing taxes get easier?
» 3 Tax Time Tips for College Savers
» Florida celebrates Tax Freedom Day 3 days before nation


IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Economic Yearbook: Space Coast

space coast

While private rocket launches and entrepreneur space ventures will take years to replace the thousands of jobs lost to NASA cutbacks, deep-pocketed investors are lining up to take advantage of Cape Canaveral's aerospace infrastructure, from launch pads to trained personnel. Meanwhile, there's more to the Space Coast than just aviation and aerospace.

» Full story

South Florida business leaders anticipate higher growth

The majority of Fort Lauderdale-area business leaders who meet quarterly to give feedback to the Federal Reserve say the South Florida economy is poised to surge. The Greater Fort Lauderdale Council of Economic Advisors, a group of top executives from industries including restaurant, hotel, construction, banking, medical and advertising, say they're seeing the evidence of rising consumer spending in their own businesses. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]


Who should define a living wage in Florida: Your state or county?

The Florida House has passed a bill that would preempt local living wage ordinances and a similar version is making its way through the Senate. The House measure would not allow local governments to mandate that their vendors pay employees more than a set minimum or provide them with special work-related benefits. [Source: WLRN]


» FRIDAY PREVIEW: Coming next week to FloridaTrend.com:

  • Retirement Planning: Florida wealth managers give advice in a special report.
  • Florida's Pro Bono Stars: The Bar is pushing attorneys to donate more hours, but the going is slow.
  • Wealth Management: Investing advice: How are you advising clients to invest in 2013?
  • Top Rank Florida: Trust Banking Firms in Florida

» You'll find all these stories first on the Daily and Afternoon Pulse e-mails.


Publisher's Column
Positive Signs

andy cortyAt dinner recently in Tallahassee, Mayor John Marks, along with marketing honchos Karen Moore and Ron Sachs, filled my ears with tales of the renewed vibrancy in the capital city. The gains aren’t coming from state government, but from for-profit enterprises, innovative young entrepreneurs and spinoffs from the area’s educational institutions.

» Read Andy Corty's full column...