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Friday's Afternoon Update

FCAT reading, algebra results for 2013 improve

FCAT results for 2013 show Florida students did better on two key exams, with a higher percentage passing the state's 10th-grade reading exam and its algebra 1 test than last year, according to details released this morning. This year, 54 percent of Florida's 10th graders passed the reading section of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, up from 50 percent last year. Sixty-four percent of Florida's algebra students passed the algebra end-of-course exam compared to 58 percent last year. Students must pass both exams to earn high-school diplomas. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Data:
» Detailed results from Dept. of Education


IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Sen. Mel Martinez speculates on Jeb vs. Rubio

Mel Martinez

Sen. Mel Martinez, Chairman of the Southeast and Latin America, JPMorgan Chase & Co., discusses whether Jeb Bush will go head-to-head with Marco Rubio in the 2016 Republican presidential primary.

» Watch video Q&A

Senate to review Citizens deal

Both sides of the Florida Legislature will spend time this fall reviewing a controversial deal approved by the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, announced the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee will investigate a downsizing deal that could be worth up to $52 million for St. Petersburg-based Heritage Property & Casualty Insurance Co. The amount the 10-month-old Heritage will be paid is based upon the number of policies it takes over from Citizens --- a number that could be up to 60,000. Citizens had more than 1.27 million property insurance policies as of April 30. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]


Instead of detention, many undocumented immigrants are electronically monitored

The federal government says it is less expensive to monitor undocumented immigrants through phone calls, at-home check-ins or electronic monitors than to keep them in jail. Recently, to save money, the government released more than 2,000 undocumented immigrants nationally. However, although the jail population fluctuates daily, the 700 beds at Broward Transitional remain mostly full. And it’s not clear how many immigrants have been released in Florida. However, approximately 21,000 are monitored daily nationwide. [Read more from Miami Herald]


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

Higher-Ed Trends

  •    Staffing: Are Florida’s universities overadministered?
  •    Baccalaureate Friction: The state’s plunge into community
    college baccalaureate programs has left private schools uneasy.
  • Tallahassee Trend: High hopes for new Democratic Party Chairwoman Allison Tant
  • Utilities: The impact of Crystal River Nuclear Plant closing

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


Outside the Bun
Not exactly the healthy alternative

donutIn honor of National Doughnut Day (yes -- we've been waiting all year for this), we call your attention to the new Dunkin’ Donuts’ Doughnut Bacon Sandwich. And as TIME points out, "It’s only 360 calories, which, it turns out, is 30 calories less than the breakfast chain’s healthier-eating-angled turkey sausage sandwich. Go figure." We'll order one -- make that two. And in case you are curious, the Chicken Charlie’s Krispy Kreme Sandwich is a whopping 565 calories.

» Also: How Dunkin' profits from free doughnut day