Tuesday's Afternoon Update
Foreclosures plummet but Florida still leads the nation
Completed foreclosures in the U.S. fell 27% to 52,000 in May, according to CoreLogic's latest report. They did, however, rise 3.5% month-over-month. Florida has the highest number of completed foreclosures and the highest foreclosure inventory as a percent of all mortgages. More from Business Insider and Reuters.
UF lands $8 million federal award for supercomputing research
The University of Florida received an $8 million federal award and was named one of six universities nationwide tapped to conduct high-performance computing simulations aimed at addressing some of the world’s most complex problems. More at the Gainesville Business Report.
First black president of Florida Bar to launch study of future practice of law
As president of The Florida Bar, Eugene Pettis said he will try to improve diversity on the state's judicial benches. "You have to make sure you're developing a pool of qualified applicants, that the nominating commission is sensitive to diversity and the governor recognizes the importance of appointing diverse attorneys," he said. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Polk commission to discuss tax breaks for Amazon
Polk County commissioners will consider $4.5 million in property tax incentives today to lure an Amazon warehouse to Lakeland. Multiple counties and cities in Florida are vying for the warehouses and their 3,000 jobs since Gov. Rick Scott announced a deal last month to bring the warehouses — and sales tax on Amazon purchases — to Florida. More at the Lakeland Ledger.
Port Everglades hosts its largest fuel tanker yet
It's a behemoth among fuel tankers: 813 feet long, 131 feet wide and weighing 62,201 gross-registered tons just for the ship itself, without counting the fuel inside. When the Ellie Lady visited Port Everglades last weekend, it ranked as the largest tanker ever at the Broward County seaport. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.