Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

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

Publisher's Column

Hertz is in Good Company

andy corty
The big news in economic development circles is Hertz's decision to relocate its headquarters from New Jersey to the southwest Florida community of Estero, near Fort Myers.

While the company cited numerous factors in its decision, the proximity to a first-class airport and a growing university were key factors.

» Read Andy Corty's full column

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.

CEO Sounding Board
What are the effects of a rising sea level?

condoTony Carvajal, Executive vice president of the Florida Chamber Foundation, tells us:

“We haven’t settled on an opinion on whether (sea level rise) is happening more. As a foundation, actually, I doubt we will. We help businesses plan and prepare for any number of different contingencies. I’m a scientist, so I read the reports. But at the end of the day, businesses want to know how to respond to land, water and environmental pressures in Florida.”

» Read more from him and other Florida Business leaders