Wednesday's Daily Pulse

Posted 7/10/2013

Updated 1 decade ago

Feds unveil Florida task force to fight ‘organized retail crime’

Miami may not be the worst city in the nation for “organized retail crime” — that dubious distinction belongs to Los Angeles — but the problem has gotten so big that South Florida authorities Tuesday announced a new task force with the goal of containing it. More from the Miami Herald, the AP and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Marketing begins for Florida's online health exchange

A massive marketing campaign is underway with just three months left until residents start enrolling for health insurance through the new government exchange. Consumers can shop on healthcare.gov and compare prices for different insurance plans starting Oct. 1. [Source: AP ]

Escambia County Commissioner Grover Robinson IV expects Deepwater Horizon fines to total $15 billion to $20 billion. » Story here [Photo: Tony Giberson/ Pensacola News Journal]

Florida Trend Exclusive
Distributing oil funds in Northwest Florida

Escambia County Commissioner Grover Robinson IV is chairman of the Gulf Consortium, representing 23 Florida gulf coast counties slated to receive millions of dollars in compensation, yet to be distributed, for damages resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Eight northwest Florida coastal counties will be major recipients.

» Read a Q&A with Robinson.

Did the Internet café legislation ban the Internet?

A new lawsuit filed by a Florida businessman alleges that Florida just accidentally banned the Internet, and is demanding a circuit court throw out the law. Passed in April, the law was only supposed to shut down Internet cafes that were doubling as casinos that ran on Internet slot machines. More from WBBH, the Huffington Post and Salon.

Preparing your business for a hurricane

Tropical storms and hurricanes are as much as a concern for businesses as they are for residential homes. As the hurricane season ramps up, the South Florida Business Journal put together some tips on preparing your business prior to the arrival of a hurricane.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Study: Tampa is priciest place to overdraw your checking account [Tampa Bay Times]
Bank and credit union customers pay a steeper price for overdrawing a checking account in Tampa than any other major city, according to a survey released Tuesday. It costs Tampa consumers $34 per overdraft on average, topping long-time metro leaders Miami-Fort Lauderdale and Washington, D.C.

› UCF medical school to team up with Valencia College [Orlando Sentinel]
UCF's medical school has teamed up with Valencia College to introduce a new bachelor's degree program in biomedical sciences. The four-year program will be introduced next month.

› Polk County approves $14 million for Tigertown improvements [Lakeland Ledger]
County commissioners voted 5-0 Tuesday to contribute $14.6 million in tourist tax funds toward a plan to issue bonds to renovate Lakeland's Tigertown complex in an effort to keep the Detroit Tigers.

› Trader Joe's developer working southwest Orange site [Orlando Sentinel]
The developer who landed Trader Joe's as an anchor tenant for his Winter Park project is also working on a deal along Sand Lake Road in southwest Orange County.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Polk County OK's Tax Abatement for Amazon [Lakeland Ledger]
The deal gives 10 years of property tax incentives to Amazon, reducing its tax bill by 75 percent if the Seattle-based company decides to open a fulfillment center, as the company calls them, in Polk County.

› Workforce Central Florida still struggles in state rankings [Orlando Sentinel]
Workforce Central Florida is no longer considered a "high-risk" organization by state officials, but it continues to score poorly on monthly reviews that compare it with other jobs agencies across Florida.

› Hann Powerboats gets order from Air Force [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Hann Powerboats Inc. has received a five-year blanket purchase agreement from the Air Force to provide high-performance towable target watercraft. Russell Hann, owner of the south Manatee County-based company, said he already has already supplied the Air Force with 52 of the boats.

› Margaritaville developer officially takes over city parcel [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
The developer of Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort took possession of the city-owned site Tuesday with the blessing of Hollywood officials. "The city has officially turned over the property," Hollywood spokeswoman Raelin Storey said. "It's incredibly exciting to see the redevelopment of this property."