Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Monday's Daily Pulse

Eric Higgs
With the cost of machinery coming down, Eric Higgs, CEO of LumaStream, moved his LED lighting company’s manufacturing from Taiwan to St. Petersburg.
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Story: Not made in China

Florida Trend Exclusive
Manufacturing: Not made in China

A number of factors are driving Florida companies to move operations back to the Sunshine State. Read the full story here and read more about manufacturing in Florida:

» Made in Florida -- Floridians working at a variety of mostly small manufacturers make everything from bottle caps and handmade knives to fishing reels and personal submarines.

» Reshorers-- Some Florida companies that are bringing jobs back from overseas.


Internet cafes, arcades find new ways to stay open

Legislators moved swiftly last spring to shutter senior arcades and Internet cafes popping up all over the state. But less than a year after they did that, they may have to go back to the drawing board because several businesses are reopening. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]


Rising flood rates not just a problem for waterfront elite

Far from just a problem for rich people who live on the beach, steep flood insurance rate increases approved by Congress last year largely will hit middle- and working-class homeowners who can least afford the higher costs. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]


Buyers paying above appraised value for their dream homes

Historically, most homebuyers didn't dare pay above appraised value, but that mindset is changing amid rising prices and increased competition for a scant supply of homes. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]


To retake House, Democrats need Florida

Any hope national Democrats have in regaining the majority of seats in the U.S. House rests squarely on the shoulders of Florida Democrats. “Democrats need a net gain of at least two seats in Florida to get back to the majority,” said Nathan Gonzales, a political analyst for the Rothenberg Political Report in Washington, D.C. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]


ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Lawyers navigate ethics rules in using LinkedIn
The ever-changing social media world has created ethical dilemmas for attorneys. Change may be in the offing, and two South Florida lawyers are leading an evaluation of rules on technology, including the use of LinkedIn, a professional networking website.

› Realtor finds niche serving medical professionals
Betsy Pepine comes from a family of physicians, spent summers in high school volunteering at Shands, studied pre-med for a time at Duke University and was in pharmaceutical marketing and consulting for 15 years. So when the single mother transitioned to real estate in 2006 to cut down on business travel, she found her niche serving health-care professionals.

› Florida Tech sees decade of explosive growth
Faculty employment and funded research have doubled. Student enrollment has tripled. And new buildings worth $136 million have emerged across campus and surrounding communities. Unprecedented growth has swept through Florida Tech in the last 10 years, both on-campus and in cyberspace.

› Medical City gets first innovation center
The Florida Blue Innovation Center will break ground next year and open in 2015, leaders announced during Lake Nona's Second Annual Impact Forum underway this week at the Medical City complex in southeast Orlando.


Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Selling the dream of a Miami condo
They finish one another’s sentences. At times, they yuck it up like frat brothers. And in the strongest testament of their bond, after 20 years in the brutal business of marketing and selling pre-construction condominiums, Philip J. Spiegelman and Craig S. Studnicky are still standing.

› Soccer boosters could seek $30M more from lawmakers
For Orlando's Major League Soccer proponents, it's like trying to decide if you want to go for a Toyota Camry or a Lexus. Central Florida is buying its way into good company with the $84 million soccer stadium that Orange County leaders approved last week.

› Troubled past casts cloud over powerful college CEO
Though he never achieved rock ’n’ roll fame, Ernesto Perez struck gold as an educational entrepreneur. He founded Dade Medical College in 1999, and in the lucrative world of for-profit colleges, Perez’s own lack of education wasn’t an obstacle. But Perez, 45, resigned as president/CEO last Tuesday, hoping to distance the school from a slew of recent problems.

› Florida State Fair Authority may solicit development ideas for fairgrounds
Attention, land developers with ideas for the Florida State Fairgrounds. The people in charge of that land would like to hear from you.