Thursday's Daily Pulse
Between 1979 and 2007, the state's wealthiest residents — the top 1 percent — saw their real incomes rise by almost 219 percent, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The income of the remaining 99 percent of earners, meanwhile, rose 14 percent. More from the Orlando Sentinel and see the full report:
» The Increasingly Unequal States of America
Lawmakers want to make it even easier to develop in Florida
Deadwood, S.D., is hardly anyone's idea of a densely populated area. Yet Florida lawmakers may eliminate state oversight of major projects in areas only slightly more congested than the legendary ghost town. Most alarming for smart growth advocates and environmentalists is that the bill eliminates a requirement that development be steered into areas with existing roads, schools and utilities. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Business incubator effect in Central Florida
Launched nearly 15 years ago, the UCF Business Incubation Program has generated a return of $6.16 for every $1 of public investment and was directly responsible for 1,856 central Florida jobs paying an average of $58,075 at the end of a 20-month study in 2013. Access story here (part of regional news roundup).
Florida ranks third for IT jobs
InfoWorld, a tech industry online news service, has ranked Florida third in the nation for technology jobs. A list and article in this week’s news from InfoWorld used data from CompTIA that showed there are more than 21,500 IT firms in Florida. [Source: South Florida Business Journal]
Legislation could limit growth of Florida vacation rentals
The Florida Association of Counties and the Florida League of Cities are among supporters of measures (HB 307 and SB 356) advancing through the Legislature that would lift a provision in the 2011 law that prohibits local governments from making new rules to ban, restrict or simply address issues involving vacation rentals. [Source: Jacksonville Business Journal]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Miami-Dade poll: Voters want Las Vegas-style casinos [Miami Herald]
About 56 percent of likely Miami-Dade County voters want Las Vegas-style “destination resorts” casinos, according to a new poll that shows solid support across party lines.
› Louisiana company turns to South Florida for tech talent [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
A Louisiana company offering a new social media platform chose to set up shop in Boca Raton — because that's where top executives found the technical talent they needed. "Shreveport didn't have the kind of engineers we needed, and South Florida did," said Michael Marshall, founder of Logic Nation, who is based in Louisiana but has been hiring in Boca Raton.
› Microsoft captures another Latin tech market [South Florida Business Journal]
Microsoft continues to grow in Latin America, mostly through efforts coordinated at its Fort Lauderdale headquarters for the region, where about 400 people are based.
› Lab markets battery that last decades [Miami Today]
With licensing now in hand from the state, Homestead’s City Labs Inc. has been selling its latest creation, a hardy, long-lasting battery for commercial uses. These batteries are capable of operating under extremes of temperature for a period of several decades.
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› UM med school students trained to enroll people in Obamacare [Miami Herald]
Just over five weeks before Obamacare open enrollment ends, University of Miami President Donna Shalala announced Wednesday that UM’s Miller School of Medicine students will serve in a new role: helping people understand their health coverage options and enroll in insurance plans.
› $200M Florida film incentive bill filed [Orlando Business Journal]
A bill has been filed that can reshape the way Florida's film industry does business and attracts outside projects. The bill proposes additions to the Entertainment Industry Financial Incentive Program that would provide an annual $200 million pot of state tax credits film projects can tap into through 2020.
› Lennar expects housing gains to slow [Miami Today]
Miami-based Lennar Corp., one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, increased revenues and home deliveries in 2013, but the company expects improvements in the housing market to slow this year in Southeast Florida and beyond.
› In 20 years of customer satisfaction surveys, Publix dominates [Tampa Bay Times]
The American Customer Satisfaction Index, which gauges customers satisfaction of companies across 43 industries, released new data showing Publix once again ranks highest among grocery stores.