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Tuesday's Afternoon Update

Legislature passes tuition break for veterans

Veterans living in Florida would get a tuition break as part of a "military friendly" bill that is headed to the desk of Gov. Rick Scott. The key part of the bill would offer a tuition break to honorably discharged veterans regardless of when they moved to the state. More at the AP and the Orlando Sentinel.


Florida could see 10-day back-to-school sales tax holiday

A measure to suspend sales tax Aug. 1-3 on clothing, backpacks and shoes less than $75, school supplies less than $15 and computers and accessories less than $750 made its first Senate committee stop Monday where it was unanimously approved. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.


High frequency firm looks to tap IPO market

Education

The $159 Diploma

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Online and correspondence high schools offer a quick, inexpensive path to high school credential for dropouts. But state colleges -- and at least one employer -- don't recognize many of the online diplomas.

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Thanks to two decades of regulatory reform and technology advances, firms such as Virtu and Getco supplanted human traders as the main providers of prices on stock and commodity exchanges around the world. Business has been good enough that Vincent Viola and Douglas Cifu, Virtu’s founder and chief executive officer, were able to buy the Florida Panthers professional hockey team last year. More at the Financial Post

and CNBC.


Column: As Florida grows, it still lacks corporate brands with global clout

It's tough for Florida to be viewed as a global business player when corporate brands in the state cannot compete on the world stage. Now that Florida will soon trail only Texas and California in population, does the state's business community boast any corporate brand valuable enough to rank among the world's 500 most powerful brands? More at the Tampa Bay Times.


2-year college program can bring big paycheck

A growing number of Floridians are grabbing the chance to earn a good wage faster by completing an associate in science degree. Such students enter the work force in half the time it takes to finish a four-year bachelor's degree. And, generally speaking, they earn larger paychecks — at least initially. More at the Orlando Sentinel.

Business Profile
Shadow Health

shadow healthWhen David Massias was scrolling through a list of about 300 research projects from the University of Florida's Office of Technology and Licensing in 2009, one of those projects caught his attention: how to use avatars to teach health care. Read more from the Gainesville Sun and see Florida Trend's profile of Shadow Health in our Gainesville Business Portrait.