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Friday's Daily Pulse

New "must-have" for businesses? Cyber insurance

Increasingly companies are trying to hedge costs associated with attacks on their networks by purchasing cyber insurance. Not only are more start-ups and established insurance providers getting into the cyber insurance business, but more companies including mom and pops are paying for insurance against cybercriminals. [Source: CNBC]


Oxford Exchange
Blake Casper has turned two vacant storefronts into a restaurant-and-retail gathering spot, the Oxford Exchange. Photo: James Borchuck - Tampa Bay Times]

Florida Trend Exclusive
Combining shopping and eating in Florida

Some of Florida’s most intriguing successes now put dining rooms and sales floors together, smartly coordinated by a distinct personal style that makes upscale diner-shoppers swoon: Duh for Home and Garden in Pensacola; Oxford Exchange in Tampa; Shore in Sarasota. Access full story here.


Summer travelers looking for bigger, longer vacations this year

Consumers may be spending less at the malls, but it may be to save up for summer vacation, according to preliminary information on early trip planners. Recent forecasts see the travel spending continue to rise this year among both leisure and business travelers. [Source: CNBC]


Common Core Opponents Seeking Special Legislative Session

A coalition of groups opposing Florida’s use of new math and language arts standards say they will try to force the Legislature to call a special session to address two bills which would put the standards on hold. The gambit is a long shot. [Source: StateImpact Florida]


Column: Have you lost the passion to go to work?

It is smart to give you a gift of time over the weekend to simply enjoy life; in addition to tackling those chores that piled up while you were working. When you do this, feeling a little reluctant to start a new work week is only natural. Regardless of whether you are where you "wanted to be" when growing up. [Source: Florida Today]


ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Trouble looms for immigrant tuition bill
Thousands of undocumented immigrants fighting for in-state college tuition rates may have had their hopes dashed Thursday when a top state lawmaker announced his committee would not hold a vote on the controversial bill.

› Court: Florida discrimination law covers pregnancy
The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that employers cannot discriminate against pregnant women under the state’s civil rights act. In a 6-to-1 opinion handed down Thursday, the court overturned a lower court in the case of a woman who worked for a South Florida property developer.

› Jacksonville in top ten for underwater foreclosures
Jacksonville is tenth in the nation for foreclosures seriously underwater, according to research from RealtyTrac. Nationwide, 17 percent of U.S. properties are seriously underwater, down from 26 percent last year.

› New unemployment numbers for Florida coming out
New numbers coming out will show whether or not the state's unemployment rate is still holding steady. The state's jobless rate for March will be released on Friday.


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› Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas to call China home
The Miami-based cruise line announced this week that it will move its new Quantum of the Seas, a 4,180-passenger vessel launching in November, to a new home port of Shanghai after spending just six months in the New York market.

› Florida Tech to hold annual design showcase Friday
Florida Tech students will be exhibiting their design and research projects Friday in the annual Northrop Grumman Engineering and Science Student Design Showcase.

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› Jackson Health System profits declining as budget pressure looms
Jackson Health System saw its profits take a dip in the first half of its fiscal year as its leaders worry about suffering major losses from changes to state funding formulas.

› State gives preliminary approval to lionfish ban
A ban on imports of lionfish into Florida has won preliminary approval from the state's wildlife commission. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also wants to make it easier for more people to catch lionfish in the wild.