Tuesday's Daily Pulse
Florida sees small break in deluge of rising property insurance rates
Over the past eight hurricane-free seasons, Florida homeowners have had more to fear from their insurance company than from Mother Nature. Storm or no storm, rates have been steadily trending up in what's already the most expensive state to insure property. No more. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Survey: It’s Not All About the Money for Small-Business Owners
While retiring to your own private island may sound appealing, a majority of small-business owners say they would keep on working – even if they won the lottery. According to a new survey from BMO Harris Bank, only 39% of entrepreneurs say they would sell their company if they won the lotto. [Source: FOX Small Business]
Florida Trend Exclusive
Cashing in at BP's expense
As BP battles in the courts of law and public opinion against how the spill compensation program plays out, it’s drawn 13 examples from Florida of what it says are more than 1,000 businesses taking money they don’t deserve. Are businesses in Florida taking money they don't deserve from an oil spill settlement program, or did BP just rush into an agreement it now regrets? Access full story here.
South Florida named 10th best place for small businesses
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach has been named No. 10 among the "Best U.S. Cities for Small Businesses," according to a new analysis by small-business finance site Biz2Credit.com. Biz2Credit analyzed factors including average revenue, age of business, average credit scores and other financial data to determine the rankings. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
See also:
» Tampa-St. Pete named 12th best for small businesses
AAA predicts gas prices have hit spring peak
Record supplies have sent gas prices in Florida on a downward streak for the past 18 days, and, barring any natural or political disasters, prices at the pump are likely to continue falling into the summer months, AAA said. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Scarce stone crabs lead to record prices [AP]
Commercial fisherman are reporting record prices for stone crab claws this season — but only because the crabs were scarce in Florida waters.
» See also: For some, stone crab season already has come to a disappointing end
› Job gains, tourism growth bode well for Central Florida [Florida Today]
Universal Studios is hiring about 3,500 people. Walt Disney World is holding a weeks-long online job fair. And economic analyst Hank Fishkind says smaller Central Florida attractions are also hanging up "Help Wanted" signs.
› Orlando home recovery faster than state's [Orlando Sentinel]
Home and condominium sales prices increased more in Metro Orlando than in any almost any other metro area of the state during April from a year earlier, a new report shows. The median price for a home in the four-county area was $178,000 in April, up 18.7 percent from April 2013.
› Panhandle farmers face planting delays [AP]
Florida Panhandle farmers say recent heavy rains and flooding have kept them from planting some of their most important crops.
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› CNL adds $155M to healthcare properties war chest [Orlando Sentinel]
Orlando-based CNL Healthcare Properties, a real estate investment fund focused on senior housing and health-care facilities, said Monday it added $155 million to its war chest.
› Zeeko partners with UF professor, plans Innovation Square facility [Gainesville Sun]
An English company that makes precision polishing machines plans to open a small research facility in Innovation Square to collaborate with a University of Florida engineering professor.
› Disney grant brings new pediatric MRI [Orlando Sentinel]
The Walt Disney Co. has donated $3 million to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children to enable the purchase of a new, high-speed magnetic resonance imaging machine in the hospital's trauma center.
› Three years old, Silver Airways embracing its niche [Miami Herald]
The airline was born three years ago — May 11, 2011 — when Chicago-based investment firm Victory Park Capital acquired select assets from Gulfstream International Airlines, which had filed for bankruptcy the previous November.