Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Tuesday's Daily Pulse

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Posted 7/8/2014

Updated 10 yearss ago

Florida business groups court more internationals for tourism, labor

Many interests in Florida want more internationals coming here and they are working hard to make that happen. International business has always been important to Florida, and the boundaries are being pushed on several levels to boost it even more. Read more from the Orlando Sentinel, the Tampa Bay Business Journal, and see also:

» Tourism group pushes to ease travel-visa restrictions

U.S. now the world's leading oil producer

The United States surpassed Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the world's biggest oil producer this year and is projected to remain the top producer because domestic output is forecast to increase and production growth outside the U.S. has been lower than anticipated. [Source: Gainesville Sun]

Developers turn to crowdfunding to seed real estate deals

You can support entrepreneurs’ apps, gadgets, clothing creations, restaurants — you name it — through the exploding phenomenon of “crowdfunding.” But what can you show for your investment? A drawer full of T-shirts, tote bags and other tokens of appreciation. [Source: Miami Herald]

Florida holds first hearing on medical marijuana rules

The race to cultivate and distribute marijuana for a limited medical use began Monday when state regulators opened a day-long hearing on draft rules for the new law to allow non-euphoric, non-inhalable cannabis to be developed. [Source: Times/Herald]

See also:
» Marijuana entrepreneurs hope to influence Florida regulators
» Florida could mirror Canada's system if pot legalized

Florida Lottery sales continue to grow

Floridians sure have developed an itch for scratch-offs, spending more than $3.4 billion last fiscal year, according to figures released Monday by the Florida Lottery. That interest in scratch-offs drove Florida sales to a record $5.4 billion in sales from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› How a federal program will help Florida schools go wireless [StateImpact Florida]
A new generation of online tests are coming out next year. There’s a requirement that students start using digital technology. And that’s forcing schools to add more computers and classroom technology.

› Canvs announces partnerships with UCF, Rollins [Florida Technology Journal]
Canvs, a 17,000 square foot co-working and tech startup hub that will open this August has announced it will partner with the University of Central Florida and Rollins College on educational programming, mentorship opportunities, and a internship program for companies working in the space.

› Sarasota teen cancer survivor lobbies Capitol Hill [WTSP]
A 14-year-old Sarasota cancer survivor is lobbying lawmakers on Capitol Hill to fund Medicaid and other children's programs. Tony Colton recently joined more than 25 patients and families from across the country for the Children's Hospital Association's advocacy day.

› Tampa Bay area tops for renting to baby boomers [AP]
A new report says the Tampa-St. Petersburg metro area is the best market for renting to the baby boomer population. The report from RealtyTrac released last week also placed Ocala, Homosassa Springs, Lakeland and the Space Coast in the top five rental markets for baby boomers.


Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Everest campuses in Florida to be put up for sale [TBO.com]
Everest University’s 10 Florida campuses, including four in the Tampa Bay area, will be sold as part of a deal with the U.S. Department of Education that effectively dissolves its parent corporation, Corinthian Colleges.

› As Northeast Florida ages, experts say senior services to be addressed [Florida Times-Union]
Florida’s population is getting older every year, and Jacksonville is no exception. Between local Baby Boomers reaching their Golden Years and retirees flocking to Florida, the state added about 400,000 more seniors since 2010, according to Census data released in late June.

› Portable storage units present a recession-proof opportunity [Tampa Bay Business Journal]
Father and son team Jerry and Brian Herring founded Herring Systems, which does business as Go Mini’s Portable Storage, in 2009. Despite the recession, their business has seen revenue increase about 17 percent each year.

› Gainesville big-data-analysis startup with global reach to expand [Gainesville Business Report]
When Kevin Blighe rides a train across Europe on a conference call with a client, you might not guess that he’s working for a successful startup based in the heart of Gator Nation. Blighe is one of about 25 contractors for Creative Bioinformatics Consultants, a young company rooted in Gainesville which provides big-data analysis for biology lab experiments.