Small-business optimism drops despite upbeat hiring plans

Small-business owners were less optimistic about the economy last month despite reporting their best job creation plans since 2007, according to a leading private survey released Tuesday. More at the LA Times and Reuters.

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Business travel forecast slightly less upbeat

U.S. business travel spending is on the rise this year, it's just not quite as exuberant as earlier forecasts predicted, according to the quarterly report issued Tuesday by the Global Business Travel Association. More at CNBC.

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Diagon Alley opens to big crowds at public debut

Florida Icon Howard C. Tibbals Circus benefactor and aficionado Howard C. Tibbals shares lessons he’s learned along the way, including: “I tried to teach my kids: Don’t do what granddaddy says. Don’t do what daddy says. Do what you say. You get out there and you find what you want to do. And if you find that you’ve failed, don’t get upset. Try again.” » Access full story

Crowds started lining up around 4 a.m. Tuesday to be among the first to experience Universal Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion. The attraction doubles the size of the Harry Potter footprint on Universal's property. More at the Florida Times Union and the Orlando Sentinel.

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All Aboard Florida scales back initial run

All Aboard Florida's promised Miami-to-Orlando passenger rail service will initially run only between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, with trains rolling in late 2016, officials now say. More at the Orlando Sentinel.

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Pessimism reigns among citrus growers

Nearly a decade into the era of the bacterial disease citrus greening, Florida growers are pondering the existential question: Is there a future in Florida citrus? The question has taken on more urgency following the past two seasons of unprecedented pre-harvest fruit drop from diseased trees. More at Fresh Plaza.

Old Florida History shines in America's oldest city St. Augustine -- the oldest, continuously populated European-settled city in the continental United States -- boasts a fascinating military history, an abundance of ornate Spanish architecture and a European-style historical district that is best accessed by foot or bicycle. » Full story from CNN

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