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Friday's Daily Pulse

Florida consumer spending growth lags behind nation

Three years after the Great Recession officially ended, consumer spending by Floridians had surpassed the pre-recession high, but Florida lags behind most other states in spending growth, according to U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data released Thursday. [Source: AP]


Florida Congressional districts among the most 'gerrymandered'

A new study by a University of Chicago professor has determined that Florida has the third-most “gerrymandered” Congressional districts among large states. Gerrymandering refers to strategically drawing congressional districts to the advantage of a particular candidate or political party. [Source: Tampa Bay Business Journal]


Big Data measuring dollar value of college degrees

Amid the sluggish economic recovery, many families are wondering how best to make their increasingly expensive investment in college pay off. Some public universities and community colleges have tried to provide an answer, by releasing the average salaries earned by students according to their major and campus. [Source: AP]


Massive red tide bloom washing off Florida's gulf coast

The largest red tide bloom seen in Florida in nearly a decade has killed thousands of fish in the Gulf of Mexico and may pose a greater health threat if it washes ashore as expected in the next two weeks, researchers said on Thursday. [Source: Reuters]


Where the CEOs Live

When it comes to real estate, many chief executives take a sunny outlook: Five of the top housing markets for CEOs are in Florida, including Miami, Sarasota and Vero Beach. [Source: Wall Street Journal]


Featured on FloridaTrend.com:
Lisa Rinaman
Daytona/Volusia County community portrait includes the cities of Daytona Beach, DeBary, DeLand, Deltona, New Smyrna Beach and Ormond Beach.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› National Business Incubation Association relocates HQ to Orlando
Orlando will soon be home to another organization for entrepreneurs and small businesses. The National Business Incubation Association announced Aug. 7 it will relocate its headquarters to Orlando from Athens, Ohio.

› Zynga signs Tiger Woods to help develop golf game in Orlando
Zynga, the maker of games like Words with Friends and Farmville, will develop a golf game at its new Orlando studio. The company has signed Tiger Woods as a partner to endorse the new mobile game.

› South Florida in holding pattern in bid for Super Bowl 53
If Rodney Barreto has his way, the Super Bowl will return to South Florida in early 2019. An important first step: He needs approval from the NFL to begin the formal application process.

› Alta Resources hiring 700 in Fort Myers
Alta Resources, a global provider of customer management business process outsourcing for Fortune 500 brands, recently announced plans to fill 1,200 seasonal positions in Fort Myers.


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› Enterprise Florida's Gray Swoope gets $120,000 bonus
The head of Gov. Rick Scott's business-recruitment efforts received a $120,000 bonus on Thursday. The Enterprise Florida Board of Directors approved the bonus for Gray Swoope, president and chief executive officer. His base salary went up by $45,000 to $275,000 in October.

› Florida cities rank friendliest, unfriendliest in country
Southerners are known for their politeness and hospitality, so it should come as no surprise that eight of the 10 friendliest cities in the U.S. are in the located in the South.

› Rising Orlando home prices chip away at affordability
Orlando remains one of the nation's more affordable housing markets, but the pinch of rising home prices on incomes is evident in a new study released Thursday.

› Megabus.com launches service in Fort Lauderdale
Megabus.com started daily service Thursday between the Fort Lauderdale area and Tampa and Orlando. In May, Megabus.com added service between Miami and Tampa and Tallahassee. Fares start at $1 and increase as the departure date gets closer.