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Tuesday's Daily Pulse

Lawmakers OK new voting map for Congress

The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature on Monday swiftly approved new maps that will alter several of the state's congressional districts after a judge ruled the current districts were illegally drawn to benefit the GOP. More from the AP and the Tampa Bay Times.


How Puerto Rican migrants could swing the largest swing state

new wave of Puerto Ricans leaving their island's severe economic woes has been finding its way to Central Florida and rapidly changing the ethnic and political makeup of the country's largest swing state. [Source: Fusion]


In lesser jobs, American's pay is down 23 percent since recession

The nation might have rebounded from the recession, regaining 8.7 million jobs — but Americans on average are making 23 percent less at those jobs than they were before the downturn, said a report released Monday by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]


Internationalism prompts boom in language business

The number of jobs for translators and interpreters doubled in the past 10 years while their wages steadily grew before, during and after the recession. Job are expected to grow 46 percent between 2012 and 2022, according to the Labor Department, making it one of the nation’s fastest growing occupations. [Source: Miami Herald]


Florida’s R&D spending ranks 39th in U.S.

Florida ranks 39th in the nation in research and development spending per capita, according to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. At $9 billion in annual R&D spending, Florida makes up 2.1 percent of R&D expenditures in the U.S. [Source: South Florida Business Journal]


ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› How Florida is stealing commerce away from Wisconsin
Wisconsin lost nearly $2.5 billion in income over 20 years due to residents moving to other states, with the first destination of choice being Florida.

› Office Depot lists hundreds of jobs on Military.com
Office Depot announced a partnership with Military.com on Monday that is expected to provide job opportunities to South Florida veterans.
» See also: Office Depot eligible for $5 million in incentives

› A Q&A with the president of Florida’s newest university
This coming Saturday marks the grand opening for Florida’s 12th state university. Florida Polytechnic University, in Polk County, will offer a tuition-free education focused on science, technology, engineering and math — STEM — to its inaugural class of about 550 students.

Charlie Awards› Florida Trend Wins 7 Awards at FMA's Annual Conference
Florida Trend was honored to receive seven awards at the Florida Magazine Association's annual conference this past weekend. The 2014 "Charlie Awards" (named after Charles G. Welborn Jr, a longtime professor of journalism and communications at the University of Florida) were presented at the Omni Orlando resort August 8, 2014.


Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Orlando ranks most popular destination in Florida
Orlando is the most popular destination in Florida for 2014, according to tourism website TripAdvisor.com. Three Central Florida cities landed in the top five.

Special Section:

Find out who won in Large,
Medium and Small categories

› Ladenburg Thalmann of Miami announces Seattle-based acquisition
Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services, a publicly-traded, Miami-based financial services company, said Monday that it has agreed to acquire KMS Financial Services, a Seattle-based independent broker-dealer and investment advisor.

› Time off is essential to health of small businesses, owners
Dedication to your small business is important, but so is setting limits on how much it controls your life. Entrepreneurs are at their best when they are rested, focused, physically healthy and can step out of that leadership role for a while to just be themselves.

› Endangered Florida Butterflies To Get Federal Protection
Two species of butterflies that live in South Florida will be listed as endangered under federal law, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Monday.