Tuesday's Daily Pulse
Florida's 'Gray Belt' a glimpse at nation's future
Having a high concentration of elderly citizens has its trade-offs. You get an engaged citizenry with high voter turnout and volunteerism, but also an economy based on low-skill jobs such as health-care aides, retail clerks and food service workers. [Source: AP]
 H. Lee Moffitt [Photo: Michael Heape] |
Florida Trend Exclusive
H. Lee Moffitt is a 'Florida Icon'
A few moments with H. Lee Moffitt, attorney, former speaker of the Florida House and namesake of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa; age 72: “The amount of politics in medicine is always amazing to me. It’s about turf. It's about ego. It’s about money." Access full story.
Medical marijuana: 3 things employers need to know
Florida voters won’t have their chance to fully legalize medical marijuana until Nov. 4, but business owners are already sweating. See employers’ top three questions about medical marijuana at the South Florida Business Journal.
Nationally, the price at the pump is at its lowest point in seven months, AAA reported Monday. Gasoline prices fell for the sixth consecutive week, while oil had its lowest Friday close since May 2013. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and the Florida Times-Union.
States will get millions to fight labor violations
The U.S. Department of Labor on Monday awarded $10.2 million to nearly two dozen states to beef up enforcement of a labor scheme that companies employ to evade their tax obligations. [Source: McClatchy]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Office Depot moving its stock to Nasdaq market [AP]
Office Depot is leaving the New York Stock Exchange to list its stock on the Nasdaq. The office supplies retailer said Monday that its stock will stop trading on the NYSE at the close of business on Sept. 25.
› Yacht manufacturer could bring 380 jobs to Brevard [Florida Today]
A luxury yacht manufacturer is considering opening a plant on Merritt Island, and employing 380 people there by 2018.
› California tech company completes move to South Florida [South Florida Business Journal]
Stemtech International moved its headquarters from San Clemente, Calif. to South Florida with promises to create about 90 jobs.
› Sarasota's name recognition grows with top 10 lists [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Online ranking accolades — though often strange when combined — have continued to pile up in Southwest Florida. Sarasota, its hotels, beaches and other venues have seen a steady rise in top rankings year after year.
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› Olive Garden defends unlimited breadstick policy [AP]
Olive Garden is defending its practice of giving customers as many breadsticks as they want, saying the policy conveys "Italian generosity." The remark is part of a response by the chain's parent company, Darden Restaurants Inc., to a nearly 300-page criticism released by hedge fund Starboard Value last week.
› NASA unveils world's largest spacecraft welding tool for space launch system [PHYS.org]
The 170-foot-tall, 78-foot-wide giant completes a world-class welding toolkit that will be used to build the core stage of America's next great rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS).
› Why fund managers are sad you're not on vacation [AP]
Most mutual funds are failing to keep up with broad market indexes again. It's a trend that's gone on for years, and the most recent struggles for portfolio managers may be due to their preference for companies that sell coffee, make travel reservations and otherwise focus on non-essentials for consumers.
› Fort Lauderdale airport once home to golfers, hunters [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
On Thursday, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport will open its state-of-the art, 8,000-foot south runway and "come a long way from what it originally was," said Merrilyn Rathbun, research director of the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society.