Tuesday's Daily Pulse

Posted 12/2/2014

Updated 9 yearss ago

Quiet hurricane season bolsters insurance market

Another storm will eventually take aim at the state, hitting somewhere along Florida's 1,350 miles of coastline and producing results that will be both chaotic and expensive. But the near-decade respite has allowed the state and property insurers to rebuild from the physically and financially taxing 2004 and 2005 storm seasons. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Homes in Green Key Village in Lake County will produce as much energy as they use. More.
[Photo: Norma Lopez Molina]

Florida Trend Exclusive
Demand for green building is up in Florida

In both residential and commercial markets, the demand for green building is high right now. There’s another green market -- competition among groups that want to certify projects as officially ‘green’ using LEED certification, the Green Building Initiative or Green Globes. Access full story.

FPL asks permission to drill for natural gas

At a hearing on Monday, the state’s largest utility asked regulators for permission to charge customers up to $750 million a year to form a partnership with an Oklahoma oil and gas company because, it argues, the investment would help FPL stabilize fuel prices and save customers money. [Source: Miami Herald]

Apple Pay, mobile payments gain ground in holiday shopping

If you find yourself rarely possessing cash in your wallet or purse, you’re not alone as the use of hard currency this holiday season is making way for alternatives. [Source: Florida Times-Union]

What is the state of film, TV production in Florida?

Florida-based producers have praised the state's workforce, cited the educational opportunities and worry about incentives, tax credits that have helped bring productions to the Sunshine State. Florida's incentive program is out of money, and the Legislature allocated no additional funds this year. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Mexico's low-cost airline Volaris debuts in Fort Lauderdale [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Mexico's low-cost carrier Volaris launched flights to Fort Lauderdale on Monday and offered a welcome ceremony complete with a mariachi band. Volaris now offers service three times a week from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Mexico City.

› Group plans to quickly renew medical marijuana push [Gainesville Sun]
After a narrow loss in this year's election, the political committee behind Amendment 2 plans to quickly revive its push to legalize medical marijuana in Florida.

› Lots of change expected with upcoming tax season [KeysNet]
ACA, ASFP’s and extenders, oh my! Are you ready for tax season 2015? As usual, the changes are plentiful, so let’s take a look as some things you will need to know before filing your 2014 federal income tax return.

› Home builders enter vacation-house business [Orlando Sentinel]
Gutted with foreclosures during the downturn, Orlando's vacation-home market is making a comeback with big-name homebuilders rolling out neighborhoods of six-, seven- and eight-bedroom pool homes.

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› Telemundo announces launch of TeleXitos [Miami Herald]
Telemundo Station Group announced Monday the launch of TeleXitos, offering viewers a mix of popular action and adventure television series and feature films in Spanish.

› NASA's new space program has a Sarasota link [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
If and when NASA flings Earthlings into the void beyond the moon, the space agency is betting the farm on an Apollo-like vehicle called Orion. One of the key players is Sarasota Riverview alumnus Patrick Rodi, who is actively encouraging high school students to follow his pursuits of off-world adventures.

› Tampa Bay leaders descend on Chile with a mission to expand exports [Tampa Bay Times]
Representatives from 14 Tampa Bay area companies and organizations will sit down for prearranged meetings with potential buyers who are already interested in their goods and services.

› Health officials launch healthiest weight Florida [AP]
Florida health officials are looking out for your waistline in a season full of eating and drinking. The Florida Department of Health has launched a free program to offer participants tips for maintaining a healthy weight during the holidays.