Tuesday's Daily Pulse
Florida farmers brace for shortage of workers
Some Florida farmers worry that President Barack Obama’s move to prevent as many as 5 million people from being deported could pinch their future labor supply. They say the president’s action could be a blow for employment in Florida’s $9 billion agricultural sector at a time when there are widening worker shortages. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Strong showing for holiday shopping season
It was the perfect storm. Home prices across the country, including Florida, are up. Gas prices are down. Stock prices are rising and unemployment continues to dip as hiring ramps up. All these factors combined to bode well for a strong holiday shopping season. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Being uninsured in America will cost you more
Being uninsured in America will cost you more in 2015. It's the first year all taxpayers have to report to the Internal Revenue Service whether they had health insurance for the previous year, as required under President Barack Obama's law. [Source: Miami Herald]
Forests of rare corals discovered off South Florida
More than 38 acres of staghorn coral has been found in patches on the reefs from northern Miami-Dade to northern Broward counties, in what scientists call a rare piece of good news for a species that has sustained severe declines, largely due to disease. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Gas prices will fall more by New Year's
Gas prices in Florida fell to their lowest level in six years on Christmas Day and are poised to drop another few cents by New Year's Day, travel club AAA forecast. On Christmas, the price of regular gas averaged $2.43 per gallon in Florida, below the $2.63 price in 2009. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
See also:
» Falling gas prices aid consumers by giving them options
» Tampa Bay gas prices keep falling
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Florida asks who can issue gay-marriage licenses [AP]
Just days before Florida's ban on gay marriage is scheduled to be lifted, the state's top legal officer wants a federal judge to clarify whether clerks in all counties can issue marriage licenses to gay couples.
› Orlando home prices gain faster than state's [Orlando Sentinel]
Home prices in Metro Orlando increased at double the rate of price increases in Florida's other metropolitan area's in November from a year earlier, according to a recent report by Florida Realtors.
› Forbes rates BankUnited as third best bank in US [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
BankUnited, the largest bank based in South Florida, is the third best of the 100 largest banks in the U.S., Forbes Magazine decided. BankUnited has 101 branches in 15 Florida counties, including 39 in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
› Miami investor to lead Cuban business conference [South Florida Business Journal]
Tres Mares Group CEO Faquiry Diaz Cala will co-chair the Cuba Opportunity Summit with University of Pennsylvania professor Mauro F. Guillén. The conference will be held April 1 in New York City.
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› Lawmakers Look At 5-Year Plan For Land, Water Money [CBS Miami]
Florida lawmakers might lay out future water and land preservation efforts in a 5-year plan updated annually, similar to how transportation projects are prioritized.
› Legal settlement reached in Florida tainted feed case [Horse Talk]
These are heartbreaking days at the Masterpiece Equestrian Center in Davie, Florida, where a group of horses are dying from the damage caused by contaminated feed.
› Wells Fargo taps local to lead Florida commercial banking operations [Jacksonville Business Journal]
Kelly Madden, a 26-year company veteran and a Jacksonville resident, has been named to lead the commercial banking division of Wells Fargo for the state of Florida.
› Ringling Bros. circus shifts winter home from Tampa fairgrounds to Ellenton [Tampa Bay Times]
Feld Entertainment, the producers of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, have completed their move from Vienna, Va., to the new headquarters. "The elephants now are at the office," said Nicole Feld, executive vice president.