Near Legislative session's end, no budget in sight

The Florida Constitution requires lawmakers do one thing each year: Pass a new state budget. But heading into the final week of the 2015 session, no deal is in sight. A $4 billion gap separates the Senate and the House. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

Legislative Roundup:
» Businesses rally to support Medicaid solution
» House passes bill lifting hurdle for builders
» Craft beer growler bill passes
» Despite $600 million offer, Florida Senate refuses to back off Medicaid expansion
» Amendment 1 intent in jeopardy, backers say
» Internet Piracy Bill Passes Florida Legislature, Goes To Governor
» Secret meetings, threats, lawsuits — a Florida meltdown
» Film officials try 3rd time for new incentive program

---

Trucking industry faces shortage of drivers

An aging workforce, tougher regulations and waning interest among younger workers are causing a nationwide shortage of truck drivers. Despite a need for hundreds of thousands of drivers over the next decade, trucking companies say they are having a tough time attracting applicants. [Source: Miami Herald]

---

Turning Florida into a for-profit college paradise

It's an industry that seemingly can do no wrong in the eyes of regulators. That's because for-profit colleges in Florida are mostly self-regulated. A look at how these colleges came to flourish in Florida [Source: Miami Herald]

---

Funeral homes personalize arrangements to help with bottom line

Funeral homes facing challenging times realize that many families consider the traditional service mundane and overpriced. More of those families are choosing cremation rather than a funeral. The future of funeral homes might depend on showing loved ones other options. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

---

State officials ponder cattle ranching and more to make money off state parks

The new boss of the state Department of Environmental Protection, Jon Steverson, wants to make the award-winning Florida State Park system pay for itself. That means letting some things into the parks that until now have been kept out such as timber companies, cattle grazing and cell phone towers. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

---

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Florida 8th-most expensive state for car insurance [Florida Trend]
Florida is the 8th-most expensive state for car insurance, according to a new insuranceQuotes.com report. Florida drivers pay 12% more than the national average.

› At some Central Florida restaurants, dressing up lives on [Orlando Sentinel]
In a region that welcomed 62 million sun- and fun-seeking tourists last year, dress codes have largely disappeared as "upscale casual" blurs the lines between fine dining and other restaurants.

› Next stop for solar ballot petition: Florida Supreme Court [Tampa Bay Times]
A ballot petition that would allow those who generate electricity from the sun to sell the power directly to other consumers moved to its final legal hurdle Friday with a request by Florida's attorney general for Supreme Court review.

› Banking footprints shrink in Orlando [Orlando Sentinel]
One of the slowest sectors to rebound from the downturn in Orlando has been banking, a new report shows. With financial employment down 21 percent in 2014 from its peak in 2007, banks have reduced their footprint.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› South Florida clinic operator says New York agents — now cleared — ‘all knew’ their players used steroids [Miami Herald]
Two powerful Major League Baseball agents have been cleared by a players’ union that investigated whether they knew several of their clients bought banned muscle-building drugs from the infamous South Florida clinic, Biogenesis of America.

› Transgender rights emerging as employer issue [Business Insurance]
Employers who have not already done so need to start thinking about their policies with regard to transgendered individuals, which has become a hot topic based in part on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's interest in the issue.

› Publix ranked No. 2 by 'Consumer Reports' [Florida Today]
There's no question the Lakeland-based Publix is a consumer favorite, not just in Florida but also in the five other states where it has stores. So it's really no surprise that Publix once again ranked near the top in the recently released "Consumer Reports" list of the best grocery stores in the United States.

› After 50 years, St. Petersburg's Mahaffey Theater is getting some respect [Tampa Bay Times]
The Mahaffey this week will celebrate its 50th anniversary. It's a remarkable milestone for a venue that at times set the bar for cultural entertainment in Tampa Bay, at other times seemed like an albatross around the neck of the city.