Legislature sets special session

Lawmakers said they haven’t worked out the full details of the agenda for the special session but their paramount duty will be to pass a state budget to replace the current $77 billion spending plan by July 1 or otherwise state government would face a shutdown. More from the Times/Herald, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and the Florida Times-Union.

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Florida Trend Exclusive
Design trends in real estate development

Florida CEOs answer the question: What design changes are coming to new Florida development? Pat Bosch of Perkins+Will tells us: "Our end goal is to make communities better places to live in and to promote responsible development with the highest level of public benefit." Full story.

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Florida ranks slightly below average among best states for working moms

Although women now comprise roughly half of the American workforce, they still earn about three-quarters as much as men do and have far less upward mobility, as evidenced by the fact that less than 5 percent of Fortune 500 companies have female chief executives, according to WalletHub.com. [Source: Orlando Business Journal]

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Fishermen, communities need more than healthy fish stocks

Globally, less healthy fish stocks usually lead to worse economic and community outcomes. However, researchers identified several cases where weaker stocks contribute importantly to the livelihoods of harvesters and their communities, and healthy fish stocks generated meager economic or community benefits. [Source: PHYS.org]

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Solving commuting woes can be key to happiness

With clogged highways and a rebounding economy, commuters are once again negotiating with bosses and changing jobs to cut back on the time they spend on the road. Research shows that the longer a person’s commute, the more profound the effects on personal well-being and life satisfaction. [Source: Miami Herald]

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ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Tampa ramps up to be a leader in the new relationship with Cuba [Bradenton Herald]
Before Miami was even a city, Cubans were rolling cigars in the red brick factories of Tampa’s Ybor City and Cuban independence hero José Martí had visited to drum up support for the Cuban cause.

› Turning out construction workers in 9 weeks flat [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Pressed by Southwest Florida's builders and contractors at a late February “construction summit” to come up with practical solutions to meeting the region's labor force needs, Manatee Tech arrived at a new quickie course.

› Florida Congressman Ron DeSantis running for U.S. Senate [Reuters]
Republican U.S. Representative Ron DeSantis said on Wednesday he will seek the Senate seat held by Marco Rubio, who is forgoing a re-election bid to run for the Republican presidential nomination.

› UNF students leaving mark on Mars [WJXT]
A group of engineering students from the University of North Florida hope to leave their mark on Mars -- literally. They're building a mining robot for an upcoming NASA competition at Kennedy Space Center.

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› JetBlue is going all in on Cuba [Business Insider]
JetBlue announced this week that the airline will begin flying to Cuba. The move makes JetBlue the first major US airline to launch new service to the island nation since the US government eased travel restrictions last December.

› Cinderella, mobile shopping boost HSN bottom line [AP]
HSN's stock got a boost Wednesday with the help of Cinderella, Wendy Williams and shoppers eager to buy on their smartphones and tablets. Updated tablet and phone apps helped boost the home shopping network operator's digital sales 12 percent, and brought such sales to half of revenue.

› Recovering women to get help finding jobs [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Wayside House in Delray Beach will open the first Tina Posner Center for Career Excellence that will help clients recovering from substance abuse prepare for interviews, find and retain jobs.

› Chris Bosh now an investor in a Miami startup [Miami Herald]
What does Miami Heat star Chris Bosh think about Miami's tech community? "It's very cool," said Bosh, who was a judge in eMerge Americas' late-stage startup competition. "I can't say I knew how many startups were here but I have a good sense of it now. There are not only so many here but they are thriving."