Florida set to pass 100 million visitor mark in 2015

After four record-setting years, Florida tourism is poised for yet another. “We’re at the top of the game,” Visit Florida president and CEO Will Seccombe told several hundred business leaders Wednesday at the monthly meeting of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. [Source: Miami Herald]

Layoffs flat in Florida compared with last year

Employers announced 737 jobs cuts last month compared with 719 a year ago, outplacement consultant Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported Thursday. For the year, Florida's planned job cuts were nearly half of a year ago: 8,505 compared with 14,720. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Pain patients say they can't get medicine after crackdown on illegal Rx drug trade

Until a few years ago, Florida was considered the epicenter for the trafficking of illegal prescription narcotics. The DEA and local law enforcement shut down more than 250 so­called “pill mills” — clinics where doctors could sell narcotics directly to people for cash. Now Florida doctors can no longer dispense narcotics directly to patients. Full story from Kaiser Health News is here.

How small businesses can improve their cyber security

The threat of hackers and cyber-criminals is very real, for large companies and small businesses alike. That means that business owners must accept that a strong cyber-defense system is a must in the modern business world. [Source: Forbes]

Amid tough times, Puerto Rican millennials create unique businesses

It's tough to see a bright future for debt-addled Puerto Rico as many of its younger residents flee its worsening economy. But a number of young entrepreneurs on the island are defying the doomsday projections, staying put and embarking on business projects. [Source: NBC News]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Meet the canine guardians of Florida agriculture [Pensacola News-Journal]
Protecting Florida’s $120 billion agriculture industry requires a multifaceted approach, including the assistance of several four-legged, furry helpers.

› Broward mayors: We want Uber back [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Eight mayors in Broward appeared in a full-page Sun Sentinel ad this week urging the county to "bring back options like Uber.'' It's no secret the cities and county disagree on many matters, and have spent plenty of time the past two years reading the state laws about how cities can sue a county, or vice versa.

› NOAA downgrades the chance of hurricanes this season [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
The summer's relatively quiet hurricane season is highly likely to linger, said Gerry Bell, lead hurricane forecaster for NOAA's Climate Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

› Florida falling short on policies to prevent, fight cancer [News-Medical.Net]
According to the latest edition of How Do You Measure Up?: A Progress Report on State Legislative Activity to Reduce Cancer Incidence and Mortality, Florida did not measure up to policy recommendations in any of the nine issue areas ranked.

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› Michigan, Florida Top States for Sales of Distressed Homes [24/7 Wall Street]
U.S. sales of distressed homes totaled 9.9% of all homes sold in May of this year according to data from CoreLogic and published Thursday on the company’s blog. The total represents a 2.8% drop compared with May of 2014 and a drop of 1.7% compared with April of this year.

› SRI St. Petersburg shifts business strategy with shakeup at the top [Tampa Bay Times]
Larry Langebrake is out as the director of the elite SRI International marine science research facility that opened with much fanfare six years ago in its own facility on the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront.

› Jupiter Medical Center basks in top U.S. rating for fighting superbugs [Palm Beach Post]
A new Consumer Reports study reveals many ways hospitals can make you sick, but it also lists national leaders in keeping superbugs at bay — and Jupiter Medical Center shines at the top.

› Deloitte tech center on hiring binge in Central Florida [Orlando Sentinel]
Over the past year, an average of one dozen new tech employees have started work each week at Deloitte's office building in Heathrow, just 15 miles north of Orlando. The world's largest accounting firm now has 700 highly skilled employees in software programming and IT at its new tech hub here.