Florida tourism surge continues

A record 54.1 million visitors came to the Sunshine State in the first half of this year, the most ever for a six month period. Visit Florida also said 25.8 million visitors came to the state in the second quarter, an increase of 5.5 percent. More from the Tampa Bay Times, the Florida Times-Union, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and the Navarre Press.

Boomerang home buyers poised to return to market with a roar

Seven years after the real estate bust, many who lost their homes have rebuilt their credit and are back in the market. Experts say these boomerang buyers will be an important segment of the real estate market in the coming years. [Source: AP]

See also:
» Not a lot of lots, thanks to a housing boom

Covering Cuba, from Sarasota

Johannes Werner runs the Cuba Standard, a web-based business magazine, from his home in Sarasota. Werner and several freelancers have written about business and the economy in Cuba. Now they hope to be the No. 1 source for business news from the island. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

Hotel workers get their breaks with break in rates

A national initiative led by the U.S. Travel Association has cascaded its way through the state down into Miami’s hospitality industry. In Miami, employees within the hospitality industry are being told to do something out of the ordinary: take time off. More from Miami Today and the Miami Herald.

Florida tops nation in boat thefts

Florida leads the country in boat thefts and it’s not even close. More than twice as many boats are stolen in the Sunshine State as in any other state. [Source: Trade Only Today]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Florida legislature now has two different maps to sort out [AP]
The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature now has two rival maps for Congress. The Florida Senate voted 28-8 on Wednesday to approve a map that would make dramatic shifts to many of the state's 27 congressional districts.
See also:
» Florida House Democrats call for independent redistricting commission
» Florida Senate passes congressional redistricting map with Tampa Bay changes

› Space Florida board approves bonus pay plan [Orlando Sentinel]
Space Florida’s board of trustees unanimously approved an employee bonus pay plan Wednesday that could amount to tens of thousands of dollars for several top officials and more than $100,000 for the president.

› Regulators asked to reject FPL nuclear request [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Florida Power & Light is receiving pushback from South Florida officials and other critics as it requests $34.2 million from customers to continue planning a pair of nuclear reactors at its Turkey Point complex in Miami-Dade County.

› Broward to Miami-Dade is one of nation’s most crowded commutes [Miami Herald]
People who live in Broward and work in Miami-Dade suffer through the most crowded inter-county commute in Florida and the 14th most crowded in the nation, according to U.S. Census data released last week.

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› Hack to Jacksonville-based Web.com compromises credit card information of 93,000 customers [Florida Times-Union]
Jacksonville-based Web.com has reported a breach in one of its computer systems that may have compromised the credit card information of approximately 93,000 customers, according to a filing the company has made to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

› Betting on Vets [Business Observer]
The unemployment rate for U.S. military veterans is higher than most other demographics, a nugget at which many shake their heads. But that gap is an opportunity at WilsonHCG.

› The top 10 US cities for small businesses [Business Insider]
Thumbtack, an online marketplace that connects consumers with a range professionals form chimney sweeps to dog walkers, surveyed almost 18,000 small business in 95 cities across all 50 states and ranked the top cities for small businesses.

› Marijuana program draws 42 doctors statewide [Orlando Sentinel]
In the ten months since Florida began preparing physicians to qualify patients for medical marijuana, only 42, including eight in Central Florida, have signed up to do so.