Legislature anticipates $635 million budget surplus in 2016

The Florida Legislature is anticipating a $635 million budget surplus in 2016, money that some state lawmakers are already hinting will go towards more tax cuts and education funding, among other things. More from the Times/Herald and the Florida Times-Union.

See also:
» Budget surplus may not be enough to stop spending battle

Why the Iran deal might end up on your ballot

Coming soon to a ballot near you: state constitutional amendments targeting the Iran nuclear deal. The Defund Iran coalition on Tuesday announced plans to ask voters in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Missouri and Ohio to change their state constitutions to bar any state dollars from being invested in ways that might help Iran. [Source: TIME]

See also:
» Rick Scott joins other Republican governors in opposing Iran nuclear deal

Playing youth sports takes a lot more green than it used to

Many well-to-do families now spend thousands of dollars building their child's sports skills, buying high-end equipment, and paying for private lessons. Their kids play on elite teams that may travel across the country to compete. [Source: NPR]

The ways big data will change every business

Big data and its implications will affect every single business — from Fortune 500 enterprises to mom and pop companies— and change how we do business, inside and out. [Source: Forbes]

Is Uber following Florida law, or breaking it? State agencies still won't say

17 months after Uber launched its Florida service, the department still hasn't opined on whether the rideshare company's policy checks all the right boxes under Florida law. To this day, Uber remains in an undefined gray zone — not in compliance with Florida law but not quite illegal, either. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

See also:
» Cab companies sue state over Uber, Lyft
» Sarasota opts to deregulate Uber — and taxis

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› 30,000 expected at Fort Lauderdale beach volleyball tournament [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
A major beach volleyball tournament is expected to bring 30,000 people to Fort Lauderdale this month, creating an economic impact of $6 million, according to the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.

› Fruit fly outbreak triggers South Miami-Dade quarantine [Miami Herald]
An outbreak of an aggressive Asian fruit fly — believed to be the largest so far in the state — has triggered a quarantine of about 85 square miles of fertile farmlands in South Miami-Dade.

› John Ringling inducted into Florida Tourism Hall of Fame [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Sarasota was just a small fishing village when John Ringling began recruiting tourists to the Sunshine State at Madison Square Gardens in the 1920s.

› More employers expect to hire through year's end [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Twenty-eight percent of employers in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach metro region say they'll hire more employees from October through December, a new Manpower survey indicates.

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› Realtor gets top nod for state group [Business Observer]
Manatee County Realtor Barry Grooms has been named secretary for 2016 for the Florida Realtor Association. Grooms is a broker associate with The Results Team at Keller Williams on the Water, handling residential and commercial sales.

› Jerry Mallot explains nuances of running JAXUSA Partnership [Florida Times-Union]
When Anheuser-Busch announced it would expand a canning plant on Jacksonville’s Westside last week, Jerry Mallot was standing quietly in the audience, knowing there were many behind-the-scenes factors that closed the deal.

› Tampa International Airport's pricey overhaul is about keeping up with peers [Tampa Bay Times]
With so much local attention focused on the massive near-$1 billion expansion and redevelopment of Tampa International Airport, remember this: If you stand still in this competitive industry, you fall behind.

› Push is on to expand South Florida's biotech workforce [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
The disappointing pace of growth of South Florida's biotech industry is no laughing matter to entrepreneurs, public officials and taxpayers who have been investing hundreds of millions of dollars over more than a decade.