Home values, rents defy global slowdown

U.S. housing appears to be insulated so far from the cooling global economy. Home values and rental prices are rising steadily, fueled by strong demand and a tight supply of available properties, a pair of reports showed Tuesday. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

See also:
» Nationwide rental housing squeeze relaxes in September 2015
» Data visualizations: U.S. rental vacancies and vacant housing units
» Florida's housing market shows strength in September

State lands director resigns amid questions about parks contract

The director of Florida's state lands division has quit amid questions about oversight of the state Department of Environmental Protection and its state parks system under Gov. Rick Scott. Director Kelley Boree quit after the Tampa Bay Times started asking about a $500,000 contract awarded to a company founded by another DEP employee and her husband. This is the second time in two years Florida's lands division director has resigned. Last year, the director quit after a politically unpopular drive to sell off surplus state park land netted zero sales. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Group wants voters to decide whether Florida gets casinos

A group wants Florida voters to have the final say on whether Las Vegas-styled casinos should be allowed in the state. A newly-formed group called Voters in Charge announced Tuesday it will start gathering the nearly 700,000 signatures needed to get the amendment on the 2018 ballot. [Source: AP]

What killed America’s climate-saving nuclear renaissance?

One doesn’t hear much about the nuclear renaissance these days. A decade ago, nuclear was poised for a revival. It had backing not only from utility executives but also from climate activists feeling new affection for its low-carbon emission profile. [Source: Bloomberg]

Medical school applications increased in 2015

The number of medical school application rose by more than 6-percent in 2015, double the percentage of the previous year, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Universal theme parks record highest summer attendance [AP]
Harry Potter and the Fast and Furious helped boost attendance at Comcast Corp's theme parks in Orlando and California. Comcast on Tuesday said the theme parks had their strongest ever summer attendance.

› Port Canaveral must work out expansion project finances [Florida Today]
Port Canaveral has lots of big-ticket projects in the works. Now, port commissioners must decide how to pay for them.

› Spirit Airlines posts $97 million third-quarter profit [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Lower fuel costs and more flights bouyed Spirit Airlines' profit during the third quarter of 2015. The Miramar-based low-cost carrier on Tuesday reported net income of $97 million or $1.35 a share.

› Mystery surrounds largest donor to rival solar power ballot initiative [Tampa Bay Times]
The biggest donor yet to a rival solar power ballot initiative backed by utility companies is a group that has never given campaign donations before in Florida and will not disclose who its supporters are.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Feds deliver blow to proposed Sabal Trail pipeline running through Georgia [AJC]
Federal regulators outlined “very significant concerns” about the proposed route of a $3.2 billion Sabal Trail pipeline that would wind from Alabama through southwest Georgia to central Florida, raising new questions about the viability of the roughly 500-mile project.
» Read the impact statement

› Sarasota to host first Florida Craft Beer Summit [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Craft beer industry members will converge on Sarasota next year for the first Florida Craft Beer Summit. The event, which is hosted by local brewer JDub's Brewing Co., will be March 14-16 at the Hyatt Regency on the bayfront.

› Tampa Bay leads the nation in number of lawyer ads on TV [Tampa Bay Times]
Tampa Bay usually takes pride when it turns out to be No. 1 in national rankings. But to be this year's U.S. metro area most barraged by TV commercials from trial lawyers may not be what this market had in mind.

› Federal court strikes indefinite detention for mentally disabled [Daily Business Review]
Florida cannot restrict the freedom of mentally disabled people without regularly reviewing their cases, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit decided.