Tuesday's Daily Pulse
All bets off on passage of gambling deal?
It's a sure bet lawmakers won't sign off on a $3 billion agreement with the Seminole Tribe that Gov. Rick Scott handed over last month. Whether the Legislature will pass any gambling deal --- in what is certain to be one of the most heavily lobbied issues of the session that begins Jan. 12 --- remains a huge question. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
See also:
» Tribe's case for gambling agreement
Brian Ballard's firm represented Walmart in its bid to sell liquor in its stores, which sabatoged efforts by another client last year. [Photo: Colin Hackley]
Florida Trend Exclusive
Big lobbying firms in Florida wear multiple hats
Lobbying firms with many clients can sometimes find themselves on both sides of an issue. Brian Ballard of Ballard Partners, a Tallahassee-based lobbying firm, says he and his partners take any potential conflicts of interest very seriously. Access full story.
Lottery has kicked in $29 billion to state's education funding pot
The Florida Lottery announced on Monday that it has now contributed a total of $29 billion to the state’s education trust fund since selling its first ticket in 1988. The good news follows a troubled year for the agency, which runs the second largest-selling lottery in the country, behind New York, in terms of sales and net revenue. [Source: Florida Politics]
What's new at Florida's cruise ports in 2016?
Out with the old and in with the new. That's the theme for the Florida cruise port shuffle in 2016 as new builds make their way to the Sunshine State. PortMiami, Port Everglades and Port Canaveral will all benefit as newer and larger ships arrive this year. [Source: Miami Herald]
FIU supports growing community of military veterans, minorities interested in farming business
Florida has large numbers of minority and new farmers. The most recent USDA Agricultural Census identified more than 10,000 operators as having farmed for less than 10 years, of which more than 4,000 are Hispanic and roughly 750 are women. [Source: FIU News]
› Jacksonville Naval Air Station halfway through overhaul [AP]
Florida's oldest naval air base is marking the halfway point of a $52 million overhaul. A reopening with new runways is scheduled June 26 at Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
› Telecom headquarters could bring 375 jobs to Fort Lauderdale [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
A telecommunications corporate headquarters that could bring 375 jobs to Fort Lauderdale will be considered for a state and local incentives package of $1.9 million.
› U.S. natural gas market kills Port Manatee pipeline project [Bradenton Herald]
A liquid natural gas pipeline project that could have brought more than $30 million in cash and assets to Port Manatee has burned out in a market awash with homegrown natural gas.
› Human simulation at a budget price [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
What makes the newly developed IVIR mannequin different from the thousands of human patient simulators that have gone before it is that it provides realism at a more affordable price.
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› Archaeological find offers insight into Florida's past [St. Augustine Record]
The recent identification of the site of a 1559 settlement in today’s Pensacola may help St. Augustine better understand its own history, says historian Susan Parker, executive director of the St. Augustine Historical Society.
› Which financial companies will survive looming disruption? [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase will probably benefit most from the coming wave of financial technology disruption, rather than being supplanted by startups driving the change, according to an Autonomous Research survey.
› ‘Personalized medicine’ drives better outcomes for certain heart patients [Gainesville Business Report]
In the weeks and months after a patient gets a heart stent, blood clots can pose a major threat to recovery. Now, University of Florida Health researchers have found that a quick genetic test can tell doctors early on whether a crucial anti-clotting drug will work.
› Miami restaurant openings heat up in the winter [Miami Herald]
627 restaurants opened in Miami-Dade County in 2015, more than in any other county in Florida, according to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. That’s about 1.7 openings a day.