Ground game for the Florida presidential primary begins

Across Florida, preparation for the primary on March 15 has begun. Campaigning is being carried out by local volunteers, who are donating their time and effort to make calls, knock on doors, and do whatever is necessary to get out the vote from their friends, neighbors and co-workers. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

See also:
» From here till Florida: Calendar of debates, primaries, caucuses and voter deadlines
» Early voting to begin in Florida
» Florida presidential primary ballots include many candidates who are no longer running

The science of stealing

More than $44 billion in merchandise goes missing across the United States each year, driving up prices for paying customers and filling the coffers of gangs and terrorist organizations. [Source: UF News]

Prison healthcare contract to cost Florida another $34 million

The abrupt cancellation of a prison healthcare contract for 82,000 Florida inmates will cost taxpayers $34 million more next year but may result in better oversight and higher quality care, a top state prison official told a Senate subcommittee Wednesday. [Source: Times/Herald]

How society pays when women’s work is unpaid

Worldwide, women spend an average of 4.5 hours a day on unpaid work, including grocery shopping, child care and laundry. That is more than double the amount of time men spend, according to O.E.C.D. data. [Source: New York Times]

Why strawberry prices stayed high, then plunged

“Yes, we have no strawberries,” was the lament in recent weeks from many Florida strawberry growers and shippers. That meant shoppers looking for the traditional drop in the price of fresh Florida strawberries last month also got a rude surprise. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› SpaceX launch scrubbed for undetermined reasons [Orlando Sentinel]
SpaceX scrubbed an expected launch of a Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral Wednesday for an undetermined cause, and reset it for Thursday.

› TechNearshore digital company expanding in Boca Raton [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
TechNearshore, a digital services provider in Boca Raton, plans to hire 20 to 25 people and create a corporate headquarters in the city.

› Florida institutions awarded $16 million for cancer research [WUFT]
The Florida Department of Health awarded $16 million to organizations throughout the state to support cancer and tobacco-related disease research efforts.

› Florida Supreme Court declines to hear Jacksonville pension case [Jacksonville Business Journal]
The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to take up an appeal by a Jacksonville municipal pension fund in a dispute about whether the state's Sunshine Law was violated during closed-door meetings about negotiating changes in the pension system.

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› Melbourne leaders eye All Aboard Florida station sites [Florida Today]
City leaders hope the future Brightline express trains operated by All Aboard Florida will pick up and drop off passengers at a station located downtown, in South Melbourne or adjacent to Orlando Melbourne International Airport.

› House backs revamping economic incentives [Gainesville Sun]
With Gov. Rick Scott's push for economic incentives a key issue during this year's legislative session, the House on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a bill that would revamp the incentives process.

› Gov. Scott marks beginning of Macquarie operations on Jacksonville's Southbank [Florida Times-Union]
Gov. Rick Scott formally opened the offices of the finance and investment management firm Macquarie Group at the company’s location on Jacksonville’s Southbank in downtown.

› Colombians Are the Top Foreign Buyers of Property in Miami [Realty Biz News]
Colombian buyers now top the list of foreign buyers of property in South Florida, replacing Brazil as number one on the list.