CBO: Hurricane damage costs will increase faster than the economy

Costs associated with hurricane damage will increase by about $11 billion over the next several decades as a result of climate change and coastal development, the Congress Budget Office (CBO) estimated in a report released Thursday. [Source: The Hill]

See also:
» No hurricanes in Florida, so why the insurance hikes?
» Jeff Atwater, state officials warn to prepare paperwork ahead of hurricane threats

Middle market companies account for more than half of national job growth

The latest "Middle Market Power Index" by American Express and Dun & Bradstreet found that while the total number of commercially active firms has declined since 2011, the number of middle market firms — and their revenues and employment — have doubled. Read more at Florida Trend and see the full report here.

More Americans plan to retire after 70

U.S. workers are more confident that they'll be able to retire someday. Just not until they're 70. Some 23 percent of Americans with jobs said they planned on being septuagenarian employees, up from 16 percent in 2009. [Source: Bloomberg]

Federal consumer watchdog takes aim at payday lenders with proposed rules

The government's consumer watchdog Thursday proposed a set of rules designed to rein in the practices of American payday lenders, taking aim at a profit-making model that involves staggeringly high fees and often leaves serial borrowers with spiraling debt. [Source: Washington Post]

Filling construction jobs is still builders' top challenge

The cost and availability of labor remains a top supply-side headwind for home builders and remodelers as the residential construction industry expands. Over the past few years, the issue has increased in importance according to NAHB industry surveys. [Source: Builder]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› UCF students launch company to reduce chemical waste [Central Florida Future]
Some of the world’s brightest entrepreneurial minds aren’t in Silicon Valley. They’re right here at UCF utilizing the Blackstone LaunchPad.

› KSC, Groundswell group aim to pave way for start-ups [Florida Today]
What it will take for the Space Coast to launch more business ventures based on licensed space technologies? An event this week, investors, space officials and entrepreneurs attempted to lay out a road map of sorts to show the way.

› DeLand coffee maker fighting energy drink maker to use Monster name [Orlando Sentinel]
A DeLand coffee roaster and B-52s frontman Fred Schneider are fighting off a threat from Monster Energy drinks for using the name monster for one of its blends.

› Whole Foods wants you to eat invasive lionfish into submission [Tampa Bay Times]
You've seen their unicorn-like horns, venomous spines and distinctive stripes on movie screens and behind the glass walls of aquariums, but are you ready to see lionfish on your dinner plate? Environmentalists and super markets like Whole Foods hope so.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Small Business Breakthrough contest by Jags and Web.com gets about 225 entries [Florida Times-Union]
Registration is closed for the second year of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ and Web.com’s Small Business Breakthrough and organizers of the competition say they received more than half the registrants of last year’s 350 small companies.

› Disney time shares fuel a robust resale market [Orlando Sentinel]
Disney Vacation Club has a reputation for a high resale value. The company dominated a list released last month by time-share market research company Sharket assigning resorts a score based on resale volume and prices.

› Innisbrook's Valspar Championship may benefit as PGA drops Doral [Tampa Bay Times]
With the PGA Tour's announcement on Wednesday that the WGC tournament at Miami's Doral Country Club will be played in Mexico City for at least the next seven years, Innisbrook's Valspar Championship now follows a tournament outside of Florida.

› SunTrust switches up South Florida banking leadership [South Florida Business Journal]
Changes are afoot in Atlanta-based SunTrust Banks’ (NYSE: STI) South Florida market. Manny Perdomo has been promoted to chairman, president and CEO of SunTrust in South Florida, the bank announced Wednesday.