Thousands of tobacco lawsuits in the pipeline in Florida courts

Thousands of lawsuits statewide have resulted in judgments totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. Many plaintiffs have died waiting for the cigarette manufacturers to pay up, thanks to an obscure statute exclusive to tobacco companies that says they don’t have to put up a bond or pay out until every last appeal has been exhausted. [Source: Tallahassee Democrat]

Related Florida Trend Content
» Attorney General Bondi sues tobacco companies for violating settlement obligations
» Tobacco-related litigation continues in Florida

Commercial space race heats up Space Coast economy

SpaceX is getting ready to launch a rocket from Florida in February. Meanwhile Boeing just demonstrated a brand new- bright blue- space suit. All signs that the commercial space race is heating up Florida's economy. [Source: WMFE]

Gov. Scott's $1 billion budget cuts come mostly from hospitals

Scott's $83.5 billion budget proposal for next year, which he released Tuesday, promises to cut $1.1 billion in spending, and that comes mostly from the reduced payments to hospitals. The target on hospitals continues the ongoing battle between the governor, who ran a for-profit hospital chain, and not-for-profit hospitals. [Source: Naples Daily News]

» Details on Scott's budget, here

Florida's rising traffic deaths prompt statewide safety campaign

Florida has rolled out an aggressive new campaign targeted at decreasing the number of traffic deaths in the state, which have steadily been rising since 2014. Florida isn’t the only sate seeing traffic fatality increases. Traffic fatalities nationwide rose 7.2 percent between 2014 and 2015, the largest uptick in nearly 50 years. Find out more about "Arrive Alive" from the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, here. Also read more at the Insurance Journal.

Speaker Richard Corcoran demands data from 38 economic, tourist groups

Under threat of subpoena, Richard Corcoran, speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, has demanded detailed revenue and expense records from 38 economic development and tourism organizations throughout the state. [Source: Miami Today]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Tampa Bay emerges as one of nation's hottest industrial markets [Tampa Bay Times]
Warehouses lack the glamour of luxury homes, but they are helping make the Tampa Bay area one of the nation's hottest emerging industrial markets. See the report from Colliers International here.

› Orlando's Tupperware boosts earnings, but points to challenging 2017 [Orlando Sentinel]
CEO Rick Goings said Tupperware struggled in the fourth quarter with economic and political instability in foreign markets, but still improved sales during the quarter, partially helped by an extra week in its fiscal reporting period.

› Office Depot layoffs could prompt incentives pay-back [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Office Depot, which laid off an undisclosed number of workers last week at its Boca Raton headquarters, has collected $5.3 million in economic incentives from Palm Beach County and Boca Raton.

› Outgoing chamber leader sees prospect of Gainesville job growth 'very mixed' [Gainesville Sun]
In passing the leadership of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, outgoing board chairman Todd Powell said developing a talented local workforce is critical to the area's future.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Investing in seniors in Southwest Florida [Florida Weekly]
Senior communities with varying levels of amenities have been popping up across Southwest Florida as developers prepare for waves of Silent Generation members and soon the baby boomer generation, whose oldest members are edging into their 70s.

› Florida businesses that ban guns could be held liable for leaving patrons defenseless [Miami Herald]
The new proposal (SB 610) from Senate Judiciary Chairman Greg Steube says the “Legislature intends to find a balance” between gun-owners’ rights and private property rights.

› Orlando seafood company Bar Harbor sold [Orlando Sentinel]
An Orlando-based seafood distributor has been sold to a Virginia food industry giant. Performance Food Group of Richmond, Va. has bought the wholesale operations of Bar Harbor Seafood and its warehouse.

› Initiative to improve broadband in Gainesville to launch Wednesday [Gainesville Sun]
A group of Gainesville residents plan to battle broadband internet connectivity issues with the launch of a new initiative. Bryan Eastman, one of the founders of "Connected Gainesville," said the initiative, which will launch Wednesday, has been in the works for years.