Medicaid fraud recoveries top $165 million in Florida

The Sunshine State – and South Florida – are hotspots for health care fraud. And in fiscal year 2016, federal Medicaid Fraud Control Units recovered more than $165.5 million from investigations and cases in Florida. See the numbers of Medicaid fraud for Florida at this chart. Also read more from the South Florida Business Journal and Health Payer Intelligence.

See also:
» For Florida, caps on Medicaid could increase burden on local governments

Florida’s new ‘Hurricane Hunter’ base on schedule for storm season

Officials say they’re on schedule to open the new home base for the U.S. government’s “hurricane hunter” aircraft before the Atlantic hurricane season begins. The agency’s aircraft are scheduled to move May 1 to Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Fla., from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. [Source: Insurance Journal]

Can Miami rise from being a service economy?

Although Miami is largely a service economy, the region’s talent base in the professional and creative industries is the 11th largest in the nation, according to the latest report from the joint FIU-Miami Creative City Initiative of Florida International University and the Creative Class Group think tank. See the report, Building Miami's Creative Economy," here. Also read more at the Miami Herald.

Judge sides with House speaker in lawsuit in Florida Lottery contract dispute with Scott administration

In a move that could escalate tensions further among Florida’s Republican leaders, a Tallahassee judge on Tuesday sided with House Speaker Richard Corcoran in a lawsuit that contends the administration of Gov. Rick Scott approved an illegal contract. More from the Times/Herald and the AP.

Brightline names new CEO Dave Howard

Brightline, the privately funded express inter-city passenger rail service in Florida, announced that Dave Howard, a veteran executive from the sports and entertainment industry, has joined Brightline's leadership team as Chief Executive Officer. Othe rmanagment changes at Brightline include naming Michael Reininger to lead new development and growth opportunities as Executive Director at Florida East Coast Industries (FECI), Brightline's parent company, and Patrick Goddard has been elevated to Chief Operating Officer of Brightline. More at the news release.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Actors win historic vote to unionize, join SAG-AFTRA at Hialeah-based Telemundo [Miami Herald]
In a historic National Labor Relations Board vote, Telemundo performers voted to join SAG-AFTRA in a secret-ballot vote conducted Feb. 7-March 8 . Telemundo becomes the first Spanish-language network to be unionized by its talent and the first network in 65 years brought to a union vote.

› OneWeb buys five launches on Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket [Orlando Sentinel]
Two big new players on Central Florida’s Space Coast are teaming up: OneWeb and Blue Origin. Blue Origin and OneWeb are building large new manufacturing plants across the street from each other at Space Florida’s Exploration Park, on the doorstep of Kennedy Space Center.

› Major pharma company to create 150 jobs in South Florida [South Florida Business Journal]
Apotex Inc., the largest Canadian-owned pharmaceutical company, will create 150 full-time jobs in Broward County as part of a $184 million U.S. expansion.

› 12 Japanese firms visit for huge Miami-Dade Water and Sewer contracts [Miami Today]
Over two dozen representatives from 12 Japanese firms visited the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department last week to learn about the many construction projects associated with its multi-year capital improvement plan.

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› Job recruiters say home sales signal Pasco's demographic change [Tampa Bay Times]
Tom Ryan, economic development manager for the Pasco Economic Development Council, says he gets asked a common question from executives pondering a company relocation to Pasco. "Where are my employees going to live, work and play?'' Ryan said. "It's almost a cliche now.''

› New Wage Theft Rules Approved to Help Workers in Miami-Dade [NBC Miami]
Employers in Miami-Dade who don’t pay their employees for the hours they’ve worked will now face stiffer penalties. County commissioners voted unanimously this week to amend the county's wage theft ordinance.

› WalletHub ranks The Villages first in U.S. credit scores [Orlando Sentinel]
The Villages retirement community northwest of Orlando has come out on top of a Wallethub national survey of average credit scores. It’s average score was 778.77.

› Jacksonville-based CSX will pay new CEO Harrison $5 million salary and bonus [Florida Times-Union]
CSX railroad agreed to pay its new CEO Hunter Harrison a $2.2 million salary and offer a target bonus of $2.8 million, but those are some of the smaller pieces of his compensation package.