Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Monday's Daily Pulse

Florida's tight finances could spark budget battle this year

Florida legislators will kick off their annual session Tuesday with some simple math problems. More money is coming in, but a push for increased spending - coupled with years of tax cuts - means there just isn't enough to go around. Money is needed for both hurricane recovery and preparation for later this year. Florida's children's health insurance program could run out in March if Congress doesn't authorize additional federal funding. Senate President Joe Negron is optimistic, saying, "I think there's a way for everyone to achieve success in the budget arena." [Source: AP]

See also:
» Legislature 2018: Controversial issues top agenda
» Florida Gov. Scott to make final State of the State speech
» Florida lawmakers grapple with issue of sexual misconduct
» Quick poll: Which do you think is the most important topic for the 2018 Florida Legislature to address?

Florida hack exposed files of up to 30,000 Medicaid patients

Florida officials say hackers may have accessed the personal information and medical records of up to 30,000 Medicaid recipients two months ago. The agency said it "has no reason to believe" this information has been misused, but enrollees can call an agency hotline at 844-749-8327. See the news release from Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration here. Also read more at the AP and Engadget.

How many Puerto Ricans have moved to Florida? State's numbers questioned

The flood of evacuees from Puerto Rico is reshaping schools, communities and public services, but the truth is nobody knows exactly how many islanders are moving to Florida permanently. Three university professors who are studying the influx after Hurricane Maria hit the island in September are questioning figures that Gov. Rick Scott has been using. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Florida vs. Georgia water war heads to U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Monday in a decades-old legal fight between Florida and Georgia over water flow into the Apalachicola River. Florida argues that an increase in water consumption by Georgia, including in the Atlanta area, since the 1970s is “effectively strangling the Apalachicola region. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the AP.

Andy Corty Andy Corty

Florida Trend Exclusive
Publisher's column: A new Jacksonville

As Florida Trend enters its 60th anniversary year, we take a look at Jacksonville/Northeast Florida, one of the state’s first inhabited areas. Jacksonville is changing rapidly. It’s no longer the small Southern town you may recall. Read the full column by Florida Trend's Publisher, Andy Corty.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Orlando fights for recognition as food destination
Restaurant critics, chefs and diners say Orlando deserves more recognition as a top restaurant city, if visitors would go beyond typical theme park fare to enjoy the broader flavors in the metro area.

› SpaceX launches secret satellite Zuma on 1st flight of year
SpaceX has launched a secret satellite codenamed Zuma on its first flight of the new year. The unmanned Falcon rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Sunday night, carrying the satellite toward an undisclosed orbit.

› Florida Gov. Scott to make final State of the State speech
Florida Gov. Rick Scott is giving his last State of the State speech Tuesday and there's a good chance a couple of topics will be similar to the first one he gave in 2011: jobs and tax cuts.

› Flexible jobs fill a need for South Florida companies, workers
South Florida job-seekers today not only face the best job market in a decade, but also have new opportunities with employers that are adding remote workers locally and nationally.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Told their treehouse must go, Florida owners appeal to Supreme Court
Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen built a Florida beachfront treehouse that would be the envy of any child. It’s got two levels, hammocks and windows looking out on the Gulf of Mexico. But the hangout has cost the couple a handsome sum: about $30,000 to construct and probably five times that in legal fees as they’ve fought local authorities over it.

› Jacksonville Jaguars hosting first home playoff game in a generation has big economic implications
It’s been a generation since the Jacksonville Jaguars last hosted a home playoff game. Sunday’s win against the Buffalo Bills at EverBank Field was much more than just a game for the city, the franchise and the fans.

See also:
» Jacksonville Jaguars advance to the AFC Divisional Round against Pittsburgh Steelers,

New in 2018!
Florida 500

Florida elections 2017

In September, Florida Trend will present the state's most influential business leaders across major industries. Do you know someone who should be included?
» To recommend an influential Florida business leader, please go to FloridaTrend500.com.

› Florida CFO to push legislation for first responders
While Florida’s firefighters and other first responders are hailed as heroes, they often cannot get benefits to pay for treatment of mental stress injuries like post-traumatic stress disorder. The state’s workers’ compensation system does not cover PTSD unless it also includes a physical injury, but Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is vowing to change that.

› Winning $450 million lottery ticket sold at Pasco County 7-Eleven
A 7-Eleven in Pasco County sold the winning lottery ticket for $450 million, the Florida Lottery announced Saturday. The Pasco County player is the only winner of the fourth largest Mega Millions jackpot in the Florida Lottery’s history.