Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Tuesday's Daily Pulse

$250 million in state revenue is riding on a new gambling deal with Seminole Tribe

The odds have increased for a legislative compromise to update Florida’s gaming laws, one that would guarantee the state more money from the Seminole Tribe in exchange for adding craps and roulette to their casinos, according to negotiators for both sides. HB here is this More from the Times/Herald, the AP, and the Palm Beach Post.

Florida Trend Exclusive
Clean Manufacturing: A business profile of Innova

Innova

When Hurricane Irma came ashore in the Florida Keys at Cudjoe Key, it extensively damaged more than 90% of the homes nearby. But one new home — made from structural insulated panels manufactured in Hialeah by Innova Eco Building System — remained unharmed. The panels are made with a magnesium cement skin, are 60% lighter than masonry block and are energy-efficient. Full profile here.

ICE immigration arrests way up in Florida

Florida experienced the country's biggest increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in 2017, according to a Pew Research Center report. Arrests were up 76 percent, the report showed and overall there were 6,192 across the state. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Florida lawmakers looking for leniency in capital punishment cases

Florida lawmakers usually criticize judges for being too lenient, but when it comes to hundreds of death cases, a legislative committee thinks the state's Supreme Court Justices are being too harsh. Just over a year ago, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that about half of the people on death row were entitled to be re-sentenced, but the other half - sentenced before 2002 - were stuck with the sentence they received. [Source: WCTV]

Airbnb says it generated more than $45 million in Florida tax revenue last year

Airbnb — the app that lets you rent out your home to strangers — said Monday that it more than doubled the Florida tax revenue dollars it generated in 2017 to $45.7 million. That’s up from $20 million from the year before. See the full news release from Airbnb (includes tax revenue by county.) Also read more at the Tampa Bay Times.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Florida plans to boost Israel Bond holdings to a record $50 million
Florida’s Department of Financial Services on Monday said it is increasing its investment in Israeli debt securities to “an unprecedented” $50 million for 2018. The announcement came one day after the Development Corporation for Israel/Israel Bonds launched its annual U.S. sales campaign with a dinner in Miami Beach.

› Cultural Tour takes business leaders all around Broward
Business for the Arts of Broward calls its Cultural Tour one of the best-kept secrets in Broward County. Director Robyn Vegas escorts groups on a behind-the-scenes tour of some of the county's artistic and historical treasures.

› Amgen’s arrival shows how Tampa’s corporate landscape is evolving
Pharmaceutical giant Amgen formally opened its new office in West Shore Monday, and much about the operation — from how it chose Tampa to what it has created here — speak to the ways the Tampa Bay area is changing.

› How a Central Florida city became a hotbed for long track speedskaters
Four U.S. speedskaters — Brittany Bowe, Erin Jackson, Mia Manganello and Joey Mantia — hail from the Sunshine State, making Florida the most common home state on the U.S. long track roster for the 2018 Games.

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› PolitiFact gains nonprofit status with move to the Poynter Institute
The not-for-profit Poynter Institute is taking over direct ownership of PolitiFact, the political fact-checking website started by the Tampa Bay Times in 2007. Poynter, the center for journalism education based in St. Petersburg, also owns the Tampa Bay Times.

› Florida utility bills may be getting cheaper
Utility companies will owe less tax after the recent tax overhaul, and many are planning to pass those savings on to customers. Rate changes may shave a few dollars off the average customer's bill in the coming months.

› Sea rise is outpacing Everglades restoration. But scientists say there’s a solution
For years, South Florida water managers struggling to reverse the damage done to the Everglades by decades of flood control have done their best to replicate nature, timing the flow of water into marshes with the state’s wet and dry seasons.

› Florida Tech to sponsor America Council on Education’s Women’s Network of Florida

Florida Institute of Technology has agreed to serve as a Presidential Sponsor of the America Council on Education’s (ACE) Women’s Network of Florida.