Saving Florida's oysters could mean killing a way of life

Most of the world’s oyster reef populations have vanished. Apalachicola used to account for 90 percent of Florida’s wild oysters, 10 percent of the nation’s. These days? Almost nothing. In 2013, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared a fishery disaster on the bay and it has continued to diminish since. Today, farming oysters -- while improving the health of the bay -- is changing the industry and forcing Apalach oystermen to change their way of life. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Florida adds 17,500 private-sector jobs in March, 13 percent over a year ago

In Florida, it’s still raining jobs. The state added 17,500 private-sector jobs in March, up 13 percent from 15,447 in the same month a year ago, according to payroll company ADP. That percentage increase was lower than in February, when private-sector jobs were up 30 percent in the state. See the news release from ADP here, and read more at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Study suggests Florida is among worst states for millennials

It turns out Florida doesn't rank so well when it comes to appealing to millennials. Or at least that's what a study released by WalletHub, a financial advising company, suggests. The study looked into five main categories to determine the overall rank: affordability, education & health, quality of life, economic health and civic engagement. See the findings from WalletHub and read more at Florida Today.

Florida Trend Exclusive
The state of the economy in Southeast Florida

Fort Lauderdale has enjoyed many a real estate up-cycle, but the downtown building boom under way is truly a transformation. Buildings are now going up in the 40-story range, development is moving north up U.S. 1, there are new hotels, the first new downtown office tower in years, along with restaurants and other signs of a resident-driven downtown. Full report here.

» Coming next week to the Daily Pulse: Economic profiles of Southwest, Central, Northeast and Northwest Florida.

Magic Leap leads quarterly venture capital funding in Florida, 4th in nation

Magic Leap led venture capital investments in Florida and was fourth in the nation for largest investments in the first quarter, according to a MoneyTree Report released Wednesday. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

See also:
» Without Magic Leap, South Florida's venture capital plunges 80% year-over-year

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Jacksonville software company partners with statewide manufacturing organization [Jacksonville Business Journal]
IMCO Associates Inc., doing business as IMCO Software, has been named a third party software provider for FloridaMakes, a public-private partnership working on behalf of Florida's more than 20,000 manufacturers.

› Starting wage $16 an hour for new Walmart warehouse in Cocoa [Orlando Sentinel]
Walmart plans to start hiring for 375 new jobs at its new distribution center in Cocoa and says starting pay will be $16.05 an hour for full-time employees, the company announced.

› Maverick Boat Group plans Florida manufacturing facility [Business Facilities]
Maverick Boat Group (MBG) will build a new boat manufacturing facility in Fort Pierce, creating 100 jobs. The expansion will also invest $7 million in the local economy.

› How developers discovered Tampa's "best kept secret" [New York Times]
A forecast by Dodge Data & Analytics predicts that $13 billion will be spent on development in the Tampa Bay area — which includes Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg — through 2022. That figure, for both new construction and renovations, includes apartments, condos and commercial and institutional buildings.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› El Al Airlines looks at added Miami-Tel Aviv flight [Miami Today]
The number of Miami travelers to Tel Aviv is exceeding expectations, and El Al Airlines is flying high. The airline is considering adding a fourth weekly flight in coming months after seeing high demand at Miami International Airport since the Miami-Israel route’s November debut.

› Could Tampa’s own Joe Redner shake up the medical marijuana industry? [Tampa Bay Times]
A court ruled Wednesday that Tampa strip club owner Joe Redner can grow his own marijuana for medical purposes, a decision that lawyers say could lead to a wave of similar cases.

Florida Trend "Icon" interview:
» Adult business entrepreneur Joe Redner talks about his life

› Price of hurricane shutters expected to rise, thanks to tariff on aluminum [CBS 12]
If you’re looking to buy hurricane shutters for the next storm, it will cost you more. Trump says that the tariffs on both aluminum and steel won’t affect our economy, but that doesn’t seem to be the case in South Florida.

› Norwegian firm builds Florida farm for cold-water fish [USA Today]
Atlantic Sapphire, a Norwegian company that pioneered technology to farm salmon entirely on land, is building a salmon farm near the southernmost edge of the continental U.S., about an hour's drive south of Miami.