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Friday's Afternoon Update

Florida unemployment falls to a three-year low

Florida's unemployment fell again in February, dropping to 9.4 percent, a three-year low, the state said Friday. January's rate was 9.6 percent. Job creation also picked up steam, after jobs were lost in January, with 10,100 jobs gained in February. The latest jobless numbers also represent a 1.4-percentage point drop from the year before. Florida’s unemployment remains above the national rate of 8.7 percent. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]


In Case You Missed It
The Rise and Fall of the House on 96th Street
Hoeflinger family
[Photo: Brian Smith]
The ups and downs of a home's value in south Florida tell the story of the state's broader real estate market over the past decade.

In the photo above, Michael and Giovanna Hoeflinger, shown here with their two daughters, bought the home late in 2011 for $740,000, 51% less than it sold for at the height of the market five years earlier.
» Go to article

UF researchers develop plant-based technology that helps biofuels, may fight cancer

For the first time, University of Florida researchers have developed plant-based technology that could reduce America's dependence on foreign oil and may also help treat cancer. Known as lignin nanotubes, these cylindrical containers are smaller than viruses and tiny enough to travel through the body, carrying cancer patients' medicine. They can be created in biorefineries from lignin, a plant substance that is a byproduct of bioethanol production. "We're looking at biomedical applications whereby these nanotubes are injected in the body," said Wilfred Vermerris, associate professor in UF's agronomy department and Genetics Institute. [Source: UF]


Collins Center names new executive director

The Miami-based Collins Center has hired Ann Henderson to be its new president and CEO. Henderson was formerly the director of the Graham Center for Public Policy at the University of Florida. She replaces Merrett Stierheim, the retired Miami-Dade County manager who has served as interim director since August, when longtime president, Rod Petrey, was asked to resign amid financial turmoil. [Source: Miami Herald]


» FRIDAY PREVIEW: Coming next week to FloridaTrend.com:

  • Florida's Economic Yearbook 2012 - Interactive Map: Map features Florida's population, per capita income, unemployment rate, age and more
  • Economic Indicators for Miami-Dade and Monroe County: International trade; what's hot and what's not; demographic charts
  • Tampa Bay Economic Indicators: What's hot and what's not; businesses, people and issues to watch
  • Winter Park Wonderland: Restaurant reviews from the "Rodeo Drive of Central Florida" by Chris Sherman.
  • Investment Sounding Board: More installments in this series, where we ask wealth managers, "Where are you advising clients to invest while still remaining cautious?"

» You'll find all these stories first on the Daily and Afternoon Pulse e-mails.

beeEnvironmental NEWS

Declining bee population likely due to common pesticide, studies show


Scientists have been alarmed by recent declines in bee populations. In Thursday's issue of the journal Science, studies suggest that low levels of a common pesticide called thiamethoxam (neonicotinoid systemic pesticide) can have significant effects on bee colonies. Experiments indicates that the chemicals fog honeybee brains, making it harder for them to find their way home. Scientists call this "homing failure" and it can put the colony at risk of collapse. Read more at the New York Times. [Photo: Tampa Bay Times]