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 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. |
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.
Environmental NEWS |