Thursday's Daily Pulse

Posted 6/14/2012

Updated 1 decade ago

The Sunshine, but not the solar, state

Ask state lawmakers why Florida doesn't focus more on solar energy and they'll complain about too many clouds. So with little political will to aggressively tap the sun, Florida now lags behind other not-as-sunny places such as Massachusetts, Ohio, New York and New Jersey in developing more solar capacity. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Foreign buyers bullish on Florida housing even if Floridians are not

To the snowbirds of Canada, the sunseekers of Europe and flight capitalists of Latin America, Florida sends you all a great big Thanks! for buying homes here in such abundance. When it comes to international buyers snapping up housing in the United States, Florida property remains the runaway favorite. The state tallied 26 percent of international sales in the country, says a new National Association of Realtors report for the year ending March 2012. [Source: Tampa Bay Times ]

Legal voters may have been purged from rolls in noncitizen hunt

Gov. Rick Scott often says that no actual citizens have been removed from the voter rolls in his program to make sure noncitizens don’t have the chance to cast ballots. “Not one person has been taken off the voter rolls that was a resident, a U.S. citizen who has the right to vote,” Scott said Tuesday in Miami. But that might not be the case. [Source: Miami Herald]

EPA gives OK to $880M Everglades clean-up plan

An $880 million plan to improve Everglades water quality was given federal approval Wednesday, setting the clock on a massive 12-year cleanup project. The Environmental Protection Agency approved permits for the proposal, saying its completion "would represent a significant and historic milestone in restoring America's Everglades." [Source: AP]

Jobless claims continue to drop in South Florida

Fewer people in South Florida are seeking unemployment aid, an encouraging sign for the labor market at a time when its recovery seems in doubt. However, the declines are slowing, which could signal a new phase in the rebound. [Source: Miami Herald]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Kiplinger likes Orlando’s job-growth potential [Orlando Sentinel]
Kiplinger has named Orlando as one of eight cities around the U.S. expected to see the best job growth over the next five years. The region is ranked up there with Raleigh, N.C., Nashville, Tenn., and San Antonio, Tx. Kiplinger projects Central Florida will fare better than any of the other big-market cities in the state.

› Lightning owner Jeff Vinik brings investment firm to downtown Tampa [Tampa Bay Times]
A Boston-based hedge fund and investment firm founded and controlled by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik will relocate to downtown Tampa.

› Another record month of bed tax revenue signals Pinellas tourism's strength [Tampa Bay Times]
Pinellas County tourism continued its record-setting tear in April. The county collected $3.14 million in bed tax revenue that month to make it the best April on record. That's a 9 percent increase from last year, when tourists shelled out $2.9 million. It's also the first time tax proceeds have breached the $3 million mark in April.

› Will next UF president come from academia, politics, business or elsewhere? [Ocala Star-Banner]
The search for the University of Florida's next president has yet to begin, but talk already has started about the ideal background of candidates.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Citizens Property Insurance picks new president [News Service of Florida]
Citizens Property Insurance Corp. board members today tapped a private sector CEO to lead the state-backed insurer as it tries to relinquish its role as the state's largest property insurer.

› Wish Farms selling strawberry farm in Plant City [Tampa Bay Times]
Strawberry grower Gary Wishnatzki, best-known for selling berries under the Wish Farms label, is shutting down a 200-acre farm operation in Plant City and, for the next growing season, expanding a much larger operation in Duette, southeast of Sun City Center.
Related Florida Trend Archived Content
» Tampa Bay Economic Yearbook 2010

Gary Wishnatzki, CEO of Wish Farms, and “Misty” at the company’s strawberry field. Wishnatzki attributes some of the company’s success to Wish Farms’ “Pixie Pete” YouTube clips. His son, Nick, also plays a role in the clip, along with pixie “Misty.” [Photo: Jeffrey Camp]

› SpaceX chief: Texas lead contender for spaceport [AP]
South Texas is the leading candidate for a launch site for the company that sent the world's first commercial supply ship to the International Space Station. SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said he wants to build a spaceport near Brownsville. He said Wednesday he plans to talk to Texas Gov. Rick Perry about incentives and other issues. SpaceX also is considering sites in Florida and Puerto Rico.

› Keeping cool, costs down as weather heats up [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
With South Florida's peak heat approaching in July, consumers may find their electric bills rising as well. South Florida's temperatures are forecast to be in the mid-90s during July and August, which is the "normal summer pattern," said Barry Baxter, forecaster for the National Weather Service in Miami.