Voters to decide business property tax cut this November

A tax cut to help small businesses immediately — and larger ones down the road — will go before Florida voters this fall. The Florida Senate voted 40-0 on Thursday afternoon to put a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot that would cut property taxes on machinery, furniture and other business equipment known as "tangible personal property." The measure would immediately remove from the tax rolls any accounts with $50,000 or less worth of tangible property. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

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Brainstorming to end South Florida's brain-drain

The steady exodus of young professionals out of South Florida — and into cities such as Seattle, Denver and Houston — has come to be referred to as the region’s “brain drain” problem. And it’s a problem that local economic leaders are deeply concerned about. [Source: Miami Herald]

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As veterans battle unemployment, are companies doing their part?

On any given day, you will find Brian Reynolds recruiting new hires at a job fair, military base or a South Florida workforce office. In his industry, where turnover is high, tapping the abundant talent pool of returning veterans has been a bonanza for his company, G4S Secure Solutions, a security services provider. Unfortunately, Reynolds finds most businesses aren’t as enthusiastic: “There are some excellent companies out there recruiting, but it’s always the same companies. With the huge amount of returning veterans and the huge amount of unemployment, we need to see more.” [Source: Miami Herald]

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Could retiring doctors leave state in a bind?

Florida has one of the oldest doctor workforces in the country, whose retirements could leave parts of the state without the primary care doctors, nephrologists, obstetricians and oncologists the state's aging population needs. [Source: Gainesville Sun]

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Legislature passes bill to let UF, FSU make higher tuition hikes

Without debate, the Florida Senate passed a bill that would give the University of Florida power to make unlimited tuition increases. The measure, which already passed the Florida House, would allow state universities that meet 11 of 14 academic and research standards to increase tuition beyond the current 15 percent annual limit. Currently only UF and Florida State meet the threshold. [Source: Gainesville Sun]

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ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Natural gas station opens at Tampa International Airport [Tampa Bay Times]
Tampa International Airport will be celebrating the grand opening of the bay area's second compressed natural gas station today. Over the next five years, the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority will spend about $1 million converting some of its fleet of maintenance and shuttle vehicles over to a more sustainable fuel.

› Trump has big plans to restore luster to Doral's Blue Monster [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Donald Trump's appetite for real estate is grander than most everyone else's, and so is his outlook on gardening. Sharing his vision Thursday for the Doral resort, his latest land grab, the Donald spoke of plans to renovate the TPC Blue Monster as a grandiose gardening project. "I have friends that are very successful people, and they love to garden. And I like to garden, too, I guess in a much bigger way," Trump said. "I also love tremendous acreage."

› Orange Park students become gardeners with state, business help [Florida Times-Union]
Students at Lakeside Elementary School in Orange Park recently planted a vegetable garden on campus, as part of the state-funded Gardening for Grades program. Sponsored by the state Department of Agriculture, the program is designed to cross curriculums in settings inside and outside the classroom.

› Scripps Florida names new top scientist [Palm Beach Post]
An executive at the National Institutes of Health will take over as senior director of scientific operations at Scripps Florida in May. Dawn Johnson, 40, will succeed Harry Orf, who left last month for a job at Massachusetts General Hospital. Johnson is associate director for science management in the Office of the Scientific Director at the National Institutes of Mental Health.

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› Prison company sues Pembroke Pines for water, sewer service [Miami Herald]
Corrections Corporation of America, the private company bidding to bring a federal detention center to Southwest Ranches, filed a lawsuit in federal court Thursday seeking to compel Pembroke Pines city officials to provide water and sewer service to their proposed facility.

› Disney cracks down on FastPass enforcement [Tampa Bay Times]
Disney is boosting its enforcement of the time stamped on its popular FastPass reservation system, Mouse watchers say. The Inside the Magic blog reports that Walt Disney World is now enforcing both the beginning and end times, allowing guests holding a FastPass to only return during the one-hour window stated on the slip.

› Jacksonville projects sit idle after being infused with city taxpayer money [Florida Times-Union]
Three building projects, in different stages of completion, all represent failed attempts by the city to spark neighborhood-based economic activity through land donations and millions of dollars in grants and loans.

› University of Tampa tweaks schedule for convention week [Tampa Tribune]
The Republican National Convention coincides with the beginning of fall semester at the University of Tampa, and the event will cause a major disruption on campus. But the school just across the Hillsborough River from downtown Tampa has decided to continue with its regular academic schedule.

› No vacancy in Miami’s condo canyon [Miami Herald]
The latest report card on downtown Miami’s condo market shows almost all of the units built during the housing boom are full. That’s thanks to renters, who would be priced out if not for all of the cash purchase deals.

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