Florida Trend Exclusive
Biorhythms: The state of biotech in Florida

From startups to success stories to stumbling blocks, here is the latest on the state of biotech in Florida:

Randy Scott offers tips for biotech entrepreneurs looking for startup financing. [Photo: Jon M. Fletcher]

» Florida Bio-Success Stories: Some Florida firms, using private financing, successfully generate power using biomass

» Biomass Energy is fueling a backlash: Delays in construction of biofuel plats fuels critics' appeals to dismantle Florida's Renewable Fuel Standards

» Biofuel Projects -- Barely a Pulse: Chart showing private biofuel projects that have received state grant money in the past five years.

» Financial Lifeline for Biotech Companies in Florida: The federal government funds the startup research of most biotechs. After that, private investors step in with R&D funding.

» Fits & Startups: Investment Capital for Early-stage Biotech Companies

» Florida research institutes are power players in biotech: The state's major researchers are getting comfortable and attracting millions in grant money.

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Hospitals compete for the well-off with fancy amenities

Patients who want to be pampered can order an upscale suite at a South Florida hospital, spending as much as $800 a night as they heal in luxury. Designer linens, fine china, flat-screen televisions, extra beds and meals for guests: these are some of the perks available in South Florida's deluxe hospital accommodations, at rates ranging from $150 to $800 a night on top of what insurance pays. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

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No storms, but insurers keep socking it away

To Florida homeowners, it seems like there is only one thing worse than a bad storm to make them dread opening their insurance bills: Years of calm. Private-sector insurers have long since collected more in premiums - nearly $40 billion through 2010 - than the $28.8 billion they paid in direct losses during and since the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005, industry data shows. Yet consumers see no let-up in the push for higher premiums, and cutbacks in coverage and discounts. [Source: Palm Beach Post]

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Want a summer job? Start looking now

Though summer may seem a world away to most teens, now is the time to begin laying the groundwork if you want a job during school break. In December 2011, unemployment stood at 10.3 percent in Miami-Dade County and 8.6 percent in Broward. Displaced adult workers are now competing with teens for some of the same jobs, said Olivia Almagro, spokeswoman for South Florida Workforce. [Source: Miami Herald]

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Big disparities in utility rates may stunt Florida's economic growth

The gap between the highest and the lowest price is enormous. And it may grow larger in coming years. The difference has grown so noticeable that it may start influencing where people and new business choose to live and operate. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

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ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› South Florida’s colleges provide an economic jolt to the region [Miami Herald]
South Florida’s colleges and universities are lifting the economy — employing tens of thousands and providing a multi-billion-dollar economic impact.

› Jaguars owner Shahid Khan ready to sell First Coast around the world [Florida Times-Union]
Business leaders are keen on using Jaguars owner Shahid Khan’s global connections to gain more attention and jobs from international firms. Khan said he’s ready to do that.

› The South Florida house that became a fraud machine [Miami Herald]
If South Florida was the capital of mortgage fraud, Victor Wolf’s home was arguably the epicenter, churning out millions in ill-gotten loot.

› Things are looking up in downtown Gainesville [Gainesville Sun]
Downtown business owners say momentum is building as new restaurants, bars and other businesses provide more options that are drawing more people. They also credit coordinated efforts to keep sidewalks and streets clean and to address negative perceptions about downtown by offering valet parking and curtailing panhandling.

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› Creative Recycling Solutions named NASCAR Green Partner [Tampa Bay Times]
Tampa-based Creative Recycling Systems has joined the NASCAR circuit to promote sustainable business practices. Last week, CRS was named NASCAR's newest Green Partner as part of the NASCAR Green initiative, which aims to not only promote sustainability within auto racing, but also educate fans and corporate partners about going green.

› Nontraditional approach pays off for real estate exec [Miami Herald]
Armando Diaz and his business partner Eduardo San Roman put the emphasis on higher commissions and lower overhead in their company.

› Banned in county, sweepstakes cafe tries its luck in Tampa [Tampa Tribune]
A new Internet sweepstakes café has opened in downtown Tampa, two months after Hillsborough County commissioners voted to abolish the businesses in other parts of the county. "They're like an amoeba," county Commissioner Sandra Murman said. "They'll rise and fall."

› March Madness a multisport spectacular in South Florida [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
It's March Madness and then some. While the rest of the country obsesses over college basketball, South Florida is about to embark on its own sports spring-tacular that is too big to contain with a single month or set of rules.

› Staged accidents plummet in Hillsborough after county crackdown on clinics [Tampa Bay Times]
Often criticized as the epicenter of auto insurance fraud in the state, Hillsborough County is turning its reputation around with a new ordinance targeting the problem. "Since we passed the ordinance in September of last year, we have seen a 62 percent decrease in the number of staged accidents," County Commissioner Kevin Beckner said Saturday. The ordinance closed a loophole that allowed fraudulent clinics to operate without a license.