Florida's county by county property tax rates
Are your property taxes higher than homeowners in other parts of Florida? A new list from Florida Tax Watch reveals how much residents in each of the state's 67 counties pay in property taxes. Topping the list is Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys. Homeowners there paid an average $2,800 tax bill in 2010. The lowest property tax average in the state was in Union County, at just $291. Read more from Central Florida News and see the full report from Florida Tax Watch.
Newest hospital ratings give patients another online tool
Patients are used to getting examined by their doctors, but now more are giving their hospitals and doctors a checkup, too. Turns out that a little bit of online sleuthing could greatly increase a patient's chances of surviving the visit, according to a recent report released from HealthGrades, a company that gathers data to rate doctors and hospitals. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Casino bill sacrifices horse and dog tracks for mega-resorts
In a move designed to shift Florida's gambling focus, two new bills filed Wednesday would award exclusive full-casino licenses to three massive "destination resorts" and leave the struggling pari-mutuel industry to wither. The goal of the proposals by Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, and Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, "is to reduce gaming in the state and have the kind of gaming that is actually going to produce revenue,'' Bogdanoff said. Read more from the Times/Herald and read HB 487 here.
Related:
» Miami casino would be bigger than Vegas competitors
» Civic groups plan independent casino gambling forums
This party will make you look forward to watching paint dry. At each Dayglow event, cannons spray water-based paint while attendees dance to electronic music.
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Community Portrait
Coral Gables Founded in the 1920s as one of the nations's first planned communities, Coral Gables still hews close to the original developer's vision of a clean, carefully zoned town. [View All Community Portraits] |
Rep. Connie Mack to enter Florida's Senate race
U.S. Rep. Connie Mack unexpectedly signaled late Wednesday that he will enter the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, apparently convinced other candidates cannot defeat Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson.
"He's getting in the race," adviser David James said in an e-mail. "Making calls, assembling a team. He will have more to say in an announcement in weeks to come."
Mack, R-Fort Myers, considered entering the race earlier this year but decided to focus on his House duties. He was friendly with another candidate, state Senate President Mike Haridopolos, who dropped out months ago.
Read more from the St. Petersburg Times and the Miami Herald.
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Bill to swap property taxes for higher sales taxes stirs controversy
A proposed bill that would swap property taxes for a higher sales tax in Pinellas County has reignited Tea Party opposition to rail.
State Sen. Jack Latvala calls his bill "a no-brainer."
But members of the South Pinellas 9/12 group oppose the bill because taxes for the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority could increase and they fear it will bankroll rail.
› 'This Old House' films at UF hurricane simulator
A television crew visited Gainesville on Wednesday to make sure "This Old House" doesn't blow down.
The crew of the PBS home improvement series filmed at the University of Florida's structures and materials research laboratory on its Eastside campus. A hurricane simulator used to test building materials was turned on "This Old House" host Kevin O'Connor, subjecting him to winds up to 120 mph and driving rain.
"The purpose of this story is to come and see where the science is developed, to learn what it means when 120-mile-an-hour winds sweep up your roof," O'Connor said.
› Sauce company likes it hot
Tom Nuijens started Half Moon Bay Trading Co. when he was still with William Cook Advertising. He'd go down to Costa Rica on surfing trips pretty regularly, and he also liked to putter around in the kitchen.
In 1978, he partnered with a factory down there to make his Iguana brand hot sauces.
Now, four employees receive and ship the sauces from the warehouse on Mayport Road in Atlantic Beach.
› Smoking ban partially lifted in Fla. prisons
Prison officials have lifted a ban on smoking for Florida prison employees.
But inmates are still banned from smoking under the new policy put in place by Corrections Secretary Ken Tucker earlier this month.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
› Deal could be near for Biscayne Landing
North Miami says it could have a deal by the end of the year to lease 184 city-owned acres on Biscayne Bay to developer Michael Swerdlow.
The deal would bring in $17.5 million up front plus $1.5 million per year for the city, plus taxes on the 3,350 condos Swerdlow eventually hopes to build on the site, a former toxic-waste dump now dubbed Biscayne Landing. The city is counting on $5.2 million of that money in the current budget year.
› Founder of failed school now wants to open charter
The founder of a private school in Lutz who moved to Wisconsin owing millions to creditors has another plan for a new school in Hillsborough County.
This time, Wendy Alexander wants to use $1.6 million a year in taxpayer money to operate a public charter school called the Academy for Accelerated Learning, serving students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Parents who had children enrolled at Alexander's bankrupt Hand In Hand Academy say they can't believe it.
› Orlando plays role in Lockheed's higher 3rd-quarter profit, sales
Boosted in part by its Orlando operations, Lockheed Martin Corp. posted higher third-quarter sales and profits on Wednesday, though its stock price fell amid investor uncertainty about the effect of Pentagon budget cuts on the company.
Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed earned $665 million, or $1.99 a share, from continuing operations in the third quarter, an increase of 19 percent from the year-ago quarter. Sales rose 7 percent to $12.1 billion.
› UF dentistry school scales back expansion, will team with FAMU, UCF
The University of Florida is scaling back plans to expand its dental school and working with two universities that had planned to create new dental schools.
Florida A&M University is dropping its proposal for a new dental school, instead proposing to help recruit minority students to the UF College of Dentistry. The University of Central Florida is still proposing to create its own dental school, but the UF college would now serve as an adviser on the project.
› SCF president gets 35 percent pay raise in 3 years
At a time when most state workers have faced cuts in pay and benefits, and higher education salaries in particular are under fire, State College of Florida President Lars Hafner bucked that trend and received a 35 percent salary increase over the past two years that puts his annual pay at more than $300,000.
› Federal grant targets creation of clean-energy hub in Brevard
Creating a clean energy business hub in Brevard County is the goal of a $2.2 million federal grant unveiled Tuesday in Cape Canaveral.
It's hoped the grant will spur creation of five new companies with more than 200 jobs, which can be filled by some of the 8,000 engineers, technicians and administrators who lost their jobs when the shuttle program ended in July. The effort is called the Space Coast Clean Energy Job Accelerator, and the grant was one of 20 won in a competition that will share $37 million in federal funding.