Investors can't wait to gamble on Florida
Maybe February was just a speed trap on Alligator Alley or a jack-knifed trailer on the Turnpike. Florida's gambling proponents are not going to be deterred by a temporary slowdown and continue to push casino expansion in the southern part of the state, a market some analysts predict could exceed the Strip's annual $6 billion in gaming revenues. [Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal]
Related:
» Sunrise casino project draws cheers, jeers, questions
» No Casinos airs anti-gambling ad
State 'Online U' would be innovative, but educators uneasy
Florida, not known as a higher-education innovator, nevertheless might become the first state in the nation to open an all-online public university. As even venerable institutions such as Harvard University and MIT join the push to offer more coursework online, the "mail-order diploma" is losing its stigma. Nicknamed "Online U," it would be Florida's 13th university. [Tampa Tribune]
How Florida workers stay engaged in their jobs
When Beth Beam was managing sales workers for her former employer in South Florida, there just wasn't money during the recession to give out the usual sales incentives. So, she created her own rewards program. "I would give a half a day off or 'lunch on me,'" Beam said. "There were still ways to have fun and stay engaged." In a recent global survey by Towers Watson, 63 percent of U.S. workers said they're not engaged in their work. Employees surveyed said there's more pressure on them; they're expected to work more hours; and they have doubts about their employer's providing the career growth or financial security they seek. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Florida Icon: John DeGrove
This excerpt is from a 2001 interview conducted for the University of Florida’s Samuel Proctor Oral History Program.
 John DeGrove [Photo: Heather Selwitz / Palm Beach Post] |
» Every time we’ve done something in Florida to move toward what we’d now call smart growth, some kind of comprehensive effort or even a limited effort to manage our growth, it’s been in the face of a real or perceived crisis. Always.
» In Palm Valley (near what is now Ponte Vedra Beach), nobody thought having a still was illegal. I don’t care if there was some kind of law about it. It didn’t apply to us.
» It’s not too late to do a lot of good things for south Florida. We can undo a lot of the bad things.
Florida voter registrations: a rising tide of independence
The number of independent voters has climbed steadily in Florida since 1972 — when Democrats had an overwhelming majority with 68.5 percent of voters, Republicans had 28.2 percent and independents, only 3.4 percent. But since since the infamous November 2000 election, the number of independent voters in the state has swelled more than 75 percent, from 1.5 million in 2000 to 2.7 million today, making up 23.8 percent of the statewide voting electorate.
[Source: Palm Beach Post]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Advice for downtown Tampa employers bracing for the RNC
Should companies in downtown Tampa let workers stay home during the Republican National Convention? What if employees refuse to come in? And who's liable if someone gets hurt navigating through protestors to make it to work?
Bill deMeza, a Tampa attorney specializing in employment issues, has a unique vantage point on such issues.
› UM med school’s big ambitions led to big layoffs
Long before the University of Miami announced in May that its Miller School of Medicine had financial problems big enough to force layoffs of about 900 full-time and part-time workers, there were signs of serious trouble.
› COLUMN: Abuse at brain-injury center demands attention
It is impossible to look at the pages-long list of abuse allegations from a Central Florida facility for people with brain injuries and not wonder how the Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation is allowed to remain open.
» Backstory: Abuse of Brain Injured Americans Scandalizes U.S.
› Off-season dip hurts Southwest Florida workers
The annual summer slowdown in the labor market has been especially prominent this year, forcing employers to weigh hiring needs carefully and job seekers to sharpen their skills. Still, some places are hiring.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
› Blockbuster deal for Vavrus Ranch in the works
Remember the Vavrus Ranch?
Nearly a decade ago, the Palm Beach Gardens property west of Florida’s Turnpike was practically a household name when it became part of a deal to lure Scripps Research Institute to Palm Beach County.
› UF program that helps start-ups gets federal grant
A University of Florida program that helps bring research to the forefront by assisting start-up companies has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration.
› Related sees Brazil as land of real estate opportunity
During the real estate boom, Miami developer Jorge Pérez hit on an international strategy that fed right into Americans’ love affair with real estate: building second-home communities in sunny spots in Latin America.
› Gainesville company may help break foreign oil dependence
BioTork is developing microorganisms that convert biomass such as agricultural waste and solid waste to oils that can be refined to make fuels and industrial chemicals.