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Wednesday's Afternoon Update

Help wanted ads increase in Florida

Looking for a job? Head south to Florida and other southern states. The South outpaced other regions in the number of job openings in July, the Labor Department said Tuesday. And that momentum has continued in August as Florida's "help wanted" online ads increased to 264,253, up from 230,949 in August 2011, said Amy Baker, the state's chief economist. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Business Profile

Navizon

Floridian
Miami Beach-based Navizon recently introduced technology that tracks people indoors strictly through the wi-fi signals emitted by their mobile devices.

The system has raised some privacy concerns but a number of businesses -- from malls to hospitals -- have found uses for it.

» Full story...

» Navizon official site

Fuel costs up, gas price drop likely

South Florida gasoline prices, already the highest in the state, inched up this week to nearly a five-month high following a sharp increase this summer. Analysts, however, say prices are starting to level and slight decreases could be on the way. More at Miami Today.

West Palm Beach fights to regain land it gave to Digital Domain

With dreams of a Digital Domain animation school and downtown high-rise dashed, West Palm Beach now has a bigger fight: keeping its prized land. The question is, will the city be able to persuade a Delaware bankruptcy judge that its legal claim to the land is greater than that of Digital Domain’s many creditors? More at the Palm Beach Post.

See also:
» Port St. Lucie mulls renting, selling Digital Domain building

Puerto Ricans' electoral impact grows in Florida

Since they hail from a U.S. territory, Puerto Ricans are less likely to chose sides based on immigration policy. And while they tend to support Democrats, voters in Puerto Rico elected a conservative Republican governor in Luis Fortuno, who was given a prominent speaking spot at the Republican National Convention. More at CBS News.

Many mobile workers are flocking to co-working spaces

Business lounges and co-working spaces are sprouting up in cities and suburbs nationwide, even fueling websites and new apps designed to help those looking for temporary workspace. But why are people incurring the cost of using shared office space when they can hole up in a coffee shop or work from home? More at the Miami Herald.

Related Florida Trend Archived Content
» Home Office Alternatives
» 'Co-Working Visa'

Out of the Box
Making a living playing a pirate

William MayhemWilliam McRae makes his living as a pirate. No, not the Wall Street kind, but the good old-fashioned, swashbuckling, ahoy matey kind of pirate. He’s 54, a St. Augustine native who spent a couple of decades doing his magic act in Las Vegas. But he returned to the oldest city in 2006, and now he combines his magic with his alter ego - William Mayhem, pirate. He spends much of his time at the St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum, but also he’s out doing private shows, school shows, even a little street magic.

» Full story from the Florida Times-Union
» St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum
» Capt. William Mayhem Facebook Page