Three Florida universities to lead oil spill research
Three Florida universities are receiving grants to lead research groups studying last year's massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. A group led by Florida State University is receiving about $20 million. A University of South Florida-led group is getting more than $11 million. No figure was immediately available for a group led by the private University of Miami. Other Florida-based research participants include the University of West Florida, Florida International University and private Nova Southeastern University. [Source: AP]
Below, Florida State University Professor of Oceanography Eric Chassignet discusses the FSU-led consortium "Deep-C: Deepsea to Coast Connectivity in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico." The consortium will receive $20 million in research funds to study the aftereffects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
» Related: More about USF's $11 million award
» From Florida Trend: Oil spill update, one year later.
Mark Howard's Column If you want to understand why Florida often seems to punch below its weight — why state resources seem frequently to get diluted rather than focused — consider a couple of recent developments. First, there's the Great Dental School Grab. Florida has two dental schools — at UF and Nova Southeastern — with another to open at Lake Erie College of Medicine in Bradenton in 2012. |
Florida consumers lack confidence, but experts don't see 2nd recession coming
The latest reading of consumer confidence in Florida suggests the state has already entered another recession. But many experts, including the Federal Reserve, think otherwise. A state-by-state reading of the economy by the Federal Reserve predicts Florida will stay out of recession. The Fed's Philadelphia branch maintains an economic index for each state, and in a Tuesday report predicted Florida's economy should be growing by 1.5 percent six months from now. It was the ninth month of projected growth for Florida, though 17 states show signs of recession. Chris Lafakis, who follows Florida for Moody's Analytics, noted much of the confidence decline came from misgivings about the national economy rather than consumers' take on their personal finances. Read more at the Miami Herald.
Scott wants Fla. to apply for Race to the Top
Florida Gov. Rick Scott wants the state to apply for the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top early learning challenge.
The competitive grant could provide Florida with up to $100 million to improve school readiness among Florida's youngest learners.
Florida was awarded $700 million in the last round of the Race to the Top education reform competition.
More from AP.
SEC sues Florida men for bilking teachers in $22 million scam
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued two Florida men, claiming they defrauded teachers and retirees in a $22 million Ponzi scheme by posing as a private-equity fund while enriching themselves.
James D. Risher and Daniel Sebastian fraudulently lured more than 100 investors with promises of annual returns of as much as 124 percent, the SEC said yesterday in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Florida. Risher, who spent 11 of the past 21 years in jail, spent customers' funds on jewelry, gifts and real estate in North Carolina and Florida, the SEC said.
More from Bloomberg News.
AT&T to hire 200 workers in Central Florida
AT&T is hiring more than 200 employees in Central Florida, including positions in Volusia and Flagler counties. The communications giant plans to hire about 100 technicians from Orlando to Palm Coast to support its growing services. AT&T also is hiring 100 customer service representatives at its Ocala call center. More from the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Out of the Box » Read HB 4021: Adultery, Cohabitation, and Lewd and Lascivious Behavior Actual text of the bill is here. |
