Friday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 5/1/2015

Florida House to court: Ending session early is legal

Florida's Republican-controlled House on Friday gave a sharply worded response to the state's high court on whether it had the power to shut down the annual session earlier this week. Democrats in the state Senate filed a lawsuit that contended the House violated the state constitution when it adjourned more than three days before the scheduled ending date. More at the Times/Herald and the AP.

Airlines’ higher profits don’t mean lower fares

The nation’s major airlines are also swimming in record profits, largely thanks to fuel prices that plunged 40 percent within a year. But for Americans booking their summer travel, plane ticket prices are flying just as high as always. More at the Miami Herald.

More Americans spending at least half their pay on housing

The Cuba Factor
Business interest in Cuba

Many industries are watching the evolution of U.S. policy toward Cuba closely.

Each industry -- telecom, agriculture, cruise liners, airlines, ports, banks, investors, universities, services -- has its own set of challenges to fully interact and function in Cuba.

» Access full story

The surging cost of rental housing has squeezed a rising proportion of U.S. families since the Great Recession struck in 2007. For more than one in four renters, housing and utilities consume at least half their family income, according to an analysis of Census data by Enterprise Community Partners. More at the AP.

AutoNation giving away $10 million to mark 10 million sales

No auto dealership group has ever sold 10 million vehicles, and AutoNation wants to celebrate when it passes that milestone this spring. The auto retailer is planning its biggest promotion yet, with car giveaways, trips to an IndyCar Grand Prix in California and a chance to win $10 million. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

98.9M visitors came to Florida last year

Preliminary 2014 visitation figures released by Visit Florida this week show that 98.9 million visitors came to the Sunshine State last year, a 5.1 percent increase over the previous high of 93.7 million in 2013. More at the Orlando Business Journal and the Orlando Sentinel.

Out of the Box
Wearing a Suit Makes People Think Differently

Some psychology research in recent years is making an old aphorism look like an incomplete thought: Clothes make the man… Yes? Go on? Clothes, it appears, make the man perceive the world differently. A new study looks specifically at how formal attire changes people's thought processes.