Monday's Daily Pulse

› Florida: ground zero for Republican candidates [St. Petersburg Times]
Where does one go after announcing a candidacy for president? Florida, of course. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is set to make his long-expected presidential announcement Monday in Iowa and then hop on a plane for Tampa Bay. Pawlenty plans to hold a private fundraiser and meet-and-greet events before heading to Coral Gables on Tuesday, where he will host private meetings and a Facebook town hall meeting. Underscoring Florida's importance in the race, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman plans to base his campaign in Orlando — where his wife grew up — if he does jump into the race that he's currently exploring. Florida, which is expected the be the first mega-state and fifth contest in the primary, is sure to be a key part of Huntsman's strategy for winning the nomination. "Everybody in politics knows Florida is a microcosm for what's happening across the country, and if you can do well in Florida, you can well nationally," said Nikki Jerger Lowery, who will serve as Florida director if Huntsman runs.

› Lawsuits over ADA compliance: Valiant campaign or small-business harassment? [Florida Times-Union]
Chris Fowler didn't know what the letters from the lawyers were even about. But he got four of them Friday afternoon, from attorneys as far away as Boca Raton, offering to defend him and the business he owns with this mother, Westside Automotive, in a lawsuit. He didn't know he was being sued. But he's not alone. Donna Smith, manager of Gorgi's 2 BBQ on Cassat Avenue, got her notice in the mail on Thursday. Woody's Bar-B-Q, Lubi's Hot Subs, Pier One, Visionworks ... what they all have in common is that they've been the subject of lawsuits filed by one man. Since early last year, Norman Hoewischer has filed 71 federal lawsuits against Jacksonville businesses alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. A dozen were filed last Monday alone. The defendants are stores, restaurants, shopping centers, even automotive repair shops. Each of the suits is similar. They all allege that Hoewischer, who uses a wheelchair, attempted but was prevented from fully using the facility. They further describe him as a "tester on behalf of himself and other persons with disabilities."

› The strength of summer on the Space Coast [Florida Today]
While winter brings snowbirds to the Space Coast, as frostbitten Midwesterners, New Englanders and Canadians flee their chilly homelands for our area's temperate clime and sandy expansive beaches, summer brings thousands of visitors to Brevard, as well. They're lured by the beaches, recreational opportunities and Kennedy Space Center, the world's premier spaceport. That space connection will make this sum? mer unlike any other with as many as 1 mil? lion people expected to flock here to witness the final shuttle launch, which NASA said Friday is scheduled for July 8 ."We are anticipating record crowds," said John Stine, director of sales and marketing for the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. While Atlantis' final journey to space undoubtedly will be the highlight of the summer, launches are not the only thing that draws visitors to the county during the steamy days of summer.

› Fla. nursing home watchdogs see turmoil in agency [AP]
Florida, long one of America's most revered retirement spots, has launched what critics call an unprecedented assault on watchdogs for its oldest and sickest they believe amounts to political kowtowing to the powerful nursing home industry. Since Gov. Rick Scott assumed office, the state's top nursing home watchdog has been replaced with someone seen as far more favorable to the industry, the watchdog's subordinates have been muzzled from speaking to the press and its outspoken head volunteer have been fired, cumulatively triggering two whistleblower complaints and a federal investigation. "The state is succumbing to the demands of the nursing home industry," said Janet Wells, director of public policy at The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, a nonprofit that advocates for long-term care residents. The long-term care ombudsman program, as the watchdog agency is known, costs about $3 million annually, with most of that coming from the federal government. Most of its work is done by volunteers who go out to facilities to investigate the complaints of residents and advocate on their behalf. All states have such agencies, which are mandated by the Older Americans Act, though they're largely invisible to the general public.

› Miles Media the best little PR firm you don't know [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
For a communications outfit, Miles Media Group has managed to remain downright quiet and unassuming for more than two decades. So quiet and unassuming, in fact, that at least in Southwest Florida, it may be one of the most successful companies with $40 million in annual revenue that few people have ever heard about. But travel just about anywhere in the U.S. as a tourist — or do research for a leisure trip — and you will likely bump into Miles' work. From its headquarters in Lakewood Ranch, Miles Media directs tourism websites and produces tourism marketing brochures for more than a dozen states — from Vermont to Oklahoma — and for cities as diverse as Chicago, Las Vegas, San Antonio, and Juneau, Alaska. In Florida, where Miles is the largest producer of tourism-related marketing material, the company developed and oversees the website for Visit Florida, the state's tourism agency. It also works for destinations such as the Florida Keys, Sanibel, Naples, the Everglades, Pensacola Bay and St. Augustine.

› Strict lending policies create boom in rental market [Fort Myers News-Press]
Foreclosures and lingering unemployment have created a rental market so robust some property managers are struggling to keep up with demand. At L. Cramer & Associates Property Management in Cape Coral, Lisa Cramer said she has more prospects than properties, with a waiting list of between 30 and 40 tenants. Cossett Garcia, property manager and broker associate at M&M Realty Solutions in Fort Myers, said the majority of her rental properties are snapped up in three weeks or less. "We don't have enough availability. There's more demand for rentals than what we have," Garcia said.

› Iconic Orlando fountain's rebirth takes shape [Orlando Sentinel]
When workers placed the first new seafoam-green plastic panel on the Lake Eola fountain last week, it didn't look any different from the old ones. Still, though casual observers might not notice a difference when the $1.6 million overhaul of Orlando's beloved icon is finished, comparing the old fountain with the new one is like comparing a 1950s rotary phone with an Apple iPhone. The green skin that residents and visitors have lovingly likened to a Jell-O mold will hide the latest technology. The sophisticated systems will allow light and water shows choreographed to music piped through the park's sound system. The 54-year-old fountain had been deteriorating for years, and a lightning strike in 2009 dealt a fatal blow. A temporary fix got it running again last year, but just barely.
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› Businesses urged to expand into St. Johns County [Florida Times-Union]
Determined to increase their commercial tax revenues, St. Johns County lawmakers said that during The Players Championship last week, they progressed in their efforts to build relationships with top executives. In an hourlong meeting with as many as 200 top executives from Price Waterhouse Cooper, EverBank and other executives in town for the golf tournament at the TPC at Sawgrass, representatives from five county agencies urged them to move to St. Johns. Gov. Rick Scott also attended the May 12 meeting in the air-conditioned Stadium Village tent behind the 18th hole. "The deal is to get them to know St. Johns County," said county Commissioner Jay Morris, who represents Ponte Vedra Beach. "It's about getting businesses to the county. That will be huge. This was the first major start in that direction."