Thursday's Daily Pulse

Hillsborough commission rejects transportation sales tax 4-3

After three years of planning and debate, Hillsborough County is back where it started: with no idea how to pay for hundreds of millions of dollars worth of transportation needs. The county commission voted 4-3 to reject the proposed 30-year, half-cent sales tax, refusing to put it on the November ballot and letting voters decide. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said, "Rather than a profile in courage this vote was a profile in cowardice." More from the Tampa Bay Times.

See also:
» Cities, county embrace transportation sales tax referendum in Broward

As Florida leads nation with Zika virus, a funding fight breaks out in Washington

A Zika war has broken out on Capitol Hill. Democrats and Republicans are escalating a fight over a $1.9 billion request from President Barack Obama to combat a growing threat most pronounced in Florida. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the AP.

See also:
» NASA maps Zika’s potential spread in the U.S.
» Uncle Sam wants you to clean up your yard to fight Zika

Federal Reserve leaves key interest rate unchanged

The Federal Reserve held interest rates unchanged on Wednesday and while it left the door open to a hike in June, its statement implied that it was in no hurry to follow on from its December rate rise. More from Reuters, Marketwatch, and the Washington Post.

Divorce doesn't necessarily mean the destruction of a family business

Contested, litigated divorces can be devastating to a closely-held family business and their employees. Typically, each side hires their own "pit bull" attorney and the attorneys go after each other and their clients' spouse. [Source: South Florida Business Journal]

Pending home sales jump to their highest level in almost a year

Pending home sales jumped more than expected, reaching their highest level in almost a year. Pending home sales increased 1.4% in March, according to the National Association of Realtors (NRA). More from the Business Insider and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Publix CEO, retiring after 42 years, surprises Fort Lauderdale employees [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Wednesday was Ed Crenshaw's last day on the job as CEO of the largest employee-owned grocery chain in the United States. And everyone wanted a picture with him.

› Wi$e Money Week in Jacksonville seeks to spread financial literacy, and many are buying [Florida Times-Union]
The fifth annual Jacksonville Wi$e Money Week organized by the Family Foundation is well underway and turnout has been solid for some of the more than 250 events designed to increase financial literacy in the city.

› SpaceX: Mars launch, aimed for '18, targeted for Florida [Orlando Sentinel]
SpaceX will launch its Dragon spacecraft to Mars from Florida's Space Coast. The news followed earlier activity on the space transportation company's social media accounts that said it wanted to land one of its Dragon capsules on the Red Planet in 2018.

› App-based moving service expanding its Tallahassee workforce [Tallahassee Democrat]
Bellhops is a fast-growing company that employs mostly college students to provide the labor for clients who have tired of moving items like queen-sized beds, washers and dryers themselves, or have become sensitive to asking friends for favors.

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› Florida Bar group gets $23 million in mortgage settlement [Orlando Sentinel]
The Florida Bar Foundation got a check this week for $23 million – it's largest ever -- as part of a Bank of America mortgage settlement that is aimed at legal aid for homeowners facing foreclosure.

› St. Pete tech firm lands funding for growth [Tampa Bay Business Journal]
A single investor has pumped $1 million into SavvyPhone LLC. SavvyPhone — the St. Petersburg technology firm behind SavvyCard — raised the capital earlier this month, issuing equity, options and warrants in exchange for the investment.

› Apply to hunt for alligators in Florida [WFLX]
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will soon accept applications for the next alligator hunting season, which runs from Aug. 15 to Nov. 1. Residents have to be at least 18-years-old by Aug. 15 to participate in the hunt and have a valid credit or debit card.

› Naples Airport Authority celebrates Aviation Appreciation Month [Business Observer]
The City of Naples Airport Authority joined Gov. Scott in declaring April 2016 as Aviation Appreciation Month in Florida. Showing support and commonality with the governor’s proclamation, the Authority signed a similar proclamation at the board meeting.