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Thursday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Prescription drug deaths keep rising in Florida
After declining for years, prescription drugs killed more people in Florida last year than heroin and cocaine combined, according to the latest state figures. Drugs were involved in 11,910 deaths across the state last year, according to a report Wednesday from the Florida Medical Examiner’s Commission. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the AP.
Florida Trend Exclusive
LEEDing the way: Green developments around Florida
The non-profit U.S. Green Building Council developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system to evaluate buildings based on their environmental impacts and to ultimately encourage sustainability. This report is an in-depth look at green developments around the state, with statistics, profiles of green communities and updates on solar projects at utility companies.
Florida opened a fake alligator farm to catch poachers
The investigation began after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission received intelligence reports suggesting that wild alligators and eggs were being poached and laundered through some of the state’s alligator farms. [Source: National Geographic]
From Florida Trend:
» Big business in alligator egg poaching
Richest person in Florida goes after Bitcoin
The richest Floridian has a big beef with Bitcoin. Thomas Peterffy, founder and chairman of futures commission merchant and broker-dealer Interactive Brokers LLC, took out a full-page ad in Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal that warns the rise of Bitcoin could destabilize the economy. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Chicken processor settles water pollution suit in Florida
Pilgrim's Pride Corp. settled the suit with Environment Florida and the Sierra Club on Wednesday, agreeing to pay $1.4 million and to take steps to eliminate the plant's waste. The plant, which cuts up and packages chickens for retail sale, is in Live Oak. [Source: AP]
› Central Florida task force battles rising tide of human trafficking
Florida reported the third-highest number of calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline last year, according to The Polaris Project. Orlando also ranked third for the number of calls per capita from cities across the nation.
› How is Miami faring in the fight for Amazon’s second headquarters?
We won’t know until sometime in 2018 if the Miami metro area wins or even makes it to the short list for Amazon’s new second North American headquarters, dubbed HQ2. That winner-takes-all prize comes with up to 50,000 high-wage jobs.
› Jacksonville’s Web.com to construct new company headquarters
Jacksonville-based Web.com is in the process of developing a new global headquarters. The small business website company launched in Jacksonville in 1997 and has grown to employ 3,800 employees.
› State House committee advances bill that cracks down on Florida tourism councils
A key House panel voted unanimously Tuesday to advance legislation that would crack down on Florida’s tourism development councils, requiring them to make most of their contracts public and obtain approval from local elected officials for deals exceeding $250,000.
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