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Thursday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Alberto cost the Panhandle an estimated $600 to $700 million in tourism dollars
Subtropical Storm Alberto didn’t cause as much physical damage as state officials had expected but… “The timing couldn't have been worse,” said James Miller with the Florida Retail Federation. That’s because it made landfall during Memorial Day weekend, which is the second busiest weekend for tourism in the Panhandle. [Source: WJHG]
Floridians find minimum wage too low, study finds
Floridians in a recent survey were pretty good at knowing the current minimum wage here, but they also thought it should be considerably higher. Only the residents of 13 other states were closer to being right than Floridians’ 21-cent difference between their guess of $8.46 and the state’s minimum wage of $8.25. The average ideal wage in Florida is $11.99, according to research by Credit Loan (full study here). Also read more at the Orlando Sentinel.
South Florida housing market could make the region a long shot for Amazon’s HQ2
Amazon has yet to make a decision about a home for its second headquarters, and South Florida remains in the running. But most observers consider the Miami region a long shot. In the latest study to downplay South Florida’s chances, real estate research firm ATTOM Data Solutions looked at the housing markets in 19 U.S. metro areas on Amazon’s short list. [Source: Palm Beach Post]
Use SunPass? You may be in for a week-long headache
Traveling Florida's roadways in June? Of course you are. You may notice some glitches in paying for toll roads and parking at airports and stadiums if you're a SunPass user. Florida's statewide SunPass toll system will be down for maintenance from June 5 to June 11. In the letter to SunPass users, the systems that will be impacted are named, including SunPass Plus Parking, Account updates, Toll-By-Plate website, and more. See the letter here. Also read more at the Miami Herald.
Gas prices in Florida expected to drop
After a rise before the Memorial Day weekend, gas prices in Florida are expected to drop. AAA says oil prices are dropping and gas is expected to follow. In Florida the average gallon of unleaded is $2.91. That’s compared to the national average of $2.97. See the full news release, "Rising gas prices in Florida to reverse course." Also read more at WUSF.
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› In a long-neglected Miami neighborhood, a new co-working space stirs to life
After a long period of neglect, Overtown is starting to gentrify. While some residents remain concerned about what the long-term future of the neighborhood might look like, a new co-working space is being welcomed.
› City of Gainesville and UF join MetroLab Network
City of Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe and the University of Florida have joined MetroLab Network, a network of 37 regional city-university partnerships focused on bringing data, analytics, and innovation to local government.
› Dania Beach wine appliance company Plum raises new $10 million venture round
Dania Beach-based Plum, which developed a wine preservation appliance for hotels and consumers also called Plum, has raised an additional $10 million in a round led by Las Olas Venture Capital in Fort Lauderdale.
› Maximus Inc. plans to open information security call center in North Jacksonville
Maximus Inc., a Reston, Virginia-based government contractor, intends to open an information security call center at One Imeson in North Jacksonville. The city issued a permit May 24 for Dav-Lin Interior Contractors to build-out 29,153 square feet of space at a cost of $365,195.
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