March 29, 2024

Wednesday's Daily Pulse

What you need to know about Florida today

| 10/24/2018

National megadonors, with eyes on 2020, flood Florida governor’s race with cash

The money is pouring in from coast to coast, with checks cut by Hollywood celebrities, hedge fund managers, public employee unions and top business executives. Everyday folk are also kicking in increments of less than $200. More from the Miami Herald and McClatchy.

See also:
» Search Florida's campaign finance database at this public website
» Text messages raise new questions over Andrew Gillum’s lobbyist connections
» After 'Hamilton' ticket revelation, where does Andrew Gillum go from here?

Florida one of the states where jobs are most vulnerable to automation

One of the largest states in the union, Florida also faces severe risk of automation. Smart Asset estimates that 4.6 million of the roughly 8.4 million jobs in Florida face automation threats. The occupations facing the largest risk of automation are telemarketers, title examiners, abstractors and searchers, hand sewers and insurance underwriters. Each of those jobs faces about a 99% chance of being automated in the near future. The study goes on to say:

Workers at risk of automation may want to look into becoming police officers, licensed vocational nurses or childcare workers. Those three jobs are plentiful in Florida and face a less than 10% chance of being automated.

More from Business Insider.

Column: Female-owned businesses help drive the economy

According to the latest Women-Owned Business Report by American Express, women own four out of 10 small businesses in the United States; on average, women launch 1,821 businesses every day. And from 2007 to 2018, Florida has led the nation in the growth of women-owned firms. [Source: Florida Times-Union]

More than 1.1 million have already voted in Florida

Election Day is two weeks away but more than 1.1 million people have already voted in the battleground state of Florida. New statistics released Tuesday by the state Division of Elections show that nearly 114,000 people voted during the first day of early voting across the state. Additionally, more than 1 million people have voted by mail. More from the AP and the Tampa Bay Times.

Florida has opportunities, shortfalls in combating opioid epidemic, experts say

Central Florida leaders have been battling the opioid epidemic for several years, with initiatives such as the Orange County Heroin Task Force, which was formed in 2015. And their efforts may have softened the epidemic’s blow to Central Florida compared with other regions of the state. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Protecting trade secrets, confidential information and customers

Take action to protect company intelligence. Though it is generally difficult for companies to prevent employees from working for a competitor, Florida’s non-compete statute does provide employers with certain levels of protections for “legitimate business interests,” including protection against the use and disclosure of the company’s confidential information and trade secrets. Full column here. [Sponsored report]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Trump signs water projects bill; 1 aimed at Florida's toxic algae
President Donald Trump has signed a wide-ranging bill to improve the nation's water infrastructure, including a Florida project intended to reduce toxic algae blooms that have devastated coastal marine life and emptied beaches. Gov. Rick Scott's announcement about the reservoir is here.s Also see more about the Everglades Agricultural Area Storage Reserve Project (EAA) at SFWMD's website. This bill is part of the larger "America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018" that Trump just signed.

› Judge clears way for challenges to Florida gun law
A circuit judge has given a boost to more than 30 local governments challenging a 2011 state law that threatens stiff penalties for city or county officials who approve gun restrictions.

› Fort Lauderdale's BBX Capital expands empire into apartment housing
The empire of a Fort Lauderdale-based real estate investment and timeshare company is making moves in another market: rental apartments. Fort Lauderdale-based BBX Capital Real Estate, a division of BBX Capital Corp., has purchased 50 percent of the developments of the Boca Raton-based The Altman Cos. for $22.7 million.

› Seminole County awards Central Florida Zoo $355,000
Seminole County commissioners agreed to give the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens $355,000 in tourist tax money to help pay for renovations to the spider monkey and clouded leopard exhibits, improvements to the boardwalks, and repairs to the roof of the Rainforest Pavilion.

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