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Friday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Decision expected soon about Florida's plan to import prescription drugs
Federal officials are expected to decide by Jan. 5 whether to approve a Florida plan to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, state Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Jason Weida told a House panel Thursday. Weida said he is “cautiously optimistic” that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will approve the plan, which the state has been pursuing since 2019. “They have set up a number of hoops,” Weida told the House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee. “We have jumped through them all.” [Source: News Service of Florida]
Business Beat - Week of December 15th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Insurance Summit: Recent legislation starting to get results in court
Lawmakers have taken several stabs at stabilizing the state’s insurance market, but many insurers and policyholders haven’t reaped the benefits — yet. Attorneys Scott Shelton and Aram Megerian of the law firm Cole Scott & Kissane, who represent insurers in civil litigation, told attendees at the 2023 Florida Chamber Insurance Summit that the impacts of the recent tort reform bill and other legislative interventions are starting to trickle through the court system. [Source: Florida Politics]
Florida looks to double size of medical marijuana industry within next 6 months
Florida could move forward with 22 additional licenses for medical marijuana operators, nearly doubling the size of the state's legal cannabis industry, within the next six months. The state Office of Medical Marijuana Use Director Christopher Kimball offered the tentative timeline after giving a presentation Wednesday about the medical marijuana program to the House Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Florida researchers are studying ‘plant diamond’ for carbon capture secrets
An indestructible shell that surrounds pollen could be a solution to the warming climate. Florida scientists want to replicate its properties to store carbon. The U.S. Department of Energy gave University of Florida researchers $1.7 million as part of its Earth Shots Initiative to advance clean energy technologies. [Source: Miami Herald]
Training strategies to bridge our healthcare talent gap
Employees continue to leave their healthcare positions – from doctors to nurses to workers in support roles who make care possible -- exacerbating workforce gaps that can often be difficult and costly to fill. While there’s been much public discussion about recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals, more attention is needed to identify ways to specifically hire and engage support workers. [Sponsored report]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› New Florida ‘Protect the Panther’ specialty license plate available
The “Protect the Panther” Florida specialty license plate underwent a photogenic makeover this year and is now available. The new plate marks the third design since its inception in 1991. The new plate features a photo taken by Carlton Ward Jr. in 2018 showing a female panther and her kitten. Florida panthers are listed as endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act with only an estimated 120-230 adult panthers left in the wild, mostly in Southwest Florida.
› Florida company sold products as ‘100% American.’ They were from China, feds say
A Florida company that brags on its Instagram page that it’s “America’s Most Patriotic Brand” was a great American fraud, according to an Federal Trade Commission proposed order that posted last week. Products “100% American made?” Try made in China. Owned and operated by a U.S. military veteran or veterans? Not that, either. The percentage of sales going to veterans’ charities was less than 1/20th of what the company claimed.
› Judge to decide if millions of Miami parking surcharge fees to be refunded. City fighting it
The 15 percent parking surcharge at all Miami garages and lots has netted the city tens of millions of dollars since residents voted for it in 2003. But it came with a catch: A state law that pre-empted the referendum only allows cities to supplement revenue with the tax if more than 20 percent of their real property value is tax exempt.
› These are Central Florida's largest veteran-owned businesses
This week, Orlando Business Journal features Central Florida's largest veteran-owned businesses, ranked by their local gross revenue in 2022. The top five come from a variety of industries, including hospitality, contracting and construction, engineering and IT. They combine for over $539 million in 2022 Central Florida revenue.
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