Florida launches sale of Mega Millions tickets

There are expectations that the game will be a big success, especially since last year it had a record payout for a lottery. But Mega Millions isn't a sure winner overall for the Florida Lottery. There are lingering questions on how the sales will impact other lottery games - and how much more money it will generate for the state's schools. [Source: AP]

See also:
» Florida Lottery's Mega Millions begins with huge jackpot
» Powerball hits $360M as Mega Millions unfurls in Florida

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Kelly Smallridge, CEO of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, has been touting the county's appeal to Manhattan-based hedge funds. Her strategy is paying off. » Full story

Florida Trend Exclusive
Hedge funds relocate to Southeast Florida

Connecticut billionaire Edward Lampert in July became the highest profile hedge fund manager to move himself and his operation to Florida. He’s not alone. As Florida Trend reported last year, four hedge funds looking to escape high taxes had relocated from the Northeast to a single building in West Palm Beach. Full story...

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How a Florida medical school cares for communities in need

If it's a Monday, you can usually find parked next to a lake in Miami, spending the day inside a 36-foot-long RV. He's not on vacation. Brown is chief of family medicine at Florida International University's . The RV is the school's mobile health clinic. [Source: NPR]

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Beach litter mars U.S. – and world's – coastlines

It’s a beach bummer. Shorelines worldwide are clogged with trash, so much so that during their annual cleanup last year, volunteers with the Ocean Conservancy picked up refuse that weighed as much as 10 Boeing 747 jumbo jets. [Source: McClatchy]

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Special forces, commandos are trade show's target market

Companies large and small gathered at the Tampa Convention Center Tuesday to show off hardware aimed for the military's special forces. The Special Operations Forces Industry Conference opened Tuesday and will continue through the rest of week, drawing together 336 companies that are displaying products geared toward the nation's elite commandos and other special forces. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

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ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› A 'wild year' makes life tough for Florida watermelon farmers [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Florida watermelon growers get far less notice than their counterparts in citrus and the rapidly expanding blueberry industries, but Florida has consistently ranked among the top three states in watermelon acreage for the past five decades.

› Philanthropist earns Ellis Island Medal of Honor [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
In just three years, Fort Lauderdale resident Noreen Salah Burpee has helped distribute $8 million to nonprofits, heading up a new foundation created from wealth earned by her immigrant family.

› Orlando condos slowly make comeback [Orlando Sentinel]
Orlando's condominium market has started to show signs of life again. The median price in four-county Metro Orlando has rallied to $90,000 in just the past year — almost double the market-bottom price back in 2010, according to data from Florida Realtors.

› Report: No retaliation found in Citizens' firings [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Six months since the governor called for an inquiry into the elimination of the OCI — Citizens' internal watchdog organization — Chief Inspector General Melinda M. Miguel concluded "the evidence did not support a conclusion that retaliation was the reason for the decision to disband OCI."

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Sen. Nelson slams regulators, credit bureaus for short-sale confusion [Tampa Bay Times]
Sen. Bill Nelson wants regulators to fix a "disturbing" credit-reporting quirk that is torching the credit of people who sold their homes in short sales.

› New DCF technology cracks down on welfare fraud [AP]
On Tuesday, Department of Children and Families Secretary David Wilkins announced Florida was launching new technology to crack down on food stamp and other welfare fraud. He said the program will become a national model.

› Fort Lauderdale marina expansion won't cover costs [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
If the city hopes to keep living up to its moniker as the "Yachting Capital of the World," activists say it needs more places for the growing number of mega yachts to dock so they don't bypass the area and the businesses that count on them to thrive.

› Brevard official says Washington Nationals to leave Viera [Florida Today]
The Washington Nationals plan to move their spring-training operations out of Viera, possibly after the 2015 season, according to Brevard County Commission Chairman Andy Anderson, who has been working to keep the team on the Space Coast.