Florida job creation gets back on track in August

After a tepid July, creation of private sector jobs in Florida got back on track last month, according to a report released Wednesday. Florida added 17,900 private sector jobs in August, about double the number added in July, national payroll processing company ADP said. More from the Tampa Bay Times, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and see the report from ADP.

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Fall tourism rising: Fewer crowds, nice weather

Fall used to be off-peak for tourism everywhere except New England and other fall foliage destinations. But autumn tourism is rising, with traditional summer hotspots increasingly busy September through November. [Source: Washington Post]

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Programmers/analysts Vishwa Reddy (left) and Sravan Dandari work at a Jacksonville IT company under the H-1B work visa program. Story [Photo: Ryan Ketterman]

Florida Trend Exclusive
Importing workers to Florida

Believe them, say Florida employers who use the federal H-1B visa program to import workers, they’d hire Americans if they could find them. "There are not enough people going into all the different levels of education" in STEM fields, said Pamela Nabors, President & CEO of CareerSource in Central Florida. Access full story.

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Lawmakers approve budget report with small surplus

Assuming that lawmakers will set aside $1 billion in reserves, economists now estimate that next year's budget will produce a surplus of $336 million. That's less than half the $845.7 million surplus this year. More from the Tampa Bay Times and CBS Miami.

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How much does a Florida school board member make?

In most states, school board positions are voluntary and unpaid. But not in Florida. A new document from the state Office of Economic and Demographic Research spells out exactly how much the board members get, county by county, now and over the past 30 years [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

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ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Renewable energy groups form coalition to push for more solar in Florida [Tampa Bay Times]
Solar proponents announced Wednesday a new coalition that will push for increased use of renewable energy in Florida. The organizations say Florida laws and the state's investor owned utilities have hampered the growth of solar power in the Sunshine State.

› 2 Central Florida businesses win SBA awards [Orlando Sentinel]
Starter Studio in Orlando and Sunshine Labs in Longwood were selected out of 800 applications for the 50 U.S. Small Business Administration awards.

› Grants boost medical care in Miami-area schools [Miami Herald]
With a $4 million innovation award to the University of Miami, a program addresses students’ needs in mental health, nutrition and dentistry.

› Palm Beach County joins power2give.org [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Palm Beach County is joining power2give.org, the crowdfunding platform that raises funds for arts and cultural projects through donations as small as $5.

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› Duke Energy refunds $1.7 million to customers because of meter issue [Tampa Bay Times]
Duke Energy Florida will credit 165,000 customers $1.7 million after overbilling them for what the utility called an "unintended consequence" of changes to its meter reading system.

› Tervis hires chief sales executive [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Tervis, the North Venice-based maker of insulated cups and tumblers, has hired a chief sales and business development officer, who previously worked for Hallmark, Crayola and Pure Fishing.

› Investor lawsuit filed against SeaWorld [Orlando Sentinel]
An investor has sued SeaWorld, claiming the company misled stockholders about the effect last year's "Blackfish" documentary had on attendance.

› DecoBike in downtown Miami nears [Miami Today]
The DecoBike launch to Miami is slated for October. The expansion of the bike sharing program, which launched in March 2011 on Miami Beach, was set for this summer, but an increase in planned stations pushed the Miami date back.