Thursday's Daily Pulse

Posted 9/18/2014

Updated 10 yearss ago

Census offers snapshot of how Florida is changing

Floridians became a little better educated last year, were middle-of-the-pack in having access to the Internet and had the nation's highest concentration of retail workers. The U.S. Census Bureau released new figures Thursday that capture the lives of Floridians last year and how they changed from 2012. [Source: AP]

5 things small businesses need to know this fall

What do small business owners need to pay attention to this fall? Heath care, Internet Security and new technology make the list. Here are five things that small businesses need to be on top of over the next several months. [Source: AP]

Why Americans are flocking to their sinking shores

The number of people living near the Florida seashore has jumped by about 1.1 million since 1990, to 4.8 million – an increase more than four times greater than in Washington, the state with the next highest increase. And Florida's increase doesn't count part-time residents who spend their winters in the state. [Source: Reuters]

Study: Americans endure unwanted care near death

Americans suffer needless discomfort and undergo unwanted and costly care as they die, in part because of a medical system ruled by "perverse incentives" for aggressive care and not enough conversation about what people want, according to a report released Wednesday. [Source: AP]

How Being Filmed Changes Employee Behavior

Video (particularly one-way footage) is not an all-seeing, neutral observer, as Florida International University law professor Howard Wasserman has repeatedly pointed out. The most significant impact of bodycams, taxicams, and the like is not reliving the past but, rather, changing behavior in the present. We act differently when we know we're on camera. [Source: Huffington Post]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› South Florida's peak cruise season nears kickoff [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
South Florida's peak cruise season is right around the corner and cruise lines are rolling out new food and beverage programs and dining and entertainment options to attract potential and repeat cruisers.

› Tax holiday for energy-saving appliances begins Friday [Tampa Bay Times]
State officials are promoting the potential for long-term savings on utility bills as they tout sales-tax breaks this weekend for shoppers who buy energy-saving and water-conserving appliances.

› Nurseries challenge state’s non-euphoric pot rules [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Even before the Florida Department of Health could take applications to grow, process and sell non-euphoric marijuana extracts, two big nurseries have filed legal challenges to the state’s planned rules.

› Miami yearns for streetcar’s return [Miami Today]
Streetcars for downtown Miami are again gaining traction with commissioners. The idea for a streetcar system in the heart of downtown first surfaced in 2006 and gained support, but when the economy tanked it was the end of the line.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Port Canaveral approves $75 million auto-processing facility [Florida Today]
Port Canaveral commissioners on Wednesday approved plans for the port to build a $75 million auto-processing facility — but only if it gets commitment from an automaker to use it.

› 5 ways to make your business more transgender friendly [South Florida Business Journal]
As Broward County welcomes one of the largest transgender conferences to South Florida, local government and businesses discussed how they can provide the best "Southern" hospitality in a session Monday.

› South Florida Realtors rebel, won’t stop drone use [Palm Beach Post]
According to the FAA, drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, require special approval for use in commercial settings, such as filming a movie, surveying crops or making a slick video to showcase real estate.

› Research team headed by UF professor found evidence of oil residue in Gulf two years after BP spill [UF News]
While other researchers have concluded that hydrocarbons in deep Gulf waters resulting from the explosion no longer are detectable by standard chemical analyses, the UF team found other evidence.