Thursday's Afternoon Update

Posted 2/5/2015

Updated 9 yearss ago

Construction jobs growing as economy rebounds

Florida's construction employment grew by 8.9 percent in 2014, adding 34,300 construction jobs. As construction firms expand their payrolls, reports of shortages of construction labor are growing. More than 1 million workers left the industry over the past four years. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Governor Rick Scott's cabinet remarks

Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet met in Tampa on Thursday and discussed how to improve their procedures to prevent a repeat the forced resignation of a top police official, demands for investigations and a lawsuit alleging Sunshine Law violations.

Education
Focusing on health care and tech

University of Tampa’s 2-year-old Spartan Accelerator helps students and recent alumni grow technology startups. The privately owned university offers four related degree programs through its Sykes College of Business. "Students today want the skills to be their own boss or to build something meaningful in the business community," said Rebecca White (photo), director of the Entrepreneurship Center at the University of Tampa.

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"While I wanted to bring in new leadership at FDLE as we transitioned to a second term in office, it is clear, in hindsight, that I could have handled it better," Scott said in prepared remarks. "The buck stops here, and that means I take responsibility." More from Tampa Bay Times and read the text of Governor Rick Scott's cabinet remarks, here.

Bouncing back from failure

Did you make an expensive mistake in 2014? Did you experience a setback in business or in a personal relationship? Now is a great time to bounce back while you still have most of 2015 ahead of you. Cindy Krischer Goodman offers advice for how to turn things around with your business, career or home life. More at the Miami Herald.

Hispanic media industry leading way for tech firms

As tech community leaders rally behind an effort to build a tech hub in South Florida, Miami’s Hispanic media and entertainment industry may be able to teach them a thing or two. That’s because Miami already has become a hub for the Hispanic media industry. More at the Miami Herald.

UF/IFAS Extension working to help farmers and ranchers keep it all in the family

Agriculture Saves (or AgSave$) is designed to help farmers and ranchers make the transition from one generation to the next. It is so important that Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and state agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam are issuing a proclamation on Feb. 5, declaring February 23 – 28, 2015, as Florida Saves week. More at IFAS News.

Profile
A Noteworthy Endeavor at FSU

In 2010, Jacksonville native Thomas Brady (photo) was one of 40 sophomores picked for a three-year undergraduate program in entrepreneurship at Florida State University. He took a two-semester set of courses called the “Sophomore Experience” and had one main assignment: Work in a small team to start a business.

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