Florida’s bet on technology, private equity pays off for the state

Technology companies and other growth businesses that have received funding from a state investment program have created nearly 17,000 Florida jobs in nine years. Companies and private equity firms that have backing from the Florida Growth Fund program also made $545.9 million in total capital expenditures, according to a new report from the Florida Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. Read more at the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Florida economy expected to hit $1 trillion in 2018 -- but is that as impressive as it sounds?

Three other states long ago eclipsed the $1 trillion mark: California, Texas and New York. And adjust for population, and it becomes clear that Florida’s economy continues to punch below its weight. The Florida Chamber Foundation has predicted this is the year [Source: Palm Beach Post]

Sen. Bill Nelson votes to reopen the federal government without an immigration deal

Less than 72 hours after voting to shut down the federal government, Florida U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and most of his Democratic colleagues softened their position on immigration Monday and supported an agreement to keep the government running through Feb. 8. Nelson joined the majority in Monday’s 81-to-18 vote to end a filibuster and allow a short-term spending bill to proceed. Nelson told CNN that the shift began Sunday evening. "Everybody realized we were singing from the same hymnbook," he said. Read more at the The Palm Beach Post and the Miami Herald.

Health Care in Florida
University of Florida Health continues expansion into Northeast Florida

UF Health North nearly doubled the size of its campus with the opening of its new 168,000-square-foot bed tower last May. The latest addition to the North Jacksonville medical campus on Max Leggett Parkway, just a few miles from Jacksonville International Airport, is the 92-bed hospital with all-private patient rooms on four floors of the five story building. Full story here. [Sponsored report]

Spring might come early to Florida

The winter as a whole was expected to be warm in Florida due to the well-known correlation between La Niña and the wind patterns across North America. However, the mean temperature in nearly every city so far has been near or below average. More in this story from the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Sheriff Bob Gualtieri severs contract with CareerSource Pinellas [Tampa Bay Times]
Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri severed his agency’s contract with CareerSource Pinellas on Monday after learning that the jobs center told the state it helped 624 sheriff’s employees get hired since 2014.

› After Irma: Ambitious plans in Cocoa to develop riverfront [Florida Today]
Imagine hundreds, if not thousands, of runners and bikers alongside the Indian River in Cocoa Village. Or dozens of boaters from outside Brevard County docking on the river to spend a few hours in the village. Those are the images city of Cocoa officials, planners and the business owners are hoping to turn into reality.

› Orangetheory Fitness founder opening hundreds of new gyms nationally [Palm Beach Post]
Seven years after its founding, Orangetheory Fitness is a bona fide hit. The company has sold 850 franchises nationwide and boasts 140 employees at its Boca headquarters.

› Will the unique culture of Miami's Coconut Grove survive? [AP]
With its artsy vibe, lush landscapes and free-roaming peacocks, Coconut Grove has long been known as a bohemian paradise. But as new architecture goes up and its business district revitalizes, Coconut Grove is at risk of losing its unique history and tropical culture.

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› If you own a fast-food joint in Florida, you may want to consider battery storage [Green Tech Media]
If you own a fast-food restaurant in Florida, then you might want to consider investing in battery storage now. That is one of the conclusions of a study looking into battery storage economics in America's largest regulated energy state.

› Florida TechMatch grows, connects businesses [Orlando Sentinel]
Participants in the 2018 Florida TechMatch held at Orange County Convention Center on Friday said the event has grown and has helped local companies win many contracts and deals with each other.

› Tampa Bay ranks No. 5 for top moving destinations [Tampa Bay Times]
Tampa Bay was the No. 5 moving destination in 2017. Penske Truck Rental’s annual list ranks metro areas based on the number of one-way moving truck rentals to them.

› Voter data for nearly 1,000 Kansas residents exposed in Florida [AP]
Efforts to detect voter fraud led to the exposure of private voter data from nearly 1,000 Kansas residents this year by officials in Florida, who released information including partial Social Security numbers to a woman who had filed an open records request.