Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Monday's Daily Pulse

Florida's hurricane fund in good shape entering storm season

Despite losses from Hurricane Irma, estimates show the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund will have $17.3 billion available this year. This means that the fund has more money than it would need to pay out if storms racked the state. See analysis in a presentation from the FHCF, here. Also read more at the AP.

See also:
» State catastrophe fund seeks to expand bonding capacity
» As hurricane season nears, Florida experts stress planning

Florida’s porous campaign finance laws: ‘You can do almost anything’

Florida's wide-open race for governor won't be decided for another six months, but it's already triggered a wave of expensive TV ad buys from groups taking advantage of gray areas in the state's campaign finance laws. to date, at least $13 million has been spent on television ads in the governor's race. Some ads are being paid for by groups that refuse to disclose who's paying for them. Other ad campaigns rely on their own legal interpretation to sidestep laws and rules intended to place limits on ad campaigns being funded by large donors. [Source: AP]

See also:
» Russian hackers, long lines: What Florida elections officials are talking about

Florida Trend Exclusive
Transportation in Florida: Profile of an aviation company

GA Telesis

GA Telesis, a behind-the-scenes aviation company based in Fort Lauderdale, is having a growing impact on how the world flies. CEO Abdol Moabery spoke recently about GA Telesis substantial maintenance, repair and overhaul business, as well as about their leasing, global parts and distribution business. Full story here.

» First of a four-part series on transportation in Florida. Coming tomorrow: CitiMoov wins recognition for its app aimed at encouraging carpooling.

Opinion: Why empathetic leaders are good for business

It can be difficult for organizational leaders to empathize with their employees. Leaders are often intrinsically motivated to see their business succeed and have forgotten (or maybe never knew) what it is like to work merely to earn a paycheck. Many employees are just trying to make a living and aren’t as emotionally committed to the success of the business. [Source: Florida Today]

Opioid makers gave $1 million to Florida politicians over last 20 years

When she announced her lawsuit against some of the largest makers of opioids this week, Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed the companies would "pay" for what they'd done. But for the last 20 years, they have been paying — to Florida politicians. [Source: Miami Herald]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Graduations push Airbnb to biggest-ever weekend in Jacksonville
The online travel-rental firm Airbnb said recent college graduations made for the largest visitor numbers it has ever seen for Jacksonville. The late-April commencement weekend for Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida brought Airbnb 1,350 guests, a 66-percent increase from a week earlier.

› Retailers on the hot seat in Brevard
When people learned recently that Sears was closing its store in Titusville they didn't register surprise. If anything, they were surprised it has stayed open as long as it had.

› Bilked inventors won't recover much in FTC settlement with Florida patent 'scam' firm
World Patent Marketing won’t be allowed to market itself to would-be inventors anymore. The bad news is $25 million of the $26 million the company is accused of scamming is likely unrecoverable. See the news release about this case from the Federal Trade Commission, here.

› Global Tampa Bay initiative seeks to grow direct foreign investment through expanded regional teamwork
decade ago, the Great Recession put Hillsborough and Pinellas counties’ efforts to grow their foreign exports on hold. But since then those efforts have returned, gained support and momentum, expanded the range of their ambition and are now being organized under an initiative known as Global Tampa Bay.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Delray Beach's tough sober home rules pay off. Other cities follow suit.
Don’t call Delray Beach the drug relapse capital anymore. The city, once declared Ground Zero for the opioid epidemic, accounted for just four of Palm Beach County’s 168 drug deaths in the first quarter of 2018.

Related, from Florida Trend:
» Addicted to rehab: A look at Florida's sober houses

› Disney Cruise Line continues to base two largest ships at Port Canaveral through 2019
Port Canaveral is an attractive cruise port for Disney because it is the closest port to the Walt Disney World theme park complex in the Orlando area. Many Disney Cruise Line passengers combine their cruises with a visit to Disney World.

› Cheers! SeaWorld visitors enjoy free beer, a return of a longtime tradition
The cold brew was welcome refreshment amid the crowds, warm morning sun and wailing children at SeaWorld Orlando on Friday. The giveaway is a nod to SeaWorld’s history, back when the company was owned by Anheuser-Busch, makers of Budweiser.

› 'Jersey Shore' filmed a spinoff on Miami Beach — in an illegal rental
No city in the nation imposes a greater penalty on illegal vacation rentals than the island city, yet Miami Beach still OK'd a film and print permit for the Jersey Shore production. It also sent a police officer along to make sure everything ran smoothly.