Judge orders Amendment 8 be removed from Florida ballot

A Florida judge is throwing a proposed amendment dealing with charter schools off the November ballot. Circuit Judge John Cooper ruled Monday that the amendment proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission is misleading and does not tell voters what it really does. More from WRAL, the Tampa Bay Times, and the Orlando Sentinel.

See also:
» Judge Cooper's ruling that struck down Amendment 8
» Statement from the League of Women Voters of Florida
» Original text of Amendment 8
» Earlier: Florida Trend's analysis of Amendment 8

Buybacks: South Florida companies ride repurchase bandwagon

Buy back your own shares. If you’re a public company, it’s the thing to do in 2018. South Florida public companies including Citrix Systems, Office Depot, AutoNation, Carnival Corp., Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Lines have all bought back or authorized repurchases of their stock this year. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

A time of transformation at Sun Hydraulics

Less than eight months into the year, the Sarasota-Manatee company has raised $240 million in its first public offering of stock since becoming publicly held, spent a half billion dollars on an Italian manufacturer, expanded its reach into the Asia-Pacific region with another acquisition, and changed its 48-year-old parent company name to Helios Technologies. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Volkswagen scam: How will Florida spend its windfall from the diesel-gate settlement

The German manufacturer agreed to pay $2 billion to promote zero-emission vehicles and spend billions more to buy back or modify most of the cars. Nearly $3 billion more was set aside to compensate states. Florida’s slice is $166 million. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Tourists ignore red tide but restaurants see dip in business

Red tide blooms continue off Southwest Florida, yet tourists are ignoring the warnings and visiting the Gulf beaches. People packed the sandy shores along Naples Pier on Sunday. Swimmers dived in the water, and sunbathers sprawled on towel. More from the Naples Daily News.