Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Tuesday's Daily Pulse

What this long economic expansion means for Florida’s next recession

The economy is bearing down on an impressive record: longest uninterrupted expansion. Come July, with any luck, it will surpass the 120-month mark set between 1991 and 2001. Which raises a question: Is there a correlation between how long an economy grows and the severity of the next recession? In other words, what are we in for when the economy sours? [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Florida Trend Exclusive
Timeshare tussle, next chapter

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Timeshare Tussle

The timeshare industry, which is struggling with a growing number of buyers defaulting on their mortgages and maintenance fees, wants the Florida Legislature to erect a thicket of new restrictions on so-called “relief” and “exit” companies that the industry claims are causing the problem. Read more from Florida Trend.

10,000 redfish to be released in Florida after red tide killed 267 tons of marine life

The red tide killed thousands of small fish, dolphins, 72 Goliath groupers, sea turtles and a 21-foot whale shark since July 2018, so the Coastal Conservation Association Florida (CCA), Duke Energy and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are going to release the redfish to repopulate the fishery. See the announcment from CCA Florida and read more at AccuWeather.

Countdown begins until 2020 Super Bowl in South Florida

South Florida is officially on the clock as the host of the next Super Bowl. The 2019 NFL season will conclude in Miami Gardens, when Hard Rock Stadium hosts Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2, 2020. Super Bowl LIV will be the 11th Super Bowl held in South Florida (more than any other location, at least until New Orleans hosts Super Bowl LVIII in 2024) and the sixth to be played at the stadium. [Source: WPLG]

Never Forgotten Coast microgrants boost Mexico Beach businesses

Never Forgotten Coast announced Monday that they’ve awarded another volley of microgrants to Mexico Beach businesses still suffering from the effects of Hurricane Michael. The new round of grants measure in at $1,000 apiece and headed to 11 local businesses. [Source: Florida Politics]

See also:
» As Hurricane Michael falls out of the national news cycle, survivors feel forgotten

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› South Florida is now home to a tech company worth $11 billion
Weston-based Ultimate Software, which specializes in human resources software, announced early Monday that an investor group led by San Francisco-based private equity firm Hellman and Friedman had purchased the company for $11 billion. Ultimate, currently traded on the NASDAQ exchange, will be taken private.

› Once a success, Sancilio company now a bust: What happened?
As it snapped up manufacturing space in Riviera Beach and went on a hiring spree, Sancilio Pharmaceuticals seemed a homegrown success story. The glory days are over, however. Sancilio Pharmaceuticals filed for bankruptcy last year, and the company was broken up and sold.

› JEA unveils concepts from contenders for headquarters
JEA drew back the curtain partway on proposals from developers vying to construct a new downtown headquarters for the utility by releasing public information packages that show renderings of the proposals and the overall sales pitch from three groups in the running.

› Florida energy company considers Nebraska for solar project
A Florida-based company that is looking into building a wind farm in Nebraska says it is considering other alternative energy projects in the state. NextEra Energy Resources spokesman Bryan Garner tells The Lincoln Journal Star that the company is beginning to research the viability of solar projects in Nebraska too.

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› Mote builds a better lobster trap
Tasked with finding a way for fishermen in the Dutch Caribbean to catch more lobsters and fewer nurse sharks in their traps, Mote Marine researchers found the simplest solution worked best.

› State pauses spraying of exotic plants along St. Johns
In a long, heated battle over the spraying of weed killers to remove invasive hyacinths and other non-native water plants from Florida waterways, state agencies have called a temporary truce. But the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — the main agency that sprays such plants to kill them — is continuing its program, to the chagrin of fishermen and environmental groups.

› Sanford festival explores Florida filmmaking
The ninth Love Your Shorts Film Festival, playing Thursday through Sunday in Sanford, will feature 78 works and a discussion about filmmaking in Florida. The works come from 11 countries. A festival spokesman estimated that a dozen films are from Central Florida and more are from Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Sarasota and Miami.

› Chris-Craft is ready for its new owner, RV maker Winnebago, to accelerate its growth
Sarasota’s Chris-Craft Corp. and its owner, Winnebago Industries Inc., have big plans. The blueprint for increasing the number of boat models Chris-Craft offers, the size of its plant and its workforce are about the same as they were before the recreational vehicle manufacturer bought the boatmaker in June. In fact, those plans were part of the reason it was an attractive acquisition.