Florida Health now part of Blue Cross

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Inc. has completed its acquisition of Florida Health Care Plan Inc. from Halifax Hospital Medical Center in Daytona Beach. Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:17:07 GMT

Report: Online sales worst since '01

Online retail sales declined this holiday season for the first time since 2001, although some merchants, including Macy’s Inc., did see an increase in visitors. (AAPL) (AMZN) (HPQ) (EBAY) (M) (JCP) (TGT) (SCOR) Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:06:45 GMT

Most fault media for lack of confidence

Seventy-seven percent of Americans think the U.S. media are making the economic situation worse by highlighting negative news and, as a result, lowering consumer confidence and investment activity. Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:52:25 GMT

Lawmakers move to plug $2.3B budget gap

Business groups will be watching warily when Florida lawmakers return Jan. 5 to the Capitol to work on closing a $2.3 billion hole in the state’s $66 billion budget. Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:47:16 GMT

Muslim passengers removed from AirTran flight

Nine Muslim passengers were ordered off an AirTran Airways Corp. flight New Year’s Day after passengers reportedly heard something that raised their suspicions, numerous media outlets reported Friday. (AAI) Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:53:36 GMT

Verizon Florida projects total $155M

Verizon Wireless announced it has installed a new digital cell site in Polk County, completing the company’s $155 million improvement to network service throughout Florida. (VZ) Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:51:03 GMT

November resort tax collections down 13%

Orange County resort tax collections for November totaled $12.05 million, 13 percent lower than the year-ago period. Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:39:16 GMT

Brown & Brown acquires 3 firms

Brown & Brown Inc. acquired insurance companies in Arizona, California and New Jersey over a period of three days. (BRO) Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:20:18 GMT

Survey finds another fallout of downturn

One in five adults aged 45 and older are suffering health problems due to financial stress, according to a new survey by AARP. Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:14:59 GMT

Osceola Regional bans tobacco

Osceola Regional Medical Center has banned tobacco from its grounds. Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:54:21 GMT

UCF Federal Credit Union opens new branch

UCF Federal Credit Union plans to open its third branch Jan. 12 in the University Commons plaza on Alafaya Trail between University Boulevard and Corporate Boulevard. Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:25:00 GMT

Bright House closes 2 broadcast deals

Bright House Networks reached agreements with Viacom and Fox Sports Networks to continue entertainment and sports programming on the Central Florida cable network. Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:22:26 GMT

Passenger traffic falls 13.8% at OIA

More than 2.5 million passengers arrived and departed from Orlando International Airport in November, a 13.8 percent decline compared to the same period a year ago. Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:35:53 GMT

Wells Fargo, BofA complete acquisitions

As expected, Wells Fargo & Co. and Bank of America Corp. completed major acquisitions before the ball dropped on 2008. (WFC) (C) (BAC) Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:25:49 GMT

Ekovich leaves Marcus & Millichap

The regional manager of Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Services has left the company after a decade of overseeing its growth in west Central Florida. Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:04:34 GMT

Continuing jobless claims hit 26-year peak

New filings for unemployment insurance claims dropped sharply from last week, but continuing unemployment claims peaked at a 26-year high. Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:24:40 GMT

Florida’s minimum wage to climb 6.2%

Florida’s minimum wage will get a boost Jan. 1, but it will cost the state thousands of jobs, according to research by the Employment Policies Institute. Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:22:19 GMT

Orlando No. 7 in ZIP code searches

Orlando was the seventh most searched ZIP codes by prospective homebuyers in 2008, said a report by ZipRealty Inc. Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:05:30 GMT

Value Pawn finalizes $130M EZCorp merger

Value Financial Services Inc., parent of the Value Pawn & Jewelry stores, has it announced that it has finalized its $130 million merger with Texas-based EZCorp Inc. Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:41:30 GMT

Will Dora still explore in the dark?

"SpongeBob Squarepants," "Dora the Explorer" and "The Colbert Report" could go dark on Bright House and other Time Warner Cable systems at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 1. (VIA) (TWC) Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:14:45 GMT

Lockheed Martin to acquire Unitech

Lockheed Martin Corp. announced it has entered an agreement to acquire Universal Systems & Technology Inc., also known as Unitech. (LMT) Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:24:43 GMT