Once again, Tampa Bay leads the nation in foreclosures, by a lot. The number of bay area properties receiving a notice of default, scheduled auction or bank repossession jumped nearly 18 percent from March to April according to a RealtyTrac report released today. Year-over-year, the jump topped the nation rising 59 percent; Miami placed second with 38 percent. Notices for scheduled auctions and bank repossession accounted for about 59 percent of the 4,295 filings last month in the bay area, the report said. The filings indicate banks are attacking a glut of homes near the end of the foreclosure process. That's good news. Tampa Bay Times
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After falling last year for the first time since the start of the Great Recession, the number of people declaring bankruptcy in the Orlando area has continued to decline so far in 2012, raising hopes that the pace of going broke has been broken. Although personal insolvency is still much worse now than before the 2007-09 recession, the retreat in bankruptcy filings and other measures such as the unemployment rate are an indication the downward trend may have traction, experts say. Orlando Sentinel
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After a record 2011, tourism continued to tick up in the first quarter of this year. Between January and March, an estimated 23.4 million people came to Florida, according to Visit Florida, the state’s tourism marketing corporation. That’s a 2.4 percent increase over the same time last year. Of those visitors, 19.7 million were domestic, 1.4 million were Canadian and 2.4 million came from overseas, according to preliminary estimates released Wednesday. Miami Herald
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Online retailer Amazon is starting a new wave of hiring for full-time jobs at its distribution center near Cayce. Company officials aren’t specifying the total that will be added, but one Lexington County leader expects the payroll will be at least 1,500 and as many as 2,000 by Dec. 31. If that prediction is accurate, Amazon will be adding at least 1,000 jobs based on what company officials said its staff was at the end of 2011. The State
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Not once did the names of Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, or France’s president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who had been defeated just days before, come up during the presentations at a luncheon celebrating Europe Day held in Atlanta on May 9. But Paula J. Dobriansky, an American foreign policy expert who has served in key roles as a diplomat and policy maker in the administrations of five U.S. presidents, said during her luncheon address that she felt it was another “time of transition” for the transatlantic relationship similar to what happened following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Global Atlanta
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Georgia’s ports directly support 153,884 jobs statewide -- an addition of 25,000 jobs since 2009 -- according to a University of Georgia report released Thursday. The public ports at Savannah and Brunswick, along with neighboring private port facilities, also account for $39.2 billion in statewide economic impact, or direct spending, the study prepared by UGA’s Terry College of Business says. Three years earlier, when the last ports study was done, the economic impact was pegged at $36.5 billion. “The outstanding performance of Georgia’s deep water ports, relative to other American ports, reflects strong competitive advantages,” wrote UGA economist Jeffrey Humphreys. “These advantages are largely the result of strategic investments in port facilities by the state of Georgia over many years.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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WASHINGTON — An agreement to process depleted uranium at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant will keep the sprawling facility open for another year and preserve 1,200 jobs, Kentucky lawmakers and federal energy officials announced Tuesday. A series of arrangements involving the federal government and energy suppliers will provide a market for the uranium, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a statement. The Paducah plant was scheduled to close at the end of this month. The deal marks a reversal in the Obama administration’s reluctance to keep the Paducah plant running. The agreement also is a victory for Republican lawmakers Mitch McConnell, the Senate GOP leader; Sen. Rand Paul; and Rep. Ed Whitfield; all of whom appeared to be fighting long odds just months ago. Louiville Courier-Journal
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Gov. Bill Haslam has signed a measure to increase the amount of cash grants available to companies looking to invest in Tennessee. The administration legislation will allow the state to provide Fast Track grants for retrofitting, relocation, office upgrades or temporary space for companies investing in Tennessee. The measure passed the Senate 29-1 last month and the House concurred with that version 92-0 the next day. The current Fast Track program is limited to jobs training and infrastructure improvements. Knoxville News-Sentinel
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Tennessee's unemployment rate was 7.8 percent in April, down one-tenth of a percentage point from the March rate of 7.9 percent. It was the ninth straight monthly decrease in the widely-watched measure of unemployment, and compared favorably to the national unemployment rate of 8.1 percent. The decrease, however, was largely attributable to a shrinking labor force, said Karla Davis, state commissioner of Labor & Workforce Development. Memphis Commercial Appeal
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President Barack Obama’s endorsement last week of gay marriage appears to have boosted black North Carolinians’ support for the issue, according to a poll released Thursday. A Public Policy Polling survey found that 27 percent of black voters believe same-sex marriage should be legal, up from 20 percent in a poll conducted on May 6, three days before Obama announced his support. And 59 percent say they are opposed to gay marriage, down from 63 percent in the previous poll, which was taken before the North Carolina primary. Politico
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