Why Brazil? My frequent trips there (I just returned yesterday to NYC from Sao Paulo) have convinced me that this country is about to experience a period of above-average economic growth. 

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Source: The Street

"The weather is warming, spring has fully sprung and summer is inching closer by the minute, so it’s probably a good time to start thinking about that summer vacay. Need some ideas? Here are some new nonstop routes launching just in time from TPA.''

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Source: Tampa International Airport

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing provides a way for investors to go above and beyond traditional financial considerations by focusing on a variety of impactful topics relevant to corporations. 

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Source: Nasdaq & ETF Trends

"The ferry, offering rides six months per year, would begin 12-month operations in 2024.

The Cross Bay Ferry will be crossing Tampa Bay more times each year under a new contract proposal.

The seasonal ferry, linking St. Petersburg and Tampa, would expand to year-round service in fall 2024, according to the tentative agreement between Hillsborough County and HMS Ferries Inc."

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Source: Tampa Bay Times

"Copa Airlines and Wingo, subsidiaries of Copa Holdings, S.A., {NYSE: CPA}, continue to join forces to operate three new humanitarian flights today. As part of these operations, 114 Chilean citizens and residents of Chile were carried from Caracas (Venezuela) to Santiago (Chile), and 234 Brazilian citizens and residents of Brazil were carried from many countries in Central America and the Caribbean to Sao Paulo (Brazil)."

Source: CopaAirlines

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Making the news: Adolfo Sachsida, Secretary of Economic Policy, Ministério da Economia was mentioned in Reuters.

Based in Tampa Bay, Brazil-Florida Business Council, Inc.(BFBC) is an independent, private international business group supported by corporate members. Our mission is to foster bilateral trade, business and investments in both regions and contribute to the economic and social development of our nations.

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Photo: Tati Demozzi

Translation: Sonia Amadeo, MCI

Florida is a melting pot with a vibrant mix of cultures showcasing their influence in the arts and gastronomy. The fact that so many foreigners feel at home here is a testament to Floridians’ warm embrace of diversity — and Floridians and Brazilians have a special bilateral relationship.

Brazil’s contributions to this state have only grown in the past decade. Brazilian culture is already a hallmark of many institutions and art galleries. Our cuisine is served in many restaurants. Indeed, Brazilians participate in every segment of Florida society, including education, health, finances and technology.

When walking down Lincoln Road in Miami Beach or shopping at Bayside Marketplace, it is not uncommon to hear a different rhythmic set of words being spoken — that of the Brazilian Portuguese language. On Ocean Drive, you can order “caipirinhas,” the most popular Brazilian drink. In Wynwood, you can see the amazing work of renowned Brazilian artists, such as Os Gêmeos, Nina Pandolfo, Eduardo Kobra, and Pamela Castro. Along Biscayne Boulevard, you can stroll along sidewalks designed by Roberto Burle Marx, a celebrated landscape architect or appreciate Francisco Brennand’s giant blue-and-white tile on the headquarters of the National YoungArts Foundation.

Read more at the Miami Herald. 

SAO PAULO - An overhaul of Brazil's biofuels policy in coming days, aimed at cutting the country's carbon emissions, should boost demand for cleaner fuels, stabilize the volatile industry and accelerate a recent wave of mergers and acquisitions in the sector.

The new federal program, called RenovaBio, will give fuel distributors targets to cut emissions, which will force them to gradually increase biofuels volumes, according to policymakers, executives and analysts following discussions of the new law.

President Michel Temer will soon announce the program via presidential decree, the Agriculture Ministry said this week, and the law could go into effect next year as soon as new regulations are established.

RenovaBio could be a lifeline to Brazilian ethanol producers who have struggled in recent years to compete with cheap gasoline. It could also bolster sugar prices by encouraging mills to produce more ethanol and less sweetener.

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Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer (ERJ) brought its all-new prototype jet-powered KC-390 military cargo hauler to the Paris Air Show to woo the world's military brass and convince them it's time to give up Lockheed Martin's C-130 Hercules.

The C-130 is the world's longest-running production aircraft and the preferred workhorse of the U.S. Air Force. There are just over 1,100 military and civilian C-130s flying today that will eventually need to be replaced. Embraer wants to fill those spots.

"We do respect the competition" from Lockheed (LMT), said Embraer's chief executive, Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva. "It's now time to have something newer and we are there for that."

The development of the KC-390 is also part of Brazil's broader ambition to be a bigger industrial player on the world stage.

Read more on CNN Money.

Spring break has been good to Tampa International Airport, which saw the busiest March and April in its history and is on track to have a record year.

TIA beat its previous record by more than 50,000 passengers in the two months combined. In March, the airport’s busiest month, TIA served 1,979,244 passengers. In April, the airport served 1,799,519 passengers, bringing the two-month total to nearly 3.8 million passengers.

The growth comes at a time when TIA is undergoing a nearly $1 billion expansion and preparing for a second phase of construction next year that is estimated to cost $543 million. The overall project provides a runway for growth for local small businesses.

Its previous record was in 2007 with 3,726,183 passengers in March and April and a record 19.3 million passengers for the year, before passenger numbers decreased during the economic recession. Since 2010, TPA has seen passenger numbers increase year after year, and that traffic has now grown nearly 14 percent between 2010 and 2016.

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