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DAILY BRIEFING
Thursday, September 25, 2008


HOMEBUYER TAX CREDIT

If a first-time homebuyer purchases a home before the end of 2008, he or she gets a $7,500 tax credit in 2009 when they file their federal income taxes, but it must be paid back over time. Here's how it works.

NEW HOME SALES

The government reported this morning that new home sales were down 11.5 percent in August.

OIL DRILLING

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to end a quarter-century ban on oil and natural gas drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. However, waters along the western beaches of Florida remain off limits to energy development until at least 2022.

HURRICANES

A Florida State University study predicts rising seas caused by global warming won't impact Florida as much as earlier studies predicted. However, the FSU study and a Florida Atlantic University companion study suggest that state leaders should make changes to everything from building codes to transportation planning