
Tom Hudson
Senior Economics Editor and Special CorrespondentTom Hudson is WLRN's Senior Economics Editor and Special Correspondent.
Hudson's extensive reporting on South Florida's economy has taken him from the waters of Florida Bay to the depths of the PortMiami tunnel (and countless offices and conference rooms). He has interviewed bartenders and bankers, caregivers and CEOs to report on the people behind economic statistics.
He began his business reporting career in March 2000, just weeks after the dot-com bubble burst. He has reported from the trading floors of the CME, Chicago Board Options Exchange, NASDAQ and New York Stock Exchange. He previously served as Vice President of News at WLRN when he created and hosted The Sunshine Economy for 10 years. He was managing editor and co-anchor of Nightly Business Report on PBS.
Hudson is married with two sons and advises every bicycle rider to always wear their helmet.
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The on-again, off-again tariff policy by the Trump administration has hurt the business outlook among companies using Port Everglades. They aren't pessimistic, though. More wait-and-see.
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A presidential executive order will increase entry fees for national parks, including Everglades National Park, but only for visitors who are not U.S. citizens. President Donald Trump said "national parks will be about America First."
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High occupancy vehicle lanes were meant to encourage carpooling. Low emission vehicles also were allowed to use the lanes, sometimes called express lanes, for free. A new law that went to effect on Tuesday eliminates HOV lanes throughout Florida.
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The two top executives at the South Florida-based online pet store made tens of millions of dollars last year. However, one may miss out on collecting much of the pay as he departs the company.
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South Florida's condo market continues reeling from reforms. Home prices continue going up, but that's slowing, too.
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Despite having more passengers and revenue than ever, Brightline is spending its cash faster than anticipated. The company is now talking with outside investors as it works to improve its finances. It hopes to add more cars to its trains — along with more expensive fares.
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Last month’s regional jobless rate was 3.1%. That's up from 3% in April.
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Pay for CEOs of publicly traded companies hit another record overall last year. With $65 million in total compensation, David Gitlin of HVAC giant Carrier sits at the top of the list in South Florida. WLRN had an executive pay data firm analyze filings — the ranking of eye-popping paychecks includes a national homebuilder, an online pet store and cruise line bosses.
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Some Floridians saw overall prices creep up last month. Consumer inflation in the Tampa region was up 2-point-6 percent in May compared to a year ago. That is a faster increase in prices than in March.
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From visas to an asylum claim and now to Temporary Protected Status, one South Florida couple has been living with immigration uncertainty for more than a decade. They now face the possibility of being forced to leave in September, while their US-born child could be denied birthright citizenship.
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Over 28 million people visited the county in 2024 — one in five tourists to Florida spent some of their trip in Miami-Dade. But a slowing global economy and growing uncertainty from changes in trade and immigration enforcement by the Trump administration is expected to hit tourism this year.
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South Florida commercial real estate has weathered a storm that has wreaked havoc in San Francisco, Chicago and New York. But uncertainty stemming from presidential policies — immigration enforcement, trade wars and interest rate unpredictability — is changing market conditions and creating worrying side-effects.