March 19, 2024

Tuesday's Daily Pulse

What you need to know about Florida today

| 10/18/2016

Florida faces worst orange harvest crisis in a century

Florida might need to consider redesigning its license plates. The state’s plates feature a pair of ripe oranges above the famous “Sunshine State” slogan, but the region is in the midst of the worst orange harvest crisis since records began in 1913. US officials predict this year’s harvest will be down 14% from last year as trees reel from disease and hurricanes – and orange prices surge. More from the Guardian, the AP, and WPTV.

Here's why gas prices in Florida have risen since Hurricane Matthew

Until the market showed signs of stabilizing on Sunday, gas prices had risen 16 consecutive days in Florida for a total jump of 11 cents, in large part due to supply chains disrupted by the storm, AAA reported. That's in sharp contrast to elsewhere in much of the country where gas prices have been heading down the past couple weeks. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the Orlando Sentinel.

» Check gas prices in your Florida neighborhood, here.

Florida theme-park companies pump money into campaign coffers

The companies that own Orlando's big theme parks have pumped millions of dollars into campaigns this election cycle. The theme parks have an interest in many issues affecting everything from the taxes and wages they pay to how much competition they have. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Red tide, hurricane delays may cut into stone crab harvests

Fishermen in southwest Florida say lingering red tide and Hurricane Matthew may cut into their early stone crab harvests. The stone crab season began Saturday. [Source: AP]

Florida makes gains in high school graduation rate

Newly released national high school graduation rates show improvement across the board, including in Florida. But Florida continues to sit near the bottom of the pack, despite its growth. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Tourists may help fund reef restoration in Florida Keys
Tourism provides a key boost for many destinations. The latest example is the Florida Keys, where visitors may soon be helping to fund coral reef restoration efforts.

Members of the Florida Bar:

Voting has begun for next year’s Florida Legal Elite. Don't miss your chance to help determine the top lawyers in Florida for 2017. Attorneys selected will appear in the July issue of Florida Trend.

Submit your ballot here. Voting closes at midnight, December 1st.

› Many French home buyers are drawn to the Sunshine State
International buyers always have been a very important piece of the Miami-Dade County real estate market. Still, new trends often emerge, and one that we’ve seen in force in 2016 is a larger influx of French buyers.

› Boca-based Office Depot to close stores for Thanksgiving
Boca Raton-based Office Depot said it would close its Office Depot and OfficeMax stores on Thanksgiving Day this year, after opening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the national holiday last year.

› Florida homeowners may qualify for mortgage principal reduction
The Federal Housing Finance Agency says lenders will be contacting more than 1,400 South Florida homeowners at risk of foreclosure with offers to reduce their unpaid mortgage balances.

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