Thursday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 11/9/2017

Future of agriculture in Sunshine State hangs on new NAFTA treaty

The future of Florida agriculture will be inextricably tied to the development of Mexican agriculture. But Florida agriculture has an even bigger opponent than Mexico in getting its policies into the final trade treaty – the rest of the U.S. agriculture industry. More from the Lakeland Ledger.

Office Depot beats revenue estimates for third quarter

Boca Raton-based Office Depot beat analysts’ expectations on third-quarter revenue, despite posting lower sales than a year ago. Office Depot reported revenue of $2.62 billion, $10 million more than analysts expected. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Online expansion opens military exchange to another 240,000 shoppers in Tampa Bay area

Military exchanges like the one at MacDill Air Force Base have long offered big savings to active duty troops, military retirees and their families. Starting Saturday, Veterans Day, deals like 25 percent off on watches, 30 percent off smokers, and $70 off an HP laptop will be available to a whole lot more people. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Gov. Rick Scott sued over wealth disclosure

A lawsuit by a Tallahassee attorney contends that Florida Gov. Rick Scott has sidestepped state laws that require him to fully disclose the extent of his vast personal wealth. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Miami is the worst city in the U.S. for renters, new study says

Miami-Dade County once again is being counted among the country’s most expensive places to rent an apartment. According to a new study by the online marketplace Apartment List, Miami-Dade County has the biggest percentage of cost-burdened renters of any major city in the U.S. More from the Miami Herald.

Advertising Trends
Digital signs to replace traditional billboards in Pasco

Pasco’s 18-year ban on new billboards officially is over, with Clear Channel Outdoors planning to install four digital advertising boards across the county. In an agreement approved unanimously Tuesday by county commissioners, the company will take down 28 static billboards in exchange for the four high-tech digital light-emitting diode billboards.

» More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Out of the Box
EPA approves 'killer' mosquitoes to combat disease

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave MosquitoMate the go-ahead to use male mosquitoes weaponized with a bacteria called Wolbachia pipientis as a method to kill the Asian tiger mosquito—responsible for spreading diseases like Zika, dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya.