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Friday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida's migrant worker problem
Florida leads the nation in H-2A worker positions certified by the Department of Labor. The visas' importance to an $8 billion industry cannot be overstated, insiders and savvy observers agree. There simply aren't enough domestic workers willing and able to harvest crops, sometimes while perched on ladders wearing bags around their necks to free both hands for picking. [Source: U.S. News & World Report]
Florida researchers making the most of alternative crops
Florida researchers are experimenting with several alternative crops that are well adapted to the local soils and have promising markets in order to promote economic sustainability among growers. In Northeast Florida, diminishing local potato chip contracts have researchers working to find other crops that can adapt to local soils and thus promote economic sustainability. Full story here.
Short-term vacation rentals exploding in Florida, infuriating neighbors
People across Florida are complaining about rowdy short-term renters ruining the peace in their neighborhoods, and because of rules passed by leaders in Tallahassee, local city and county leaders can’t do a thing to stop it. [Source: WFTS]
More birth defects reported in states with local spread of Zika, including Florida
The kinds of birth defects associated with Zika, including microcephaly and other brain abnormalities, have increased in parts of the United States where mosquitoes were spreading the virus in 2016, including South Florida. According to a CDC report, areas with local spread of Zika — including southern Florida, a portion of Texas, and Puerto Rico — saw a 21 percent spike in these kinds of birth defects during the second half of 2016 compared with births that took place during the first half of that year. See the CDC report here, and read more at the Miami Herald.
These are the 5 most-lobbied bills in the Florida House
Of more than 2,000 bills filed this year in Florida’s House of Representatives, how do we know which ones matter the most? One way to measure a bill’s importance is to count the number of lobbyists who are actively working on its success or failure. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Five months after Hurricane Irma, how are the Keys doing?
It’s been almost five months since the Keys were struck by the eye of Hurricane Irma on September 10, 2017. While Key West and Key Largo were largely spared the worst of the storm’s damage, other areas in the Lower Keys and Islamorada are still rebuilding.
› Shipt launching same-day Target delivery soon throughout Florida
Same-day delivery on an assortment of groceries, essentials, home, electronics and other Target products is coming soon. The service launches Feb. 8 for the Treasure and Space coasts, Naples, Fort Myers, Tallahassee and other parts of the state.
› Orlando home-sales market draws online direct-sell companies
Orlando has become a test market for three national companies seeking to change the way houses are bought and sold by dealing directly with buyers. The deep-pocket groups are banking on sellers who prefer a fast sale to getting top dollar.
› Another thumbs-up for USF consolidation plan, now from Florida’s higher education board
The hot-button proposal to consolidate all three University of South Florida System institutions into one university received another vote of confidence on Thursday. The state board of governors, which oversees Florida's 12 public universities, unanimously voted at a meeting in Tallahassee to support the plan, recommending that the legislation be approved.
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