April 19, 2024

Monday's Daily Pulse

What you need to know about Florida today

| 5/7/2018

Municipal utilities expand solar operations in Florida in groundbreaking deal

As part of what's being called the Florida Municipal Solar Project (FMPA), utilities from Jacksonville Beach to Key West will receive solar power from three "solar farms" that will be built at sites in Orange and Osceola counties. Approximately 900,000 solar panels will be installed at these sites. The 12 cities that will purchase power from the project include Alachua, Bartow, Beaches Energy Services (Jacksonville Beach), Fort Pierce Utilities Authority, Homestead, Keys Energy Services (Key West), Kissimmee Utility Authority, Lake Worth, Ocala, Orlando Utilities Commission, Wauchula and Winter Park. Read the full announcement from the FMPA, here. Also read more at Florida Today and WLRN.

See also:
» Regulators to consider cost recovery for Tampa Electric solar project
Related quick poll:
» Do you have solar panels - and use solar power - at your business or home?

Florida’s medical marijuana program is attracting troubled doctors: ‘It’s like the Wild Wild West’

An examination of the 1,432 doctors in the program reveals Florida’s new marijuana initiative has turned into a magnet for physicians with troubled pasts. In total, 262 of the doctors had some sort of blemish on their record. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Florida prisons cut programs to cover $28 million deficit

Florida's legislators are required to perform only one job each year — pass a balanced budget — but, based on new information released last week, they blew it. The legislature passed and Gov. Rick Scott signed an $87 billion budget that was $28 million short in prison funding. [Source: Times/Herald]

Deadly Yellow fever outbreak threatens to spread to Florida

There hasn’t been a yellow fever outbreak in the United States in more than 100 years, but state health officials are concerned that a large outbreak in Brazil and others in South and Central America could lead to infected travelers bringing the disease to South Florida, which has the right mosquitoes and climate for it to spread. More from the Lakeland Ledger, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and the Daily Mail.

Andy Corty Andy Corty

Florida Trend Column
60 years of Florida Trend

From Florida Trend's publisher, Andy Corty:
The May 2018 issue marks Florida Trend's 60th anniversary. As the first and oldest regional business magazine in North America, we’ve had a great run reporting on Florida’s amazing growth. And there’s more to come! Read the full column here.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Keys will get up to 1,300 permits for new workforce housing rentals
Gov. Rick Scott directed the state Department of Economic Opportunity to come up with “enhanced workforce housing” in the Keys as part of the recovery effort from the devastation left by Hurricane Irma last September.

› Florida retirement system alleges it was damaged by price fall of Macquarie Infrastructure Corp. stock
A retirement system for employees of a Florida city allege that a New York company omitted and/or misrepresented facts about the company, which impacted stock prices.

› Southwest Florida sees declines in international visitors
Southwest Florida hasn't been attracting as many international visitors. The decline mirrors state and national trends that have been blamed in large part on the strengthening of the U.S. dollar, which makes a trip to America more expensive.

› Miami restaurant faces charges for farm-to-table scam
A local restaurant in Miami faces charges for allegedly claiming ingredients on their menu were locally sourced, when they were not. Attorney Genera Pam Bondi filed a complaint Friday against Icebox Cafe and Icebox Cafe at MIA, LLC, for supplying non-locally sourced or sustainable products but claiming so on restaurant menus.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

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Florida Trend Video Pick

Giant domino line of cereal boxes falls to celebrate Cereal for Summer Drive
Giant domino line of cereal boxes falls to celebrate Cereal for Summer Drive

About one thousand cereal boxes were lined up by Achieva Credit Union employees in honor of the donations.

Video Picks | Viewpoints@FloridaTrend

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