Florida business leaders call for better math education

There’s a disconnect between the math education Florida students get and what employers are looking for. That’s according to a new report from the Florida Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The Aligning Math Education to Workforce Needs Report combined surveys and conversations with focus groups that included business leaders, teachers and parents, where they compared business needs to education. Business leaders want curriculum adjustments and strong partnerships with schools. [Source: WUSF]

System could form near Florida this week, forecasters say

A system could emerge later this week near or over the Florida peninsula, National Hurricane Center forecasters said Sunday as Tropical Storm Barry closed in on eastern Mexico. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calls for an above-normal hurricane season, with 13 to 19 named storms. Of those, six to 10 could become hurricanes and three to five could ramp up into major hurricane strength of Category 3 or higher. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the Orlando Sentinel.

With more intense hurricanes, do we also have to prepare for more tornadoes in Florida?

We know that the warming climate, driven largely by fossil fuel emissions, is intensifying hurricanes. But what about tornadoes? The Miami Herald spoke to hazards geographer Stephen Strader, who studied meteorology and geography at Northern Illinois University, and holds degrees in both. He also researches tornadoes at Villanova University in Pennsylvania., where he’s an associate professor of geography and the environment and geography program director. [Source: Miami Herald]

Dentists’ fear: With fluoride out of Florida water, cavities will be in

Florida is shutting off its fluoride tap by July 1, and dentists are warning of the repercussions, particularly among children and low-income residents. The state will become the second following Utah to stop public utilities from fluoridating water. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law banning the decades-old practice in May, pulling the plug on what he says amounts to forced medication. In response, dentists say residents should consider over-the-counter fluoride supplements for their children — whose teeth are still developing — make sure they are using fluoridated toothpastes and mouthwashes. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

South Florida cities getting millions from settlement in ‘forever chemicals’ legal battle

South Florida cities from Fort Lauderdale to Boca Raton are in line for a mega windfall in the form of multimillion-dollar settlement payouts from manufacturers of potentially toxic “forever chemicals” that have made their way into the country’s drinking water. Fort Lauderdale is in line for nearly $35 million. Boca Raton has won $32 million. And Delray Beach has been awarded $15 million. The cities were plaintiffs in a national class-action lawsuit that accused 3M, DuPont and dozens of other manufacturers of polluting the water supply of municipalities around the country with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances known as PFAS — commonly referred to as “forever chemicals.” [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Fewer people are moving to Florida. But Jacksonville bucks the trend [Florida Times-Union]
After attracting a wave of new residents during the pandemic years of 2021-2023 — even becoming the fastest-growing state in 2022 — Florida has fallen out of favor in the last year, with more people leaving than entering the Sunshine State. But according to a new study, Jacksonville is bucking the trend in Florida, one of just two cities in the state ranking in the Top 20 list of most moved-to cities in the U.S. for 2025. Two years earlier, six Florida cities were on the list, including five of the Top 10.

› Brevard rockets from 'sleepy' county to world's top commercial spaceport [Florida Today]
Assembled with a captured German V-2 missile, the experimental Bumper 8 rocket rose above surrounding wilderness on July 24, 1950, marking America's first launch from Cape Canaveral — and sparking the Space Coast's swift trajectory from "a sleepy, agriculture-based community" into the world's top commercial spaceport. Only 246 people lived in rustic Cocoa Beach when Bumper 8 lifted off. Neither the cities of Palm Bay nor Satellite Beach yet existed. And with a mere 4,223 people, Melbourne had fewer residents than Cocoa's population of 4,245.

› Orange County leaders seek to reduce inmate population, curb costs [Orlando Sentinel]
People struggling with mental illness and homelessness pose persistent problems for the Orange County Jail. Now county leaders are making a hard push for solutions, mindful that incarceration is often an ineffective response to broader economic and societal challenges. “This isn’t just a jail issue,” said Marni Stuhlman, a long-time mental health expert in Central Florida who served on a mayoral committee that reconvened in January to study the county-run jail and suggest strategies to tamp down its population and costs.

› Reversal of fortune: How a restored Kissimmee River helps save wildlife and battle floods [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
It’s not often that the powers-that-be make an about-face, but once in a while it happens. And once in a while it pays off. In 1947 a hurricane caused severe flooding along the Kissimmee River between Orlando and Lake Okeechobee. The state asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fix the problem — the floodplain was mostly swamp, which seemed of little value at the time. The Army Corps’ solution was to take a meandering 103-mile river that snaked through one of the wildest areas, drain it, and carve it into a ruler-straight, 56-mile 30-foot-deep canal dubbed the C-38 — not exactly fodder for the tourism board. Now, 54 years after engineers eliminated the river and finished the canal, there has been a reversal of fortune.

More stories ...

› Tampa outsource call center firm names new CEO [Business Observer]
Tampa-based outsource call center company OneTouch Direct, which has eight offices worldwide, from Buffalo to Bogota, has named industry veteran Michael Flodin CEO. Flodin replaces OneTouch Direct co-founder Joseph Mole in the position, according to a statement. Mole is now executive chairman, after serving as the company’s top executive for more than 20 years, the release adds.

› Mall giant bets big on Brickell City Centre, spending half-billion on retail complex [Miami Herald]
Brickell City Centre’s mall, home to the luxury stores and fine dining restaurants that have built upon the neighborhood’s upscale identity, has been sold to a new owner. Swire Properties, the firm that developed Brickell City Centre, sold the mall and the parking garage under it to Simon Property Group, a company known for investing in retail complexes across the country. Business publications said that Simon paid upward of $500 million, with Bloomberg reporting a $512 million purchase price and Reuters citing a price tag of up to $548 million.

› Orange County leaders seek to reduce inmate population, curb costs [Orlando Sentinel]
People struggling with mental illness and homelessness pose persistent problems for the Orange County Jail. Now county leaders are making a hard push for solutions, mindful that incarceration is often an ineffective response to broader economic and societal challenges. “This isn’t just a jail issue,” said Marni Stuhlman, a long-time mental health expert in Central Florida who served on a mayoral committee that reconvened in January to study the county-run jail and suggest strategies to tamp down its population and costs.

› JTA’s driverless NAVI van service starts Downtown on June 30 [Jacksonville Daily Record]
Starting June 30, you can catch a ride aboard one of Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s driverless passenger vans in Downtown Jacksonville. The JTA held a ribbon-cutting June 27 at VyStar Ballpark to announce the launch of its Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation service. The Sports Complex is one of the 12 stops the autonomous vehicles will make every seven minutes.