Bankruptcy filings jump in Florida
Bankruptcy filings in Florida increased 23.5 percent during the 12-month period that ended June 30, compared to a similar period that ended a year earlier, according to data released Thursday by the federal court system. Nationally, bankruptcy filings increased 11.5 percent. The data showed that 40,679 bankruptcy cases were filed in Florida during the 12-month period that ended June 30. That compared to 32,933 cases filed during the 12-month period that ended June 30, 2024. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Government bodies grapple with changes to public comment policies
While Florida law requires that the public be given "reasonable opportunity to be heard" on propositions, there aren't specific rules laid out related to how long each speaker can address officials or if comments must be recorded. That's where local boards and councils can make their own policies. And that's where opinions of those government bodies and, often, the public, can diverge, over free speech, profanity, topic choice or simply a desire to preclude lengthy meetings. [Source: Florida Today]
Rise of the robots: Hospitality businesses throughout South Florida embrace automation
Robots have long held a novelty status in hospitality. But in South Florida, they’re fast becoming a necessity. From wheeled delivery bots gliding through busy streets and lobbies to automated food and beverage preppers, servers and personal care machines, the region is leaning into tech solutions to ease mounting pressure on service operations. [Source: South Florida Business Journal]
Tropical Storm Dexter forms as hurricane center tracks 2 other Atlantic systems
Tropical Storm Dexter became the fourth named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season Sunday night while the National Hurricane Center tracked two other systems with the potential to form into the next tropical depression or storm. The system is not expected to threaten land. Closer to Florida is what is expected to be a low-pressure area to form in a couple of days a few hundred miles off the coast. “Some gradual development of this system is possible during the middle or latter part of the week as the system drifts to the west or northwest,” forecasters said. The NHC gave it a 20% chance to develop in the next seven days. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Fire ants spreading like wildfire in Florida's warming, wetter climate
Mounting scientific evidence suggests problems with imported fire ants are getting worse. Biologists warn that factors that have long made the Sunshine State a welcoming home to the invaders are accelerating. Climate change is bringing warmer, wetter weather that favors fire ants. Florida's urban sprawl also means more disturbed landscapes fire ants seek, with fewer natural predators, and more ants hitching rides in potted plants to new landscapes. [Source: Florida Today]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› FEC Railway sues Brightline over commuter rail expansion plan
In a move that could derail plans for a long-awaited commuter train service, Florida East Coast Railway is suing Brightline for “clandestinely” negotiating with county governments to add more trains to its rails. FECR claims the move violates a contract agreement between the two companies. The dispute signals a breakdown in friendly relations between Florida East Coast Railway, which is more than a century old, and Brightline, which began operating its private passenger train on FECR’s tracks less than a decade ago.
› Sarasota chamber leader wins global recognition
Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Heather Kasten has earned designation as a Certified Chamber Executive by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, the ACCE has a membership of more than 1,600 chambers of commerce and related business and economic development organizations, representing more than 9,000 industry professionals.
› 'First movers' helping speed progress of Downtown Jacksonville redevelopment
Revitalization of Downtown Jacksonville is accelerating thanks to “first movers” who are making major investments in the urban core, Build Up Downtown CEO Linzee Ott says. She said projects including the Gateway Jax Pearl Square mixed-use development and the University of Florida graduate campus in LaVilla are creating a “triangle of transformation” stretching from LaVilla to the NorthCore District to the Sports and Entertainment District to the east.
› Racketeering case illuminates how gambling persists in Lake County
Neon lights illuminate the faces of roughly a dozen people sitting before machines bearing names like “Quick Hit” as black window coverings block the afternoon sun and the gazes of passersby. This isn’t the Las Vegas strip, a cruise ship or a casino run by one of Florida’s federally recognized Native American tribes. It’s a Lake County business nestled in a tidy retail plaza off a quiet stretch of highway just south of Leesburg. The establishment, called Hot Seats, is an example of how Florida’s casino operators continue business despite falling outside of the state-sanctioned gambling regime and regardless of law enforcement raids.
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› University of Florida no longer plans 2025 launch for classes at new Jacksonville campus
The University of Florida no longer plans to launch classes this year in the former Interline Brands Inc. building that is part of its new Downtown graduate campus, a UF official said Aug. 1. Kurt Dudas, vice president of strategic initiatives at UF, said the university is now targeting a fall 2026 start for classes in the 801 W. Bay St. building.
› In St. Pete Beach, quiet hours could soon get quieter
City commissioners are moving forward with plans to tighten noise regulations during evening and overnight hours, targeting sounds that may not violate current decibel limits but still disturb residents. The proposed amendment would prohibit music or sounds audible at neighboring properties that exceed ambient background noise by 5 decibels between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
› This free bus brings Fort Lauderdale’s homeless to resources they need
Most people take transportation for granted. It’s pretty simple to hop in a car, Uber, train or bus to get from point A to point B. But for homeless people in South Florida, the task is daunting. Dozens of organizations in Fort Lauderdale offer services and resources — food, shelter, medical care, job training, clothing — to the city’s homeless population. But none offered a solution to a fundamental problem: free, safe and welcoming transportation to get there.
› Colson Hotel to be restored as a business incubator
It could be a jazz club, or perhaps restored as a hotel. Instead, the new nonprofit ownership of the historic Colson Hotel on the edge of the Rosemary District near Newtown plans to honor the century-old building’s roots by providing spaces oriented toward entrepreneurs across all demographics to help plant their own seedlings and eventually branch out into the business world.