Feds joins battle on citrus disease

The federal government is getting involved in the fight against citrus greening disease, in hopes of saving Florida's - and possibly the entire nation's - citrus crop. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will announce Thursday that it's creating an "emergency response framework" to battle citrus greening. More at the AP.

See also:
» USDA Creates Multi-Agency Emergency Response Framework to Combat Devastating Citrus Disease

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Miami-Dade investigates: How big was Art Basel?

Now that Art Basel is over, county commissioners want to know how much revenue it brought to Miami-Dade. “Because they are all private commercial art fairs, they closely guard their revenue numbers, so it’s very hard to compute the economic impact,” said Michael Spring, director of the county’s Department of Cultural Affairs. More at Miami Today.

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Florida company takes hassle out of paddling trips

Economic Development Trolling for tech When John Hagenbecame president and CEO of the Pasco Economic Development Council in January 2010, he already knew the county’s incentives program needed to be improved. Later that year, the county implemented a new economic development ordinance that simplified the incentives process. » Full story

Many South Floridians probably would like to explore new paddling frontiers around the Sunshine State, but are daunted by the logistics of packing, camping and shuttling. Enter Paddle Florida — a 5-year-old nonprofit based in Gainesville that stages multiday paddling excursions throughout the state. More from the Miami Herald.

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Aviation schools prep for drone job boom

Dozens of schools offer some courses in what's known as UAS — unmanned aircraft systems — which range from drones as big as small planes to 2-foot-wide mini-helicopters. The first UAS master's degree program, focused on engineering, was launched at Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus this fall. More at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

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Florida, still foreclosure king, sees new court filings slide

Florida is still America's foreclosure capital, but its rate of defaults, auctions and repossessions has slid for four months in a row, new housing data show. The state saw 46 percent fewer new foreclosures last month than it did in November 2012, as distressed loans thinned and home values improved. More at the Tampa Bay Times and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Out of the Box The Science of Holes This autumn, two Florida geologists began to develop a weapon in the battle against their state’s geology: a predictive map for sinkholes. By 2016, they expect to have a state-wide map that is color-coded by category of sinkhole vulnerability at a scale of around 1 kilometer. The result will feed into the multi­million-dollar battle between homeowners and insurance companies in Florida, where coverage for "catastrophic ground cover collapse" is required but damage claims are often denied. » Full story at Scientific American

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