Could 10 year Florida hurricane drought end this year?

While some areas of the country still have snow in the forecast, the folks at Colorado State University are already turning their attention to the upcoming 2016 Atlantic hurricane season. Next Thursday, the first official forecast for the season will be released and we anticipate that it will be busier than the 2015 season as El Niño fades and La Niña develops. More from WJXT and Reuters.

See also:
» Intense Atlantic hurricane season depends on ocean cooling

Identity theft-related tax fraud remains the top scam

Rampant identity theft by criminals who file fraudulent returns using someone else's Social Security number is the nation's biggest tax-related scam — and a costly one — the Internal Revenue Service says. The IRS estimates it will lose $26 billion due to fraudulent refunds from 2012 through this year. And Florida has been a hotbed for identity theft that exploits the way the IRS doles out tax refunds. Learn how to protect yourself: Read the Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft from the IRS (includes a video). Also see more at the Palm Beach Post.

America’s fastest shrinking cities

While urban areas on the whole are growing, the population of several metro areas shrank last year. Over the last five years, the populations of 23 metros declined by more than 2%. By contrast, the U.S. population increased by 3.9% over that time. [Source: USA Today]

Bomb suit business is thriving

Business is ramping up for bomb suits as the world becomes a scarier place. "We're experiencing a lot more requests than normal simply because of what's going on in the world," said Tony Tanner, president and owner of Kejo Limited Company, a small business in Clearwater that makes the suits. [Source: Money]

National group to launch voter registration drive in Florida

The nation's largest Hispanic civil rights organization is launching a major voter registration drive in the battleground state of Florida that will include door-to-door canvassing and an online app designed to reach millions of potential voters. [Source: AP]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› SpaceX, Musk, and money: Here's what's riding on Friday's Falcon launch [Bloomberg]
Space. So close and yet so far. Elon Musk's SpaceX on Friday is expected to launch a rocket to the International Space Station for the first time since a weak support strut tipped a mission into catastrophe two minutes after launch in June.

› MSC Cruises signs deal for four natural gas-powered ships [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
More cruise ships — and bigger ones, too — are on the horizon as cruise operators look for ways to carve out a larger slice of a largely untapped market.

› Orlando's hotel supply to increase nearly 3 percent in next two years [Orlando Sentinel]
For 2016, Orlando's inventory is expected to increase by 0.9 percent, with 1.9 percent growth on top of that in 2017, according to STR, a company that tracks the hotel industry globally.

› UCF scientist part of $317M initiative to revolutionize textiles [UCF Today]
A University of Central Florida scientist is playing a critical role in shaping a $317 million U.S. Department of Defense program that could expand the function of clothing to include monitoring our health, sensing the environment, and harvesting energy.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Small chance of home prices falling in South Florida, report says [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
South Florida homeowners have little to fear in the way of falling prices, new data show. The likelihood of price declines in Palm Beach County in the next two years is 3 percent, according to a report from Arch Mortgage Insurance Co.

› 'Shark Tank' to feature third Central Florida company this season [Orlando Sentinel]
For the third time this season, a Central Florida company will make its pitch to the sharks on the ABC television show “Shark Tank.” On the show, entrepreneurs try to attract money from high-profile investors.

› Florida National Guard sending 700 soldiers to Africa [Miami Herald]
About 700 Florida National Guard troops are headed to the Horn of Africa again to be part of U.S. military operations against al-Qaida and other violent extremists in East Africa, a wing of the war on terror.

› Florida Film Festival celebrates 25 years with record number of films [WESH]
To celebrate a quarter century, the festival, which begins Friday and runs through April 17, will screen more than 180 films, ranging from thrillers and comedies to documentaries and animated shorts.