Feds, state quarrel over water issues

Federal and state agencies are bickering over who exactly is responsible for poor water quality conditions that have gripped much of the state for most of this year. The problem stems from the mid-1800s, when Florida was created by the federal government with the caveat that Florida drain the Everglades. [Source: Fort Myers News-Press]

Florida's NextEra to buy Texas' Oncor in takeover valued at $18.4 billion

NextEra Energy Inc. has agreed to buy Energy Future Holdings Corp.’s Oncor Electric Delivery Co. LLC utility in Texas in a deal valued at about $18.4 billion. The agreement is part of an overall reorganization plan designed to allow Energy Future to emerge from bankruptcy. News Release from NextEra Energy is here. Also read more at Bloomberg and Reuters.

Scam-central Florida leads country in credit card fraud

With nearly double the rate of credit card fraud complaints nationwide — and a 130 percent leap in complaints just since 2011 — Florida is retaining its crown as the credit card fraud capital of the country for the second year in a row. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

FDA halts blood donation in 2 Florida counties over Zika fears

The FDA has asked blood centers in Miami-Dade and Broward counties to stop collecting blood immediately amid concerns over possible transmission of the Zika virus. Dr. Peter Marks, Director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, released a statement saying in part, "The FDA is requesting that all blood establishments in Miami-Dade County and Broward County cease collecting blood immediately until the blood establishments implement testing of each individual unit of blood collected in the two counties with an available investigational donor screening test for Zika virus RNA ..." Read Dr. Mark's full statement here. Also see more at the Times-Picayune and the Miami Herald.

Florida trims back-to-school sales tax holiday to three days

This year, nearly everything about Florida’s back-to-school tax holiday has changed. The yearly savings event has been compressed from 10 days into three, running Aug. 5-7. Florida shoppers will not have to pay taxes on clothing items of $60 or less, down from $100 per item last year. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

See also:
» Full list of what will be tax-free (and what won't)
» Are sales tax holidays good for anyone?
» Sales tax holiday not the only reason parents excited for end of summer

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Jacksonville's own Firehouse Subs reaches 1,000 franchises, picks up philanthropic efforts [Florida Times-Union]
One thousand restaurants. That’s a far cry from a couple of firefighting brothers who simply wanted to open just one Firehouse Subs shop. That first one was in Mandarin’s Crown Point Plaza 22 years ago.

› Port Manatee sees maiden voyage of World Direct Shipping vessel [Port Manatee]
The seaport has seen the maiden voyage of the “M/V Queen B,” a new container ship that is part of World Direct Shipping's cross-Gulf service with Mexico..

› First Coast residents wanting Amazon jobs can apply online [Florida Times-Union]
With Wednesday’s announcement that Amazon plans to open a massive 2.4 million-square-foot distribution center on Jacksonville’s Northside, many people wonder how they can apply for one of the 1,500 jobs expected to be generated at the facility.

› ‘Bloodline’ will return to South Florida for filming of season three [Miami Herald]
“Bloodline,” the popular Netflix series about the demons that haunt a tight-knit family, will return to shoot its third season on location in the Florida Keys.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› ULA sends satellite into space from Florida's Space Coast [Orlando Sentinel]
United Launch Alliance successfully launched a rocket into space Thursday morning for the sixth time this year. The Lockheed Martin-Boeing partnership sent its Atlas V rocket from Florida's Space Coast carrying a satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office.

› JetBlue will be the first commercial airline to fly to Cuba — so far [Miami Herald]
Low-cost carrier JetBlue announced Thursday it will start flying to Cuba commercially on Aug. 31 — before competitors American Airlines and Silver Airways, which have also announced their departure dates.

› Miami company aims to draw former customers of defunct meal delivery service [South Florida Business Journal]
Meal delivery service Fit2Go is stepping in to serve former customers of the Fresh Diet, a Miami gourmet food delivery service that closed without notice and is now filing for the Florida-equivalent of bankruptcy.

› Florida Institute Funds Orlando-based Mend VIP [Florida Institute]
The Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research (the Institute) announced today that it has finalized a funding agreement with Mend VIP, an Orlando-based company with technology developed at the University of Central Florida.