Friday's Afternoon Update
Florida's economy still growing, but budget cuts loom
Florida's economy is continuing to grow according to new preliminary estimates from state economists. State officials are meeting Friday to draw up new forecasts to predict how much the state will collect in taxes. The forecasts will be used by state legislators when writing this year's budget. More from the AP.
St. Johns Riverkeeper believes water shortage could soon become a statewide problem
The Sunshine State is getting a little too much sunshine these days. After Northeast Florida was labeled “abnormally dry” by the U.S. Drought Monitor, the St. Johns River Management District issued a water shortage warning for counties with the biggest rainfall deficits. More from the Florida Times-Union.
Experimental citrus groves disappearing in Florida
The closure of the farm is happening at a time when nurseries and growers are desperate for answers about new crop protection products, rootstock/scion combination performance, evaluation of experimental selections, and data collection. More from Growing Produce.
Judge sides with HCA in hospital industry fight
As Florida lawmakers look at eliminating controversial regulations on building hospitals, a judge has sided with the HCA health-care chain in an industry battle about adding a hospital in Miami-Dade County. More from WUSF.
Florida property insurers largely avoid downgrades, for now
Ratings company Demotech is holding off on issuing large-scale ratings downgrades of Florida property insurers for now, after a number of insurers heeded its warning of last month about the effects of assignment of benefits abuse. More from the Insurance Journal.
Out of the Box
Chimpanzees Given Their Day in Court
Should a chimpanzee be treated as a person with legal rights? That’s what attorney Steven Wise tried to convince a state appeals court in Manhattan on Thursday. Wise, who represents the Florida-based Nonhuman Rights Project animal advocacy group, argued that two chimps named Tommy and Kiko should be freed from cages to live in a mammoth-sized outdoor sanctuary in Florida.
» More from the AP.
Profile
Rose Rice: Mad Woman in a "Mad Men" Era
In the early 1960s, when advertising agencies were run by men, Rosalie Rice, a bookkeeper and Miami Beach Sun columnist, opened her own firm, Rose Rice Associates. She became one of the first female ad agency owners in Florida. For decades she represented hotels in Miami Beach, Sunny Isles Beach and Surfside and supported the Greater Miami Visitors and Convention Bureau.
» Read more from the Miami Herald.