Florida again named second best state for business, but concerns raised

For the fifth straight year Florida was ranked as the No. 2 state for business in Chief Executive magazine's 13th annual "Best & Worst States for Business" survey. (#1 was Texas.) But not all of the survey feedback on Florida was good. From Chief Executive Magazine:

Florida keeps ranking No. 2 in part because CEOs find it the No. 5 living environment. CEOs ranked its workforce quality a relatively low No. 18. And the state’s economic development efforts are in question due to infighting between Republican Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican-controlled legislature.

More analysis at the Tampa Bay Times.
See also: Gov. Scott said in statement that "the Florida Legislature has turned their back on Florida’s ability to fund economic incentive deals," and that the state budget was one of their "backroom deals."

Florida investigating chicken industry anticompetitive behavior

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi's office has opened an investigation into allegations made in civil lawsuits, filed last year in federal court in Chicago, that Tyson and other chicken processors conspired to fix prices. Full story from Reuters, here.

Opinion: In a trade war with Canada, Florida loses

Canada and Florida are natural, complementary partners for both business and leisure. In fact, Canada remains Florida’s No. 1 global economic partner, according to an economic impact study prepared for the Consulate General of Canada in Miami. [Source: Miami Herald]

State appeals court upholds 14.5 percent workers’ comp premium increase

A state appeals court has upheld a 14.5 percent increase in workers’ compensation insurance premiums, rejecting legal arguments that it was approved in violation of Florida’s open-government laws. See the ruling from the appeals court here. Also read more at Florida Politics.

Florida politicians react to firing of FBI director Comey

After President Donald Trump unexpectedly fired FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday, Florida Democrats in Congress called for an independent prosecutor or commission to investigate Russian meddling in last year’s election. At least one Republican reiterated his support for the creation of a select committee to investigate. More from McClatchy, the Miami Herald, and the Tampa Bay Times.

Your turn:
» Your thoughts on the firing of FBI Director James Comey? (quick poll)

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Sen. Marco Rubio throws wrench into Florida oil drilling debate [Times/Herald]
Just over a week after President Donald Trump made a massive push for offshore oil drilling, Florida lawmakers have mobilized to protect a hard-fought moratorium on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

› Spirit Airlines moves to restore full operations, sues pilots [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale, Spirit asserted an illegal, week-long pilots slowdown resulted in hundreds of unforeseen flight disruptions across its network, tying up operations from Fort Lauderdale and other key U.S. cities the airline serves.

› SeaWorld's first-quarter revenue, attendance take a dive [Orlando Sentinel]
Attendance at SeaWorld Entertainment’s theme parks dropped 15 percent during the first quarter, the company reported. Orlando-based SeaWorld blamed much of the drop on the timing of spring break holidays, which shifted into the second quarter this year.

› How Florida keeps kids in the criminal justice system [PRI]
Each year, millions of children flock to Orange County, Florida, to visit Disney World. But in the background, there is a darker story at work. Orange County has the highest number of juvenile arrests in the state.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Cade Museum awarded $50,000 [North Central Florida Business Report]
The Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention, the University of South Florida (USF), Florida Inventors Hall of Fame, and Florida High Tech Corridor Council (The Corridor) are partnering to promote Florida’s most creative inventors and researchers.

› Viewpoint: A revived wrinkle in the war against citrus greening [Daily Commercial]
The Lake Wales-based Florida Natural Growers, a cooperative of 14 major Florida citrus producers, is offering $13.5 million in seed money to incentivize growers to seed new groves.

Florida's Movers & Influencers See some of Florida's top executive moves, board appointments, civic accomplishments, and more at Florida Trend's Movers & Influencers. Each profile appears in three places: in a weekly eNewsletter, online at FloridaTrend.com and in a monthly print issue of Florida Trend. Read more here.

› Miami set to take Caribbean cuisine to global heights [South Florida Caribbean News]
Celebrated Trinidadian chef Richardson Skinner asserts firmly that the Caribbean can do much more to promote its cuisine to attract interest and travel to the region.

› Florida Forest Rangers working tirelessly during this busy wildfire season [WWSB]
From May to July of 1998, almost 500-thousand acres were burned, along with more than 150 structures. According to Wildfire Mitigation Specialist Patrick Mahoney, fire conditions are approaching the same level as two decades ago.