Wednesday's Afternoon Update
Weaponizing viruses to save the citrus industry
Citrus farmers have long feared the arrival of harmful citrus tristeza virus to their fields. But now, this devastating pathogen could be their best hope as they battle a much worse disease that is laying waste to citrus crops. Without being engineered, the citrus tristeza virus can cause citrus trees to die. The engineered version, however, is benign to the fruit and goes after the bacterium behind citrus greening instead. More from Scientific American and Quartz.
St. Augustine residents voice concerns over increased tourism
For the most part, Florida's latest tourism report is great news, driving the economy across the state. But if you talk to some people living in St. Augustine, the city’s growing reputation as a tourist destination has its downsides. More from WJXT.
Florida justices to weigh in on red light cameras
The Florida Supreme Court will weigh in on red light cameras after the Legislature decided not to pull the plug. The Florida House voted 91-22 earlier this year to ban red light cameras but a companion measure died in the Senate. More from WLRN.
Opinion: State workers' pay raises mired in politics
Florida has the nation’s lowest ratio of state workers to population, as well as the lowest cost of state personnel, per taxpayer. It took a political trade-off to get state employees a pay raise in the past legislative session, which was unfortunate but necessary. More from the Fort Myers News-Press.
PriceSmart opens 325,000-square-foot distribution center in Miami-Dade
U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Miami joined PriceSmart President and CEO Jose Luis Laparte for a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday for PriceSmart’s new distribution center in Miami-Dade County. PriceSmart is the largest operator of membership warehouse clubs in Central America, the Caribbean and Colombia. More from the Miami Herald.
Editor's Page
Art of the deal
Like all cities, Jacksonville has plenty of problems, but two of the biggest hot-button issues facing Mayor Lenny Curry when he took office in 2015 were how to fix the city's underfunded pension plan and whether the city needed to expand its human rights ordinance to protect its LGBTQ citizens from discrimination in jobs and housing.
Out of the Box
Gone to the dogs
A surge in organic-focused dog stores has coincided with an uptick in health-centric grocers and artisanal cupcake shops. Pumping money into pets isn’t a new retail trend by any means, but it’s one that finally seems to be gaining some speed in Southwest Florida.
» Read more from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.