Gov. Scott wants tax measure on next year's ballot

Florida Gov. Rick Scott wants to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would make it harder for state legislators to raise taxes or fees. If passed by 60 percent of voters, state legislators could not pass any future taxes or fees without a supermajority vote. [Source: AP]

Your turn:
» Do you think a constitutional amendment -- one that will make it harder for Florida lawmakers to raise taxes -- is needed? (quick poll)

Florida Trend Exclusive
Shopping for malls in Northeast Florida

With brick-and-mortar stores across the country under stress, Jacksonville-based shopping center developer/operator Regency Centers is banking — cautiously — on its strategy of focusing on retail centers anchored mainly by grocery stores. Read the story in full here -- part of a business roundup on Northeast Florida, from Florida Trend.

Marlins confirm $1.2 billion deal to sell to Jeter group

Miami Marlins president David Samson says a signed $1.2 billion agreement has been submitted to Major League Baseball to sell the franchise to a group that includes former New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter, and the team expects to close on the deal in early October. More from the AP and the Miami Herald.

See also:
» Derek Jeter brings passion for baseball to Marlins’ ownership box

Experts: Herd immunity outside US slows Zika in Florida

The waning of Zika outbreaks in the Caribbean and South America has helped slow the spread of the mosquito-borne virus in Florida this year, according to health officials. Herd immunity, when enough people in an area are infected with a virus and develop resistance to it, likely has contributed to Zika's decline outside the continental U.S., said Dr. Henry Walke, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's incident manager. [Source: AP]

Related, from Florida Trend:
» Video Q & A with Dr. Glenn Morris of UF's Emerging Pathogens Institute

First Green Bank takes lead in serving Florida medical pot industry

The “green” in First Green Bank no longer refers only to its founders’ mission to offer discounted loans for electric cars and solar panels. Now, it’s also about supporting Florida’s nascent medical marijuana industry. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Powerful Venezuelan lawmaker may have issued death order against Rubio [Miami Herald]
One of Venezuela’s most powerful leaders may have put out an order to kill Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a fervent critic of the South American country’s government, according to intelligence obtained by the U.S. last month.

› Geologists study massive Florida sinkhole [AP]
Geologists are studying a massive Florida sinkhole that destroyed two homes and rendered five others uninhabitable.

› 3-D printing for satellites? Harris has a plan [Orlando Sentinel]
In Melbourne, Harris Corporation researchers say using 3-D printing technology could cut the cost of producing small satellites — a specific and growing segment of the space industry — by up to $400,000 per satellite.

› New Jacksonville Armada owner sees team as extension of his financial services empire [Florida Times-Union]
Robert Palmer saw his vision of the Jacksonville Armada soccer team come true July 30 when “RP Funding” was embossed on the front of the jerseys worn by players at Hodges Stadium.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Office Depot purchases its headquarters building in Boca Raton for $132 million [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
The building, which has more than 625,000 square feet and houses about 2,000 Office Depot employees, was last sold for $171 million in 2011 to Equity Commonwealth, a real estate investment trust chaired by Sam Zell.

› Plan to save Apopka's Errol Estate golf course includes water park, assisted-living facility [Orlando Sentinel]
What can happen when a golf course fails in a community built around one? Weeds overrun greens. Snakes, dirt-bike joyriders and other trespassers take over the fairways. Home values plunge.

› ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ comes home for Opera House screening [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
The “Greatest Show On Earth” refers, of course, to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which wintered in Sarasota from 1927 until 1960 when it moved to Venice. But it also refers to an Academy Award-winning movie, much of it filmed in Sarasota.

› Florida congressman helps kill 5 pythons in Everglades [AP]
A Florida congressman helped catch and kill five invasive Burmese pythons during a nighttime hunt in the Everglades. U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney joined hunters hired by the South Florida Water Management District in the wetlands last week.