25 things to remember on the 25th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew

Twenty-five years ago today, Andrew was born. Nobody knew the newly named tropical system near the Cape Verde Islands would, a week later, barrel into Florida as a Category 5 hurricane. By the time Hurricane Andrew left South Florida and set its sites on Louisiana, it had already become one of the most destructive and costly storms in American history. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Florida will ban future investments with Venezuela

Gov. Rick Scott and members of the Florida Cabinet Wednesday approved a policy to forbid any investments benefiting the Nicolás Maduro regime in Venezuela. The policy bans any investments by the state’s $193 billion pension plan that would benefit the government of Venezuela. More from Florida Politics and the Tampa Bay Times.

See also:
» SBA trustees unanimously approve Gov. Scott's proposal prohibiting business with Maduro regime

U.S. Ag chief Perdue visits Florida groves, discusses greening

U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue met with local researchers, citrus growers and others Wednesday to discuss the future of Florida’s citrus industry, which is struggling to survive the devastation caused by greening disease. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

Florida pediatric offices refusing to see kids who are not vaccinated

Some Florida parents were shocked after they say they were kicked out of pediatric offices for refusing to vaccinate their kids. The number of religious exemptions for vaccinations has risen in a number of Florida counties over recent years. [Source: WHAS]

Cuba struggling to keep professionals from leaving

A half-mile boulevard split by a simple flagstone path in a western Cuban city is part of a fragile experiment whose success or failure will help determine if the country is able to pull itself out of years of stagnation and brain drain. [Source: AP]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Orlando airport objects to other airports using 'Orlando' [AP]
Officials from the board which runs Orlando International Airport in Orlando are objecting to the use of the name "Orlando" by Space Coast-based Orlando Melbourne International Airport and Sanford-based Orlando Sanford International Airport.

› How a South Florida startup found a match in eHarmony [Miami Herald]
Boca-Raton startup Candidate.Guru, provider of a recruiting technology platform that matches job candidates to employers, has acquired Elevated Careers by eHarmony, an employee engagement, personality and skills matching solution by the dating-software pioneer.

› Lake Nona enlists Google partner to help design shopping center [Orlando Sentinel]
Tavistock Development is partnering with Intersection, an arm of Google-parent Alphabet Inc. that helps integrate technology into urban projects, for the expansion of its planned 100-acre Lake Nona Town Center project. News release: Lake Nona partners with Intersection to transform the traditional brick and mortar retail experience

› Publix continues to invest in online and app delivery through in-house promotion [Tampa Bay Times]
Publix Supermarkets is investing more heavily in its online and app development by naming a new vice president to head this growing department. The Lakeland-based grocery chain announced that Erik Katenkamp has been promoted to vice president of omnichannel and application development.

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› With ticket quota issue still roiling, state highway boss seeks 10% raise for FHP [Times/Herald]
Florida’s top highway safety official said Wednesday that state troopers will be reminded that ticket quotas are illegal, as the job status of an official who called for quotas remains “under review.”

› A long-awaited vision for Tampa's Westshore Marina District [Tampa Bay Times]
More than a decade after plans to develop a vacant waterfront tract were first announced, a new rendering finally gives a hint of what Westshore Marina District will ultimately look like.

› Alligator hunting season opens in Florida [WCTV]
The first day of alligator hunting season is underway in Florida, opening the 30th year of hunting in the state. Participants can harvest two alligators per permit. Permit holders can hunt daily between 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. until the season closes on November 1.

› If your license plate is framed, you’re probably breaking Florida law [McClatchy]
License plate frames in Florida are fairly common, but if you have one you might want to go take it off. That’s the advice from Alvaro Alves, who only escaped a ticket on his frame because he fought it in court and a judge relented since he had already removed the frame. See the Florida statute where it spells out how drivers cannot obstuct the license plate.