Irma looms large as Florida lawmakers prepare to meet

As the state House plows through a long and potentially expensive menu of options to recover from Hurricane Irma and brace for Florida's next hurricane, Senate President Joe Negron is confident the storm that walloped the state in September won't blow a hole in the upcoming budget. But potential public and private costs from Irma are staggering. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the Jacksonville Business Journal.

See also:
» Rick Scott’s big-spending ways draw Republican resistance at Capitol
» Hurricane Irma is still leaving businesses flat in the Florida Keys
» In the 100 days after Irma, billions spent for recovery

How did half of the great Florida coral reef system disappear?

The great Florida coral reef system stretches hundreds of miles down the eastern seaboard of the US. It is the world’s third largest, and nearly 1,400 species of plants and animals and 500 species of fish have been recorded there. But last year marine scientists found nearly half the Florida reef has disappeared in the past 240 years. The loss was discovered after marine scientists took currrent satellite images and compared them with 250-year-old British admiralty charts. What happened? Extensive fishing, man-made causeways and cities, pollution and the flow of freshwater, sediments and nutrients from the land -- are some of the reasons. [Source: The Guardian]

See also:
» Download the full white paper, "Ghost reefs: Nautical charts document large spatial scale of coral reef loss over 240 years"

How Florida created — and killed — a nuclear building spree

The clause that would start the transformation of the South's energy sector was just two weeks old, and it was on track for a resounding victory, the first of a string of Statehouse wins the utility sector would score. It was 2006, and Florida was worried about its energy future. [Source: The Post and Courier]

See also:
» Opinion: Florida's nuclear lessons

What Wawa has learned about Florida

Wawa entered the Sunshine State market a little more than five years ago, sending the hearts of millions of New Jersey and Pennsylvania transplants swooning. Wawa recently opened two new stores in Brevard County, one in Cocoa and one in Melbourne. [Source: Florida Today]

Florida ranks high on the list of spam phone call complaints in the U.S.

Florida residents logged the second-highest number of complaints in the nation in fiscal year 2017 under the Federal Trade Commission’s Do Not Call registry. Only California had more complaints, according to the FTC’s newly released National Do Not Call Registry Data Book. [Source: Tampa Bay Business Journal]

See also:
» Do Not Call - Registry Data Book 2017 - State Rankings and Complaints

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Miami’s luxury towers rising up against climate change [The Globe and Mail]
With flooding in the Miami metropolitan area already an urgent problem – so-called king tides rise from beneath the city through its porous limestone – along with the increased likelihood of extreme weather events because of the accelerating effects of climate change, the city is in desperate need of solutions.

› Jacksonville proposal would confine trucks to designated routes [Jacksonville Business Journal]
A proposed city ordinance would create designated truck lanes throughout the city in an attempt to mitigate congestion and other issues. The ordinance would create 52 truck routes and 10 alternate routes throughout Jacksonville.

› Upcoming Florida rocket launches and landings [Florida Today]
If schedules hold, Florida's Space Coast could see up to three dozen launches in 2018 thanks to government and commercial payload missions that will fly on SpaceX and United Launch Alliance rockets.

› Orlando music studio problems plagued artists, lawsuit says [Orlando Sentinel]
Central Florida’s most storied music studio, KDS Music, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, citing complaints about mold and lack of air conditioning in a dispute with its landlord in South Orlando.

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› Look Back: New Central Florida restaurants in 2017 [Orlando Sentinel]
As the new year approaches, it’s always fun to reflect on the previous year’s successes — especially when it comes to food. In Central Florida, 2017 was marked by old favorites adding second locations, while new spots offered their own spin on popular dishes.

› St. Petersburg won’t see a concept or cost for its new pier sculpture until January [Tampa Bay Times]
The unveiling of international artist Janet Echelman’s ideas, and the cost estimate to install one of her billowing sculptures at the pier, have been delayed until the new year.

› Florida Gambling Battles in 2017: Not All Sunshine By Any Means [Casino.org]
The Florida gambling landscape witnessed two major political power struggles in 2017. The first was between the State and the influential Seminole tribe; the second between the two polarized chambers of the State legislature.

› Bilingual Miami sitcom cast say stage revival excludes them [AP]
"Que Pasa, U.S.A.?" originally aired from 1977 to 1980. The public television show, built on a cast of professional Cuban actors and writers living in exile, followed three generations of a Cuban-American family in Miami.