Florida's migrant worker problem

Florida leads the nation in H-2A worker positions certified by the Department of Labor. The visas' importance to an $8 billion industry cannot be overstated, insiders and savvy observers agree. There simply aren't enough domestic workers willing and able to harvest crops, sometimes while perched on ladders wearing bags around their necks to free both hands for picking. [Source: U.S. News & World Report]

Florida researchers making the most of alternative crops

Florida researchers are experimenting with several alternative crops that are well adapted to the local soils and have promising markets in order to promote economic sustainability among growers. In Northeast Florida, diminishing local potato chip contracts have researchers working to find other crops that can adapt to local soils and thus promote economic sustainability. Full story here.

Short-term vacation rentals exploding in Florida, infuriating neighbors

People across Florida are complaining about rowdy short-term renters ruining the peace in their neighborhoods, and because of rules passed by leaders in Tallahassee, local city and county leaders can’t do a thing to stop it. [Source: WFTS]

More birth defects reported in states with local spread of Zika, including Florida

The kinds of birth defects associated with Zika, including microcephaly and other brain abnormalities, have increased in parts of the United States where mosquitoes were spreading the virus in 2016, including South Florida. According to a CDC report, areas with local spread of Zika — including southern Florida, a portion of Texas, and Puerto Rico — saw a 21 percent spike in these kinds of birth defects during the second half of 2016 compared with births that took place during the first half of that year. See the CDC report here, and read more at the Miami Herald.

These are the 5 most-lobbied bills in the Florida House

Of more than 2,000 bills filed this year in Florida’s House of Representatives, how do we know which ones matter the most? One way to measure a bill’s importance is to count the number of lobbyists who are actively working on its success or failure. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Five months after Hurricane Irma, how are the Keys doing? [Miami.com]
It’s been almost five months since the Keys were struck by the eye of Hurricane Irma on September 10, 2017. While Key West and Key Largo were largely spared the worst of the storm’s damage, other areas in the Lower Keys and Islamorada are still rebuilding.

› Shipt launching same-day Target delivery soon throughout Florida [TCPalm]
Same-day delivery on an assortment of groceries, essentials, home, electronics and other Target products is coming soon. The service launches Feb. 8 for the Treasure and Space coasts, Naples, Fort Myers, Tallahassee and other parts of the state.

› Orlando home-sales market draws online direct-sell companies [Orlando Sentinel]
Orlando has become a test market for three national companies seeking to change the way houses are bought and sold by dealing directly with buyers. The deep-pocket groups are banking on sellers who prefer a fast sale to getting top dollar.

› Another thumbs-up for USF consolidation plan, now from Florida’s higher education board [Tampa Bay Times]
The hot-button proposal to consolidate all three University of South Florida System institutions into one university received another vote of confidence on Thursday. The state board of governors, which oversees Florida's 12 public universities, unanimously voted at a meeting in Tallahassee to support the plan, recommending that the legislation be approved.

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› Fort Lauderdale-based CateredFit wants to bring its meal plans to a kitchen near you [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Catered Fit, a Fort Lauderdale company that delivers freshly prepared meals to your door, so far has fueled its own growth. But now, with an appetite to expand nationally, Catered Fit is looking for investors.

› XFL is returning in 2020; Orlando interested in having a team again [Orlando Sentinel]
Orlando officials have not spoken to the WWE about a team playing in Orlando, Mayor Buddy Dyer spokeswoman Cassandra Lafser said, but added, “this is something we would be interested in learning more about to bring to Orlando.”

› Ocearch still hunts great white sharks off Jacksonville, through cold water, bad weather [Florida Times-Union]
No one said it would be easy finding giant great white sharks out in the vast Atlantic Ocean off Jacksonville. But frigid local waters bottoming out around 47 degrees made it even more difficult for those aboard the Ocearch, the 126-foot vessel that’s home to a hardy bunch of shark-catchers and scientists.

› Jabil expects federal tax changes to give it flexibility on strategic investing [Tampa Bay Times]
Some corporations already have announced plans to pay bonuses or raises with additional money they’ll realize thanks to the tax bill Congress passed in December, but Jabil executives Thursday said it’s too soon to give a full or detailed assessment of what the law means for them.