Higher gas prices not hurting Florida's tourism industry . . . so far

This year’s summer vacation season might cost drivers more than any year since 2014, but there’s no indication that’s going to slow down travel in Florida. “Preliminary projections had gasoline averaging around $2.75 this summer,” said Mark Jenkins, AAA spokesman. “However, all bets are off right now, pending the President’s decision on the Iranian Nuclear Deal." See the news release from AAA, "Gas prices face upward pressure in Florida, partly due to uncertainties from Iran Nuclear Deal." Also read more at the St. Augustine Record.

See also:
» Beach access has long been a draw for tourism
» Fort Lauderdale to host 1st Summit for Cultural & Heritage Tourism
» Tourism alive and kicking in Hernando County
» Iran nuclear deal has analysts holding their breath on gas prices

60th Anniversary Special Report
Then & Now: 1958 Florida vs. Florida today

The Big Picture, Since 1958

• Florida has moved from the 10th-most populous state to the third.
• The state’s population grew more than 300%, from 4.5 million in 1958 to 21.3 million today.
• The state’s economic output has grown from about $14 billion to more than $925 billion.

Full story from Florida Trend, here.

» This is the first in a series that will continue on FloridaTrend.com for several days. Coming tomorrow: A look at some long-tenured Florida employees. Plus, another data-driven story that seeks to find the ZIP codes most -- and least -- like Florida overall.

Litigation finance reform could be coming to Florida

Last month, Wisconsin became the first state to require mandatory disclosure of any third party litigation funders involved in state lawsuits. The move has sparked concern across the industry as to which states – if any – might be next. Now several attorneys in Florida are openly discussing the possibilities for future regulation. More from the Florida Record and the Litigation Finance Journal.

Space workers picket United Launch Alliance after strike vote

United Launch Alliance was dealing with picket lines at Cape Canaveral and two other locations on Monday after a weekend vote to strike by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, a union spokesman said. More from the Orlando Sentinel and Florida Today.

Climate researchers estimate sea level rise impacts on Florida

If Floridians residing in coastal communities presume sea level rise is a turn-of-the-century problem for future generations, a group of scientists is delivering a weather forecast they may consider unsettling. Five Florida communities could experience recurring tidal flooding unrelated to any storm events by 2035, according to their study. Read more at the Panama City News-Herald or see the full report, "When Rising Seas Hit Home," here.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Choose Tallahassee campaign launches additional recruitment efforts [Tallahassee Democrat]
Those who love living in Tallahassee are being recruited to attract more Baby Boomers to the capital city. A new marketing website, ChooseTallahassee.com/recruit, allows residents to submit possible boomers and the campaign machine will handle the rest.

› Florida-Israel Business Accelerator brings more four tech companies to Tampa [TBO.com]
Four companies — Say, GlobeKeeper, Intervyo and WiseShelf — head from Israel to Tampa starting this week to work on expanding into the U.S. market through the Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA).

› Florida farmers to advocate for ag in Washington, D.C. [Southeast Ag Net]
Members of Florida Farm Bureau will travel to Washington, D.C. tomorrow for the annual Florida Farm Bureau Field to the Hill fly-in event. During this year’s trip, the main issues members will focus on are agricultural labor reform, the farm bill and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiations.

› Hurricane 2018: Get ready with the sales tax holiday, June 1-7 [Tampa Bay Times]
Circle the first week in June on the calendar. That's the annual sales tax holiday on hurricane preparedness supplies. The state will waive the sales tax on many items needed during hurricane season June 1-7. See the full news release about the sales tax holiday from Gov. Rick Scott, here.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Rick Kriseman and St. Pete EDC head to San Francisco on first business development mission [Tampa Bay Times]
For its first-ever business development trip, the Greater St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corp. headed to San Francisco, the tech-business world’s pricey capital, with a pitch about another bay area where sticker shock is not so big an issue.

› Puerto Ricans find new home in Alachua County [Gainesville Sun]
Officials believe 500 Puerto Ricans have arrived in Alachua County as part of a mass migration from the island to the U.S. mainland.

› SpaceX selects new date for Block 5 Falcon 9 launch this week [Florida Today]
The newest generation of Falcon 9, known as Block 5, was slated to launch from KSC’s pad 39A Monday afternoon, but the company has been reviewing data from a test firing of the rocket’s nine Merlin main engines since Friday.

› Tampa’s version of Central Park gets its finishing touches before Friday’s debut [Tampa Bay Times]
Huge piles of mulch remain to be spread. The bocce ball court isn’t ready yet. And dozens of other little details remain for construction workers to complete in the final days before Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park opens to the public.