As Florida home sale prices rise, a lack of homes makes it tough on buyers

Home sale prices continued to rise both nationally and statewide in April as a prolonged dearth of available homes on the market is making it tough on buyers. A total of 24,804 single-family homes changed hands across Florida last month, up 4.1 percent from a year ago, the Florida Association of Realtors reported Thursday. "Not enough for-sale inventory, especially in the range for first-time homebuyers, is an ongoing challenge for many local housing markets," said 2018 Florida Realtors President Christine Hansen. See the report from Florida Realtors, here. Also read more at the Tampa Bay Times and Builder.

See also:
» South Florida home sales surge in April
» Another good month for home sales in Brevard: Prices and sales climbed in April

Florida Trend Regional Report
Meals and wheels: Auto dealership dining

While you’re waiting for your car to be repaired at Brandon Honda or Sun Toyota in Holiday in Pasco County, your choices can include an egg white frittata with spinach or French toast for breakfast and a turkey pesto club sandwich with French fries and minestrone soup for lunch. Full story here.

» Plus: Roundup of business news for Southwest Florida.

FTC stops Florida-based robocall scam aimed at small business owners

The Federal Trade Commission has filed a complaint against a Florida-based telemarketing company that claimed to be affiliated with Google. The company that operated the scam, Point Break Media, used robocalls, starting in November 2016, at the latest, to get money out of small businesses, according to the FTC complaint. Read the FTC news release here, which includes tips on how to safeguard small businesses. Also read more at WJXT and Imperial Valley News.

The Space Coast of Florida aims to be the next Silicon Valley

Almost 14 percent of workers in the Space Coast region work in "advanced industries," the sixth-highest concentration of such jobs among large metro areas, according to a 2016 report from the Brookings Institution. That puts it ahead of every large metro area in Florida. [Source: TCPalm]

The science behind Florida’s sinkhole epidemic

In contrast to its otherwise serene status, The Villages is a hotbed of sinkholes. They occur more frequently in Florida than any other state, though this week we’ve seen them appear on Maryland roads and even in front of the White House. And The Villages is smack in the middle of Sinkhole Alley—a swath of counties in Central Florida that carry the greatest risk. [Source: Smithsonian]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Securing Stoneman Douglas crime scene could cost $1.3 million a year for years [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
The biggest piece of evidence in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High massacre — the three-story building where most of the victims were killed — will cost taxpayers more than a million dollars a year to preserve while the shooter’s case goes to trial.

› Jacksonville, industry again wrangling over truck route ordinance [Jacksonville Business Journal]
A working group comprised of City Council members, City planning officials and industry professionals is revisiting a proposed ordinance that would restrict trucks to certain routes.

› Winter Springs-built AI platform outperforms experts, students in hotel industry test [Orlando Sentinel]
An artificial intelligence-based program built in Winter Springs gathered, analyzed and interpreted into feedback thousands of online reviews on hotel websites in 15 minutes, considerably slashing the amount of time it took two industry experts.

› Floridians could face far more frequent, intense heatwaves [Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University]
By the late 21st century, if atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations reach worst-case projections, Floridians could experience summer heatwaves three times more frequently, and each heatwave could last six times longer than at present, according to Meteorology Professor Shawn M. Milrad of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

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› Retirees, this new cruise line is for you. There are no kids, and booze is included. [Miami Herald]
Retirees, this one's for you. Miami-based Victory Cruise Lines, led by industry veteran Bruce Nierenberg, is designed specifically for travelers 65 years and older, who historically have been a major segment of the cruising population.

› Florida State's MagLab is chosen venue for exclusive summit of G-7 science leaders [Tallahassee Democrat]
The MagLab at Florida State University is used to welcoming international researchers who converge on Tallahassee to advance their scientific discoveries. But what’s happening at the home of one of the world's most powerful magnets this week is historic.

› Tampa-Orlando hyperloop could be in Central Florida's future [Construction Dive]
California-based Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) could be considering developing a hyperloop transit system through Central Florida, connecting Tampa and Orlando along the Interstate 4 corridor at maximum speeds near 700 mph.

› Solar co-op comes to Sarasota [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Those hoping for more affordable solar power in Sarasota County may soon be in luck. The launch of a solar co-op in Sarasota County was announced at Ken Thompson Parkway, with Mote Marine Laboratory acting as the host site.