Final forecast brings close to gloomy citrus season

The Florida citrus season is ending on a sour note, with growers on track to produce just under 45 million boxes of oranges. The harvest numbers were posted to the United States Department of Agriculture’s website on Thursday, ending what’s come to be a tragic 2017-18 growing season. Final yield numbers from the USDA are here. Also read more at Florida Politics and WJXT.

Tax breaks proposed for businesses affected by Lake Okeechobee discharges

Sen. Bill Nelson wants Florida businesses affected by Lake Okeechobee discharges to receive a tax break if they lost any earnings because of toxic blue-green algae. Nelson filed a bill Thursday called the "Toxic Algae Tax Relief Act." If approved, Nelson’s legislation would authorize the treasury secretary to designate areas that face "significant economic hardship" from the presence of toxic algae bloom. [Source: TCPalm]

See also:
» Florida asks businesses about algae blooms

Florida Trend Exclusive
Florida Icon: Stephen Leatherman, aka 'Dr. Beach'

The coastal ecologist and professor at Florida International University tells us: "Science is discovery. It’s a search for knowledge. There’s a joy in discovering things and a joy of being with nature and trying to figure out how things operate." Full interview here.

Lawsuit challenges education amendment on Florida ballot

A constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would allow charter school organizers to bypass local school boards to get approval is being challenged by a lawsuit filed Thursday in Leon County Circuit court claims. [Source: Times/Herald]

Florida's last harness racing track revels in decades of memories

Florida’s only remaining harness racing venue, which once thrived in spectacle, luring thousands each night to the “Winter Capital of Harness Racing," is headed for some big changes. It's about to shed more than 50 years of relics at an upcoming auction this August. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Cleveland Clinic readies new $53 million Coral Springs Family Health Center [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
With the countdown to opening at less than four days, workers streamed in and out of Cleveland Clinic Florida’s newest South Florida facility on Thursday installing and testing the final pieces of high-tech equipment. See an invitation to the Grand Opening on Saturday, July 21, here (includes more information about the Center).

› Orlando tech firms UniKey, Voxx team up to push toward keyless, fobless car-door entry [Orlando Sentinel]
An Orlando car technology firm has joined forces with another local company, which primarily builds keyless entry systems for hotels, in an effort to eliminate the need for keys or fobs to open a car door. News release from the company can be read here.

› PortMiami’s third new cruise terminal is coming. It’ll fit MSC’s 7,000-passenger ships [Miami Herald]
The cruise capital of the world, PortMiami, wants to ensure it keeps that title. To do it, the port has now signed its third agreement in recent years with a major cruise line — in this case Geneva-based MSC Cruises — to build a new terminal at the port. See the announcement from PortMiami, here.

› Disney movie spent more than $134,000 while filming in Lakeland [Tampa Bay Times]
When Walt Disney Studios filmed in Lakeland in June for its movie The One and Only Ivan, it brought actor Bryan Cranston to Polk County to star in the scenes. And the movie left behind an economic impact.

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› FIU secures patent for instantly rechargeable battery technology [South Florida Business Journal]
Florida International University was recently issued a patent for technology that has been in development for 10 years. Now, the private sector will decide how it's used.

› Seminole County board rejects controversial River Cross development [Orlando Sentinel]
A Seminole County advisory board this week unanimously recommended that county commissioners deny a controversial development plan by former state legislator Chris Dorworth to build hundreds of homes and apartments on rural land just east of the Econlockhatchee River.

› Florida citrus growers say 'greening' disease to blame for decline in orange production [NBC-2]
Citrus growers in Southwest Florida are still recovering from Hurricane Irma and disease, but many local farmers say the problem persists far outside the groves of Southwest Florida.

› Cattle industry a big part of Clay County history [Clay Today]
In the early 1800s, many early settlers in the county owned cattle. If a family accumulated a little bit of money over what was needed to survive, they bought land or cows, preferably both. These early Florida range cows were not a pretty sight. Scraggly and boney, they little resembled the majestic animals found on Clay County’s cattle ranches today.