Florida-Seminole pact hinges on federal approval of ‘new business model’

The compact faces two immediate challenges – a likely lawsuit claiming it violates 2018’s Amendment 3 and uncertainty in how federal regulators will view “a new business model” that forges a “hub-and-spoke” partnership between remote servers on tribal lands and pari-mutuel operators.  Under the agreement, the Seminoles can contract with other operators to manage the three new casinos, including, conceivably, international casino corporations that have enviously eyed access to Florida for decades. [Source: The Center Square]

By the numbers: South Florida’s torrid housing market

New data shows just how tough it is to buy a home in South Florida. The region has fewer homes for sale than anytime in the past three years; the median price has increased steadily for a year; and the houses are disappearing faster than anyone can remember, according to data from the Florida Realtors Association. “There is zero supply, making it challenging for buyers and for sellers who want to sell,” said Karen Johnson, president of the Broward Palm Beaches and St. Lucie Realtors Association. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Florida TaxWatch: ‘Budget turkeys’ down, but still too much murk in project spending

It’s been a post-session tradition since 1983 for Florida TaxWatch (FTW), the Tallahassee-based taxpayer advocacy nonprofit, to produce an annual “budget turkey” list of “individual appropriations that circumvent a thoughtful and thorough budget process.” FTW released its 2021 Budget Turkey Watch Monday that identifies 116 appropriations worth $157.5 million inserted into the state’s $101.5 billion budget without proper review. [Source: The Center Square]

Disney World at 50: Before the mouse came to Florida, roadside attractions reigned

For nearly a century before Walt Disney’s dream theme park landed in Orlando, tourists were taking trains, boats and cars around the Sunshine State, enjoying roadside shows and Floridian kitsch along the way. Florida’s tourism boom started in earnest when northerners were encouraged to visit for health reasons, said Pam Schwartz, executive director of Orange County Regional History Museum. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

DeSantis signs bill targeting pandemic scams

In a priority of House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill aimed at cracking down on people who run scams about vaccines and personal protective equipment during pandemics. Supporters said the bill stemmed from people using authentic-looking websites to run scams that purportedly offered access to COVID-19 vaccines or personal protective equipment. [Source: News Service of Florida]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Tourism rebounds in Brevard to a possible record breaking period [Orlando Sentinel]
The Brevard County tourism industry appears to be back in business, and even on track for a record breaking period. The March to April tourism numbers this year are lining up with 2019 numbers, and may even surpass them.

› Chicken shortage causes North Central Florida businesses to raise prices [WCJB]
Chicken is in high demand and many North Central Florida businesses are feeling the effects of the shortage. Wards Supermarket Poultry Manager Bryan Ward said while he hasn’t seen a shortage, this is the first time in the store’s 70 years of business they’ve had to raise prices so high increasing by one dollar per pound in the recent months. “The price is definitely increased and continues to increase. My price on chicken wings went up 30 cents just this week,” said Ward. “I’ve never seen prices this high."

› Daddy Kool Records prepares for move to The Factory St. Pete [Tampa Bay Times]
Just two years after leaving its spot on Central Avenue for the Warehouse Arts District, Daddy Kool Records is moving again. But they won’t be going far. The beloved local record store is going from 2430 Terminal Drive S to The Factory St. Pete, a new arts compound that’s about a five-minute walk away. Daddy Kool will neighbor artist studios, arts-related nonprofits, a new Black Crow Coffee Co. location and an immersive art space called the Fairgrounds.

› Fleet of LNG cruise ships anticipated at PortMiami [MIami Today]
PortMiami expects an influx of liquefied natural gas-powered cruise ships to arrive through 2027, and Miami-Dade commissioners want Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s office to look at how best to accommodate the new vessels’ needs. Commissioners in committee this month unanimously advanced a resolution by Rebeca Sosa that would direct Ms. Levine Cava’s administration to report within four months on the port’s current readiness to welcome the new ships, what else needs to be done, what the cost to do those things is and the relative environmental benefits of liquefied natural gas (LNG) compared to other alternative fuels.

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› Miami will weigh proposals that could transform Virginia Key’s marinas and basin [Miami Herald]
Miami commissioners this week will consider the future of valuable waterfront city-owned real estate on Virginia Key — an exercise that typically yields few results and much controversy. Two proposals sponsored by Commissioner Ken Russell on Thursday’s commission agenda seem likely to spark the latter: a plan to create a 50-vessel mooring field in the Marine Stadium basin and a proposal for a no-bid, 75-year lease that would allow the current Rickenbacker Marina operator to redevelop 27 acres from the Rickenbacker Causeway to the Marine Stadium marinas.

› Pinellas commission blocks developer’s plan for 273 homes on Tides Golf Club [Tampa Bay Times]
When developer Ron Carpenter’s company bought the 96-acre Tides Golf Club in 2016 for $3.8 million, the options for what he could do with the property were limited. Pinellas County allows land designated as open space, like the Tides, to be used as golf courses, parks, public recreation facilities or beach access. So in order to build the 273-home gated community overlooking Boca Ciega Bay he proposed three years later, Carpenter needed the county commission to grant a land use change to residential.

› Businesses Are Looking to South Florida for Class A Office Space [Globe St.]
The Miami Beach area is becoming a hotspot for investors and business owners who want Class A office space. That’s according to Victor Ballestas of Miami-based real estate developer Integra Investments, who said the Miami Beach office market is changing significantly. Ballestas said that as people feel more comfortable going back to the office after a year of shutdowns, they want their work environment to be in a convenient area that feels like a home office.

› Thousands of desperate renters still wait for help in Florida county [Orlando Sentinel]
More than a month after Broward County started to take applications online, no one who applied through the website has received any money, and none of the online applicants have been approved. A total of 5,738 applications have been initiated, and 2,605 of those have been submitted, according to data provided Tuesday morning by Broward County’s Family Success Administration Division, which is overseeing the program. But only 70 tenants who applied through a court mediation program prior to the portal’s opening have been approved for funds.