It’s getting more expensive in Florida. What’s up with inflation? See how we’re spending

Population surge has fueled rapid increases in home prices and rents. High interest rates and skyrocketing insurance costs are contributing to the cost of living crisis. Florida’s unemployment rate stood at just 2.6% in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, coming in below the national average of 3.7%. Source: Miami Herald]

Florida election crimes office issues nearly 1,500 referrals in its first year

The Florida Office of Election Crimes and Security made 1,479 criminal referrals during its first year, with 13 resulting in felony convictions, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration said Friday. DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature last year created the controversial office at the Department of State. It drew heavy attention in August, when 20 felons were charged with illegally voting during the 2020 elections, though judges rejected some of those cases. [Source: WUSF]

Florida poll set out to find how voters get their news. It revealed big differences along age, gender and party lines.

When young Florida voters turn to social media for current events, they most often turn to TikTok. Older voters go to Facebook. Cable TV is the biggest news source for Florida Republicans. Democrats are much more likely to turn to broadcasters ABC, CBS and NBC, and also to newspapers. And men are far more likely than women to strongly distrust the mainstream media. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

What's the difference between subtropical storm and tropical storm?

Tropical storms and hurricanes are familiar terms to everyone who keeps a wary eye on the tropics, but what about subtropical storms? What is a subtropical storm and how is it different from a tropical storm? There are a lot of similarities between the two and for residents on the ground, the same conditions can be expected. [Source: Gainesville Sun]

Should Floridians try the newly approved Alzheimer’s drug? Here’s what you should know

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has fully approved a new drug to treat early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, but many Floridians are unsure if they should use it or even how to get it. Research shows the drug, Leqembi, slowed progression of Alzheimer’s over 18 months by an average of 27%, giving people more meaningful time with their families. It’s the first medicine shown to modestly slow cognitive decline in the early stages of the disease. But Leqembi doesn’t cure Alzheimer’s and has some rare but potentially serious — even fatal — side effects. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Sarasota physical therapy franchise business reaches 500-location milestone [Business Observer]
A Sarasota-based physical therapy franchise has had a good first half of 2023, with the opening of 31 new clinics and 48 franchise deals — all within the first half of 2023. The company, Fyzical Therapy and Balance Centers, now has over 500 locations across 45 state. Of the nearly 50 franchise deals secured, nine represent new areas, seven are expansions and 32 are new agreements, according to a statement.

› Can increased pay help solve Alachua County's teaching shortage woes? Some think so [Gainesville Sun]
The Alachua County school district is in desperate need of teachers for the upcoming school year with less than a month before students begin flooding the hallways. The district is reporting 105 teaching vacancies, roughly double the amount of last year when Superintendent Shane Andrew took over. Most of those vacancies − 70 − are in the most critical elementary grades where the achievement gap between white and minority students is among the worst in the state.

› Milanesa and GOAT beer: How Messi’s arrival is inspiring Miami’s Argentine restaurants [Miami Herald]
Lionel Messi’s new soccer teammates in South Florida aren’t the only ones relishing his presence. Argentine-owned restaurants and bars in Miami, many of which have long been popular spots to live or die (mostly) with the white-and-blue jersey stripes of their country’s team during the quadrennial World Cup, are hoping to capitalize on the skyrocketing interest in watching Messi play for Inter Miami.

› Quick budget deadline limits Mayor Donna Deegan's Jax Journey transition committee [Florida Times-Union]
Mayor Donna Deegan’s team assessing the need for a new Jax Journey will not have enough time to put specific ideas into her first budget, the chair of the committee said. The Jax Journey subcommittee, charged with deciding whether to reimplement the popular crime prevention program, met Wednesday and only has one more meeting to prepare its preliminary report for the full committee.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Legoland grounding its Flying School roller coaster [Orlando Sentinel]
Legoland Florida is closing its Flying School roller coaster. Its last day of operation will be Aug. 16, the Winter Haven theme park announced this week. Legoland has not said what will take the place of the ride, an inverted/feet-dangling coaster, located in the Lego City section of the park near the entrance to the water park. Also in the area are the Ford Driving School, Boating School and Rescue Academy attractions.

› St. Petersburg’s Dali Museum new dome experience is postponed — here’s why [Tampa Bay Times]
Folks who were eager to experience “Dalí Alive 360°,” the immersive experience showcasing Salvador Dalí ‘s works in the new dome on the grounds of The Dalí Museum, will have to wait a bit longer. The experience was set to open on Saturday, but a power surge affecting the air conditioning unit for the dome is forcing the museum to postpone the opening. A new opening date hasn’t been set yet, but it is “coming soon” according to the museum.

› Serial business owners buy a pair of Sarasota bagel businesses [Business Observer]
David Koffman has bought and sold dozens of businesses over his 40-year entrepreneurial career, everywhere from New York to Florida and New Jersey to Asia. Some were sophisticated financing deals. One deal many years ago involved buying a TV station out of bankruptcy that had a surprise asset: antennas on top of the World Trade Center in New York City. But one of the newer businesses to join the Koffman family of companies, Lox and Egg, a high-volume bagel joint on a high-traffic patch of Tamiami Trail in Sarasota, falls under a different category.

› New York-based Salvatore’s Old Fashioned Pizzeria starting southern expansion in Jacksonville [Jacksonville Daily Record]
Salvatore’s Old Fashioned Pizzeria, established in Rochester, New York, with more than 30 locations in that state, is branching out to Jacksonville with a franchise in the Tapestry Park area of Deerwood Park North. The city is reviewing a permit application for Summit Construction Management Group LLC of Orlando to build-out a 1,180-square-foot shop at 4820 Deer Lake W., No. D-11, at an estimated $200,000. The site is in a multitenant center in front of the Aloft Hotel.