‘Green’ energy, plant food from Florida’s stinky seaweed? Ideas will be put to test

Seaweed poses all sorts of problems when it piles up on South Florida beaches. It stinks, spoils the view and makes swimming icky. It’s also pricey to haul off to the landfill, which currently is the only viable disposal option. Someday maybe a ton of sargassum might be worth its weight in, if not gold, maybe fertilizer. [Source: Miami Herald]

Opinion: Report card on women in business -- Progress in Florida, but far from parity

Three steps forward, two-and-a-half back. That characterizes the state of women in the workplace, in Florida and in the United States as a whole. On the positive side, the results of a major survey, “Women in the Workplace,” by McKinsey and LeanIn.Org of companies representing more than 10 million employees, found that US women’s representation in the C-suite has risen from 17% in 2015 to 28% now. There are also more women at the vice president and senior vice president levels. [Source: Miami Herald]

Why Florida can’t yet rely on EVs, commuter trains

In Florida, you can’t get far without a car. Whether you are traveling to work or the grocery store, driving may be your easiest or only option. The Environmental Protection Agency said transportation is the leading source of air pollution and carbon pollution in the U.S. Now, a new study suggests putting more electric vehicles on the road could save thousands of lives over the next three decades. [Source: Click Orlando]

Strong job market, stubborn inflation: Charting South Florida's economy as a new year begins

The post-pandemic recovery has been incredibly kind to Florida's economic statistics. The state's gross domestic product, measuring Florida's economic output, grew by a 6.1% annual rate in the third quarter, easily out-pacing the national GDP growing at 4.9%. While Florida's economy is a fraction of the nation's, it has grown at a faster rate for almost three years straight. Still, Florida's 6.1% growth rate was not the fastest among large states. Texas' 7.1% GDP change was tops. [Source: WLRN]

Toll-road users saved $470 million in Florida's yearlong credit program

Frequent toll-road users in Florida saved about $470 million in a recently completed, yearlong program that provided credits on their bills. The program was approved during a special legislative session in December 2022, and the state shifted money from general revenue to the department to cover lost toll revenue. The program ended Sunday. [Source: News Service of Florida]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Jacksonville City Council to consider limiting powers of the mayor after removal of Confederate statue [Jacksonville Daily Record]
A discussion began Jan. 2 at the City Council Rules Committee about the extent and limits of the power of Jacksonville’s mayor that could ultimately require proposed changes being put on a ballot for the public to decide. Council President Ron Salem, responding to Mayor Donna Deegan’s action to remove the Women of the Southland Confederate monument from Springfield Park on Dec. 27, called city General Counsel Michael Fackler to appear before the committee.

› Tampa’s Walker Brands changes ownership after 30 years [Tampa Bay Business Journal]
Walker Brands founder and President Nancy Walker is stepping down from her role after selling the firm to two longtime employees, Tara Robinson and Matt McEachern. Walker has led the Tampa real estate development branding firm for 30 years since its founding in 1992. Walker Brands began as a tourism and destination marketing agency before transitioning to real estate development to capitalize on Florida’s booming residential market.

› SEC accuses developer who had Miami mayor on payroll of fleecing millions from investors [Miami Herald]
The Securities and Exchange Commission has frozen the bank accounts of a politically connected developer and accused him in a lawsuit of fleecing millions of dollars from dozens of investors in his South Florida real estate projects, as well as failing to pay more than $1 million in federal payroll taxes.

› The minimum salary for Central Florida's most expensive ZIP codes is over $150,000 [Orlando Business Journal]
The suggested salary requirements for Central Florida's top neighborhoods are into the six figures, according to an analysis from The Business Journals. Financial institutions suggest home buyers spend no more than 30% of their income on their mortgage, requiring especially high salaries to comfortably own a home.

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› Florida Surgeon General Ladapo contradicts feds, recommends against mRNA COVID shots [Florida Times-Union]
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo took the extraordinary step Wednesday of "calling for a halt to the use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines," a move that contradicts federal health authorities and again makes Florida an outlier. Ladapo said in a statement released by the Florida Department of Health that he raised questions about the safety of the vaccines with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and they did not provide an adequate response.

› Nonprofit completes purchase of four lots for Florida scrub-jay habitat in Charlotte County [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
The Environmental Conservancy of North Port was successful in raising funds to buy four lots in the Harbour Heights area of Charlotte County for preservation as habitat for the Florida scrub-jay. All the funds were raised through private donations, including one $10,000 donation and a $3,000 donation from Sarasota County residents; $1,000 donations from residents from Matlacha in Lee County and Deep Creek, as well as $500 donations from people in Sarasota County and Port Charlotte, as well as several smaller donations..

› Miami Beach does hurry-up hunt for new fire station site [Miami Today]
A move to save the South Shore Community Center came to the Miami Beach City Commission last month as the city’s Fire Station No. 1 is due to be placed at the center site at 833 Sixth St. Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, who brought the item, finally asked to defer it to Jan. 31, which passed 5-2. Her deferral left her a month to look for an alternate location for the fire station.

› Electronic title transfers coming to a DMV near you? Here’s what we know [Click Orlando]
New York-based Cario INC., a blockchain technology network led by automotive tech veterans, told News 6 it is getting close to bringing paperless car titles to DMVs in the Northeast and Northwest starting in 2024. Cario founder and CEO Nathan Hecht confirmed preliminary conversations are underway with 40 DMVs, including 21 “in-person” presentations.