Florida House, Senate pass budget plans
The House and Senate on Wednesday passed proposed budgets that are billions of dollars apart, giving them a little more than three weeks to mesh their spending goals and reach an agreement on tax cuts. While the House has proposed cutting the state’s overall sales-tax rate, the Senate on Wednesday outlined a less-aggressive proposal that would provide a permanent sales-tax exemption on clothes and shoes costing $75 or less. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Florida Trend Exclusive
Brand new bank
Mary Usategui was just 25 in 2008 when she was hired as controller at Miami’s newly formed Professional Bank. The boutique bank’s relatively small staff meant taking on additional roles as needed, so Usategui soon had human resources, accounting, IT, finance and operations all reporting to her. She didn’t find it a burden, recognizing the chance to learn more about building a bank into a success. [Source: Florida Trend]
Medicaid cuts could put a $3 billion hole in Florida's economy, study predicts
Congress could cut billions from Medicaid over the next decade. In February, the U.S. House of Representative passed its version of a federal spending plan that envisions cutting at least $880 billion from Medicaid over 10 years. In Florida, it's estimated that Medicaid cuts would have far-reaching effects on the job market, overall economic output and local tax revenue. [Source: WLRN]
Cruise industry riding global wave despite economic, political uncertainty
The global cruise industry sailed with a record 34.6 million passengers in 2024, and despite global political change and economic question marks, the projections are pointing up in 2025. That’s up nearly 3 million from the previous year. “This is a sign not just that we’re getting bigger. This is a sign of great optimism that all of us here are in a great place to be and in an industry whose best days are yet to come,” said Bud Darr, president and CEO of Cruise Lines International Association at the annual State of the Global Cruise Industry speech held at Miami Beach Convention Center. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Florida must act quickly to stop water pollution, federal lawmakers urge
Federal lawmakers are calling for Florida leaders to take swift action to control water pollution after a Tampa Bay Times investigation revealed that a mass die-off of starving manatees in the Indian River Lagoon was the result of a broader crisis. “Clean water is essential to our way of life; manatees are the canary in the coal mine to larger health problems,” U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, a Fort Pierce Republican whose district includes the southern Lagoon, said in a statement. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Florida Chamber of Commerce signs trade MOU during CEO delegation trip to the UAE
This week, the Florida Chamber of Commerce announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, formalizing a strategic partnership to expand trade, investment, and long-term economic collaboration between Florida and the United Arab Emirates. The agreement was signed during the 2025 Florida CEO Delegation Trip—a business-led mission developed to strengthen global ties and unlock new opportunities for Florida companies.
› Global wealth ranking puts West Palm, Palm Beach near top of the list for growing affluence
Mounting affluence in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach landed the cities in the Top 5 fastest growing “wealth hubs” worldwide, beating out leading contenders that included Dubai and San Francisco’s Silicon Valley, according to a wealth tracking report released this week. The two Palm Beach County cities experienced a 112% increase in millionaires between 2014 and 2024, ranking them in fourth place internationally in the Henley & Partners World’s Wealthiest Cities Report 2025.
› Naples land, nature conservancy kicks off $70M campaign with $25M gift
Conservancy of Southwest Florida President and CEO Rob Moher is fond of saying engagement in a nonprofit leads to investment.
For retired Naples CEO John Walter, who helmed both a telecom and packaging giant in his Corporate America career, it’s a bit of the opposite: He, along with his wife Carol, daughter Lindsay and family foundation, recently made an eye-popping investment in the conservancy — $25 million — and are as engaged in the nonprofit as they ever have been.
› Cummer Museum CEO Andrea Brownlee to retire, leaving legacy of expansion and national recognition
The Board of Trustees of the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens announced Tuesday that Director and CEO Andrea Barnwell Brownlee plans to retire. The museum’s current chief financial officer, Kimberly Noble, will serve as interim director and CEO — effective May 1 — while a national search is conducted for a permanent successor. Brownlee, who took the helm of the Cummer in December 2020, led the art museum to local expansion and national recognition during her tenure.
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› Tampa online course company buys Nevada gambling compliance firm
Vector Solutions, an online platform offering educational courses across a variety of industries, recently announced the acquisition of a Nevada-based company specializing in gambling compliance. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. ArdentSky, founded in 2008, offers software products for gaming licensure, product compliance, shipping and vendor management to streamline operations of casinos and sports betting platforms.
› Florida Film Festival returns to Central Florida with over 170 films
Florida Film Festival is back this weekend in Central Florida, showcasing over 170 films over a 10-day period. The festival kicks off at the Enzian Theatre, with some showings at Regal Winter Park Village, on Friday, April 11, and runs through April 20. The films’ storytelling vary from documentaries to animated shorts to Florida features and more.
› Escambia commissioners' discretionary spending goes under a microscope
Escambia’s Board of County Commissioners has drafted a policy to guide commissioner spending of discretionary funds after Clerk of Court Pam Childers temporarily paused the spending over concerns it wasn’t being spent in accordance with state law. The draft policy creates a uniform procedure for the submission, review, approval and accounting of discretionary funding requests
› Miami asked for $8.7 million to maintain Underline
Miami could spend more than $8.7 million over five years to help maintain The Underline, a 10-mile linear park that snakes below the Metrorail from Brickell to the Dadeland South station. Today (4/10), the Miami City Commission is expected to authorize the city manager to negotiate a new funding agreement with The Underline Conservancy, the organization that manages and programs the park. If approved, the city will commit $8,702,869 toward the public-private project through 2030.