Thursday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 10/5/2017

Irma's agriculture toll tops $2.5 billion in Florida

Hurricane Irma caused more than $2.5 billion in damage to Florida's agriculture industry, with citrus growers and nurseries suffering big losses, according to a preliminary report released Wednesday by the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Full news release here. Also read more at WPTV and the AP.

Florida's pool of voters is shrinking

All 67 counties must periodically scrub the voter roll to make it more accurate and to be sure voters live where they say. Counties can't do that close to an election, so they do it in non-election years. Turns out, that's good news for Republicans and bad news for Democrats. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

SeaWorld in Merlin crosshairs for purchase, reports say

Merlin Entertainments has approached SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. about a potential deal, according to people familiar with the matter, as the U.K. theme-park operator seeks to expand overseas to offset a slide in tourists visiting London More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Finalists announced for Get Started Gainesville business pitch competition

Cox Business recently announced the finalists of Get Started Gainesville. More than 30 local businesses applied to pitch at the upcoming event. The five businesses were selected as finalists and will pitch their ideas or business plans to a panel of experts in front of a live audience. More from the Gainesville Business Report.

Satellite manufacturer OneWeb is hiring, building at Cape Canaveral

Construction on a new factory for OneWeb Satellites on Florida’s Space Coast is shaping up, even while the fledgling space company builds its first few satellites in France. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Florida Dining
Bolay expansion

Palm Beach County is a great place to live, work — and start a restaurant company. So say the father-son duo behind Bolay, the fast-casual healthy eatery that launched last year and now plans up to a whopping 40 restaurants by the end of 2019.

» More from the Palm Beach Post.

Business Profile
Home61

A Miami real estate startup is on the move, with plans to bring its tech-enabled brokerages to new cities next year. With Home61, which now operates in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, technology enables easy scheduling of viewings, anytime access to notes and analytics and a streamlined contractual process for buyers and renters, as well as sellers and agents.