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Thursday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida construction projects slowed by worker shortage. Problem could get worse.
The construction industry is running out of workers to build all those new condo towers, housing developments and highway projects. The shortages span the trades, with pipelayers, sheet metal workers, carpenters, concrete workers, pipefitters and welders in particularly high demand. Companies big and small are feeling the pinch. In the latest survey by the Associated General Contractors of America (ACG), the results for Florida shows that 79 percent of contractors are having difficulty finding workers for new projects-- even after increasing pay and/or benefits. See the Florida survey and the national news release from ACG. Also read more at the Tampa Bay Times and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
'Weather models have flipped the switch': Hurricane season coming to life in the Atlantic
The sleeping giant may be about to awaken. Hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico is forecast to ramp up over the next couple of weeks. One storm could spin up in the Caribbean over the next few days and affect Florida over the Labor Day weekend. Read more at Florida Today, the Tallahassee Democrat and WCTV.
Florida health insurers want lowest Obamacare premiums ever
Florida insurers selling health insurance under the Affordable Care Act requested the lowest premium hikes since the law's inception, despite numerous obstacles from the Trump administration and major rate increases last year. See the news release from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR), and see proposed rates for Florida on the ACA Marketplace here. [Source: AP]
Floridians are clamoring for medical marijuana jobs -- but state laws limit opportunity
Florida’s burgeoning medical marijuana industry is struggling to fill vacant job openings despite having thousands of people in the state who hoped to work in the industry. In a state with ‘dysfunctional’ medical marijuana laws, people hoping for jobs face stringent background checks [Source: Consumer Affairs]
USDA: Irma caused citrus crop value to fall 41%
Losses from Hurricane Irma last year sent the value of the 2017-18 Florida citrus crop plummeting 41 percent. That’s a preliminary estimate of last season’s crop value released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture at an advisory committee composed of Florida growers. [Source: Lakeland Ledger]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› St. Pete’s Vinoy resort sold to company backed by Tampa Bay Bucs’ Bryan Glazer
SCG Hospitality, whose principal is Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ owner Bryan Glazer, has bought the venerable Vinoy Renaissance Resort & Golf Club in downtown St. Petersburg. The sale includes a marina and golf club as well as the 362-room hotel. Read more at the Tampa Bay Times.
› USDA confirms rare neurological disease in Florida cow
State officials have found a rare neurological disease in a six-year-old beef cow in Florida. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says the animal never entered slaughter channels and never presented a risk to the food supply.
› Miami-Dade street lights may deliver free Wi-Fi
Miami-Dade is considering two options to bring free Wi-Fi to public transit: incorporate the technology into either new bus shelters or street lights, Miami-Dade Information Technology Director Angel Petisco said.
› The capsule astronauts will ride to return to the moon has arrived at Kennedy Space Center
The capsule astronauts will ride in when they return to the moon arrived at Kennedy Space Center last week. The delivery marks a major step in NASA’s push to return humans to the moon — and eventually, Mars.
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