Thursday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 6/6/2019

Meet Florida’s 50 highest-paid CEOs

They earn millions of dollars and fly on corporate jets. Their pay includes $25,000 car allowances and $40,000 medical checkups. The CEOs of Florida’s top companies reap that and more, a lot more in some cases. Combined, these 50 CEOs earned almost $500 million. No. 1 pulled in nearly $23 million. The lowest paid got $2.4 million. The youngest member is 47. The oldest 80. Just four women made the Florida list, though that’s twice as many as made the national rankings. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Film incentives get added boost to lure productions to Miami-Dade

County lawmakers just made Miami-Dade even more attractive for TV and film productions, voting this week to reduce minimum requirements for tax rebates for filming there. The change comes less than two years after the county set up the Miami-Dade TV, Film and Entertainment Production Incentives Program, funneling $100,000 tax refunds to qualifying productions. More from Miami Today.

Florida insurance industry balances optimism for AOB reform against experience

Insurers expect a positive impact from long-sought changes to Florida law meant to slow property claims abuses, but they also know attorneys and contractors may find other loopholes to exploit. The response from opportunists to the coming changes in assignment of benefits, or AOB, outran the pace of the reform bill as it wound through the state legislature, according to industry representatives. More from S&P Global.

With promises of economic growth in Brazil, South Florida sees a rise in Brazilian investment

As the world's ninth largest economy begins to bounce back from two years of recession and slow recovery, Brazilian foreign investment in South Florida real estate is booming and the Miami Association of Realtors says Brazil was the top foreign country buying homes here in 2018. More from WJCT.

Fewer deals, lower profits for home flippers in Sarasota-Manatee

Home flippers in Southwest Florida are closing fewer deals and pocketing smaller profits this year. In the Sarasota-Manatee region, 5.0% of home and condo sales in the first quarter were considered flips — an arms-length sale for the second time within 12 months — real estate researcher ATTOM Data Solutions reported. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Out of the Box
The Florida Aquarium wants you to come pet their new jellyfish

The Florida Aquarium opens its new touch experience Moon Bay, Saturday, June 8, World Oceans Day. The exhibit includes cold water Moon Jellies that visitors will be able to touch on their bellies. Moon Jellies can still sting if touched underneath. Their sting is weak to human touch, undetectable to most people.

» More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Public Safety
This map shows every active wildfire in Florida

Wildfires can happen at any time in Florida, leaving charred landscapes and even destroyed homes in their wake. Lightning, burning debris and more can spark flames that blaze out of control in minutes, particularly when conditions are dry. While it's difficult to predict when or where a natural disaster will occur, the Florida Forest Service tracks every active wildfire in the state in an effort to keep residents informed.