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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida sees bump in consumer sentiment heading into the new year
As Florida’s unemployment rate reached a historic low, consumer sentiment among Floridians increased in December by seven-tenths of a point to 100.1 from November’s revised figure of 99.4. Similarly, consumer sentiment at the national level increased in December. Among the five components that make up the index, three increased and two decreased. More from UF News.
Juice machine: citrus company posts solid year
One of the largest citrus producers in the country, Fort Myers-based Alico, is delivering some good news for the holiday Season: The Florida orange isn’t dead yet. Although the sunshine state’s No. 1 fruit has had a rough go for a few years, squeezed by storms and citrus greening, Alico’s fourth quarter and year-end report shows there could be a turn coming. More from the Business Observer.
3 ways Florida’s electorate changed over the past decade
It was a wild ride over the last decade for voters in Florida, America’s largest swing state. Judges scrapped Congressional and state senate district maps after ruling they were illegally gerrymandered. Statewide elections went from recount to recount. A ballot question forced the state to let (some) felons return to the polls. And all the while, Florida swelled in size. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Toll road opponents vow to follow the money
Three of the biggest road projects ever proposed in Florida are on a fast track created by state lawmakers, not transportation planners. It's being presented as a done deal, but some people say following the money may be the best way to stop them in their tracks. More from WGCU.
Mount Dora considers leveling playing field for B&Bs as Lake County looks to reap more tourist taxes from Airbnbs
Mount Dora officials may ease up on restrictions on bed-and-breakfasts that some owners say put them at a competitive disadvantage with Airbnb and other short-term vacation rentals. Thinking along the same lines, Lake County officials are looking to set up a system recommended by Tax Collector David Jordan to better ensure collection tourist development taxes on Airbnb rentals and others like it. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Industry Trends
Hoppy new beer: Your guide to all 7 South Florida breweries opening in 2020
The 2010s marked a golden beer rush in South Florida, with more than 50-plus breweries making their debuts in warehouses from Jupiter to Fort Lauderdale to the Redlands of Homestead. Now that we’ve reached a new decade, the state of our craft-beer union remains surprisingly strong. The biggest sign that beer is still booming: Seven new breweries will rise in the first half of 2020.
» More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Business Profile
Tombolo Books owner writes a new chapter in St. Petersburg
Tombolo — the word means “a sandbar that connects an island to the mainland,” according to the store’s website — was painstakingly designed to give book lovers an experience they can’t get scrolling and clicking. And it was more than four years in the making.
» Read more from the Tampa Bay Times.
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