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Wednesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
U.S. housing markets are slowing. Is Florida the exception?
After two years of near nonstop growth, housing prices may have finally peaked in several US. cities, according to data from Florida Atlantic University. Still, experts predict that Florida’s real estate market will remain strong compared to other parts of the country. Housing premiums – the difference between the actual and expected price – declined in 27 metro areas. Meanwhile, every city in Florida saw premiums increase slightly from June to July. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Hurricane forecasters watching 3 tropical systems in Atlantic
Two of three systems being watched in the Atlantic could turn into tropical depressions by the end of the week, according to forecasters. A broad area of low pressure in the central Atlantic has a 60% chance of becoming a tropical depression in the next two days, and an 80% chance in the next five days, according to an 8 p.m. update Tuesday from the National Hurricane Center. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the Orlando Sentinel.
‘Tool time' tax holiday ready to crank up
Florida’s first “tool time” sales-tax holiday on tools and other home-repair and construction items will kick off during the Labor Day weekend. The seven-day holiday, which was part of a wide-ranging tax bill passed this year, will allow shoppers to avoid paying sales taxes on numerous home-repair and construction items from Saturday through Sept. 9. “I think it's just to give a boost to our skilled workers,” Florida Retail Federation President Scott Shalley said. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Florida tops 7M COVID cases since start of pandemic, still averaging 6K cases per day
Florida has now counted more than 7 million cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Florida still averages around 6,000 cases every day, but that number is an improvement. According to data, 6,352 new cases were reported this past Friday. For most of June and July, Florida was averaging more than 10,000 cases per day. It’s important to note, these numbers only reflect cases that are officially reported. [Source: WJXT]
Southwest Florida airport executives race to keep up with post-pandemic travel demand
Airport executives from Tampa south to Fort Myers are well-aware of the big changes in their industry post-pandemic, from a dearth of workers to rapidly inclining passenger numbers — a shortage and a surge that's upended many airlines' operating models. These officials, individually, are approaching the changes with vigor. [Source: Business Observer]
Providing world-class pediatric care for the most complex medical needs in Florida
Nicklaus Children’s world-class pediatric healthcare is backed by four specialized institutes: the Brain Institute, Heart Institute, Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute, and Orthopedic, Sports Health and Spine Institute. These institutes are centers of excellence within Nicklaus Children’s and combine rigorous research and clinical trials with the most advanced, compassionate patient care. [Sponsored report]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› ‘Basquiat fiasco’ at Orlando Museum of Art: Ex-trustees say they were kept in the dark on FBI
Former trustees of Orlando Museum of Art say they were kept in the dark about the FBI’s interest in the now infamous exhibition of purported Basquiat artworks — and that museum leadership ignored their plea to make that clear to the public. Furthermore, they say that when they called a meeting to discuss board chair Cynthia Brumback’s handling of the situation, they were “terminated” through a previously unenforced rule on term limits.
› Palm Beach County commissioners to revisit controversial land swap
Staff members say it’s a bad deal. A separate planning board also thinks it’s a bad deal. But Palm Beach County commissioners will have the final say on whether to approve a controversial land swap that would pave the way for 1,000 new luxury homes on West Boca farmland in the Agricultural Reserve, a 21,000-acre farming region in western Palm Beach County.
› St. Petersburg to get its first anime convention
St. Petersburg is about to get its first anime convention, a two-day celebration of Japanese animated cartoons and comic books. The convention is being organized by Dewey Caruthers, a St. Petersburg comic collector who brought the city its first comic con in January, also at the Coliseum. It drew nearly 3,500 people, organizers said, exceeding expectations. Anime films and television shows comprise nearly two-thirds of the world’s animation-based entertainment.
› Florida Supreme Court rejects discipline settlement for Seminole County judge
The Florida Supreme Court on Monday rejected a proposed settlement in a disciplinary case about incidents involving a Seminole County judge. The Supreme Court unanimously ordered the state Judicial Qualifications Commission to hold a full hearing on the allegations against Judge Wayne Culver. An investigative panel of the commission in June recommended that justices approve a proposed settlement that would have led to a 60-day suspension without pay and a public reprimand for Culver.
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