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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
State lawmakers take aim at Enterprise Florida
Enterprise Florida, the state’s business-recruitment agency, once again found itself in the crosshairs of the Florida House as the 2023 legislative session opened Tuesday. A bill filed Monday, HB 5, proposes shifting Enterprise Florida’s funding to the state Department of Economic Opportunity. House leaders targeted the agency in the past, including during high-profile clashes with then-Gov. Rick Scott over economic incentives. More from the News Service of Florida.
Home values in South Florida jump 13%, despite the slowing market
Homeowners across South Florida saw their homes values rise over the past year, despite the market taking a turn, new data shows. In South Florida, home values have increased upward of at least 13% over the past year, depending on the area, despite rising interest rates cooling the market significantly, according to an analysis from RedFin, a national real estate brokerage. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
JaxPort navigates to boost cargo to record-setting levels of past
JaxPort's tenants set a record for cargo containers in the 2020-21 fiscal year with about 1.4 million TEUs, which stands for 20-foot equivalent units. But that dropped to just under 1.3 million TEUs in the 2021-22 fiscal year. So far this year, JaxPort is on track to finish better, but it still would be a few hundred thousand TEUs short of its best year. More from the Florida Times-Union.
With households cash-strapped, here’s what’s it like at a Pinellas pawn shop
The cast of the History channel’s breezily watchable, always-on “Pawn Stars” announced they’ll soon film “Pawn Stars Do America” in Tampa and St. Petersburg. Since 2009, their success demystified, sanitized and boosted the industry, pawnbrokers say, but it remains staged “reality” TV. Real life happens at Tim’s Trading Post & Pawn in Largo. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
UNF poll finds most important issue for voters is affordable housing
The UNF Public Opinion Research Lab is once again taking the pulse of local voters to see where they stand on major issues. This includes issues such as abortion, school vouchers and permitless carry. Of the 1,452 registered voters surveyed statewide, 25% of them agreed the cost of housing was the biggest problem facing Florida. There appears to be bipartisan agreement on that. More from News 4 Jax.
Event
Leu Gardens Plant Sale returns with free admission this weekend
Leu Gardens, a botanical oasis already teeming with flora, will blossom to life even further this weekend as an annual green thumb tradition returns. The Leu Gardens Plant Sale lands in the 50-acre urban green space March 11-12 with more than 50 vendors touting wide varieties of greenery to spruce up the living room, porch or backyard. Guests can find everything from bonsai trees to bromeliads and bamboo. Explore a range of fruit trees, succulents, roses, orchids, Florida native options and more.
» More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Q&A
What’s it like to be an urban designer in Tampa, a city growing up fast?
Sometimes a childhood can hint at a future career. For Ashly Anderson, urban designer, maybe it was being raised in a sandy Florida town with waterfront manufactured from dredged canals and not enough trees. Maybe it’s becoming a person who can say they fell in love with a town for its street grid. Anderson, 36, recently left the Tampa Downtown Partnership after nearly a decade of working on projects that included helping to activate the Riverwalk.
» Read more from the Tampa Bay Times.
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