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What you need to know about Florida today
Florida cities ramped up foreclosures to hurt speculators. Instead they helped them
In cities around Florida, the goal was to target properties owned by real estate speculators who obscured their ownership of derelict properties through layers of shell companies. But these foreclosures have often had the opposite effect, taking properties out of the hands of individual owners and delivering them to real estate speculators, and at a discount. More from the Miami Herald and Yahoo News.
Business Beat - Week of March 24th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Florida passes on millions in federal gun violence prevention funds
Florida is leaving up to $15 million in federal money on the table that could be used to fight gun violence. Florida was one of only six states that did not receive funding through a new federal grant to help carry out emergency risk-protection programs. Such orders are used by law enforcement to temporarily seize guns from people suspected of being a danger to themselves or others. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Commentary: Lessons learned from Florida hurricanes
Resilience is a popular theme these days. Why not build on this theme with forward-thinking and sound planning? Once again, under the leadership of Florida’s governor, state and local government agencies could work together to make Florida safer and more resilient. We learned lessons in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. There is no reason we cannot learn lessons from Hurricane Ian. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
4 Florida universities among the Top 100 in the country
Deciding where to go to college is a daunting decision for anyone in that position. Do you go to a state school or out of state? Do you start at community college or go straight to a four-year school? Luckily for people in Florida, 4 of the state’s universities are in the Top 100 of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best National University Rankings.” [Source: WFTV]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Feed the hungry, fight climate change: The campaign to curb food waste in South Florida
Ellen Bowen is on a mission to combat food waste in South Florida — a campaign that not only feeds the hungry but, perhaps surprisingly, can also help curb climate change. Bowen is the founder of the South Florida chapter of Food Rescue US, a group of 1,000 local volunteers that collects perfectly good food that would otherwise be thrown away at grocery stores, restaurants and events and delivers it to churches, shelters and food pantries across the region.
› Milton bans smoking in parks and on public rec areas. Event organizers could get an out.
By order of the Milton City Council, smoking will no longer be tolerated at public parks, properties and recreational areas. The council finalized passage of an ordinance March 14 prohibiting smoking and vaping "on public property specifically designated as being used for outdoor recreational or park purposes and where children regularly congregate." It prohibits smoking and vaping on all city property except public right-of-ways, city spokeswoman Bethany Anderson said.
› Pasco sheriff discontinues controversial intelligence program, court documents say
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office has stopped keeping a list of people deemed likely to commit future crimes and repeatedly sending deputies to their homes, according to documents filed March 14 in a federal lawsuit. Attorneys for the Sheriff’s Office noted in a court paper that in 2021 and 2022 the agency phased out what was referred to as the “prolific offender designation process or prolific offender checks.”
› Sales at Darden Restaurants grow by 13.8%
Orlando-based Darden Restaurants saw sales increase 13.8% to $2.8 billion in the quarter ending Feb. 26, but the owner of Olive Garden and other chains kept price increases below inflation, executives said Thursday. Prices went up in the quarter about 6.3%, compared with inflation of 7%, said CFO Raj Vennam. Same-restaurant sales grew 11.7%.
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