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Wednesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
› Cedar Key shows 'old Florida' can learn new tricks about adaptation, resilience
Cedar Key City Commissioner Sue Colson put it bluntly when speaking to the Gainesville Sun in 2017: “We’ve been given a stage 4 diagnosis,” Colson said, speaking about sea-level rise and the future of this small town on Florida’s Gulf of Mexico coast. Indeed, the city of Cedar Key has particularly high exposure to climate hazards. In 2020, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s tide gauge in Cedar Key recorded the fourth-highest rate of sea-level rise acceleration in the nation and local sea level has risen nearly six inches since 1992.
› Real estate conference paints Sarasota market as 'normalizing'
Sarasota real estate leaders Joe Hembree and Drayton Saunders say the state of the industry seems to be normalizing after a couple of unprecedented years brought on by the pandemic. Available land in Sarasota, especially for industrial projects, is hard to come by. And apartment rents remain high.
› Brevard will explore using tourism tax funds on expanded lifeguard services
As Brevard County looks to expand lifeguard services, adding towers and increasing hiring in the next budget year, the Board of County Commissioners will also explore options for paying for those services on Space Coast beaches. One possibility: Brevard County's tourist development tax, a 5% tax on hotels and short-term rentals.
› CSX donates $10 million toward Jacksonville UF graduate center
Jacksonville-based CSX announced July 25 a $10 million contribution to the University of Florida to support a proposed health and financial technology graduate center in or near Downtown Jacksonville. The charitable investment will be distributed over five years and solidifies CSX as the leading private funding partner of the project, according to a news release.
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