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Thursday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
› Florida's first cold front is happening just in time for autumn equinox
Florida is experiencing its first cold front of the season, which is the perfect precursor to celebrating the upcoming autumnal equinox this weekend. After experiencing one of the hottest summers ever recorded, cooler temperatures are a breath of fresh air — even if those temperatures are only in the high 80s rather than triple digits.
› Developer seeks to bring a Camp Margaritaville to Volusia County
Start searching for that long-lost shaker of salt: Plans are in motion to bring a Camp Margaritaville to Volusia County. Randy Knapp, the developer who successfully delivered a Camp Margaritaville RV Resort to Polk County’s Auburndale in 2022, told GrowthSpotter that he’s working to open a second Jimmy Buffett-themed luxury resort campground in Central Florida along the banks of the St. Johns River in Astor, near the Lake County line.
› Venice to start refund process for excess building fees collected for four years
The city of Venice is refunding excess building fees collected over four years, from Oct. 1, 2018 through Sept. 30, 2022, to comply with a change in Florida law limiting the amount of building fees that local governments could carry over from one fiscal year to the next. Notification letters were sent to all applicants owed a refund of at least $10. Refunds will be mailed beginning Sept. 20.
› Tampa City Council approves 2024 budget with affordable housing boost
The City Council voted to more than double the spending on affordable housing in Tampa, capping off weeks of fraught budget talks about the rising unaffordability of Florida’s third-largest city. That housing increase is part of the $1.9 billion budget council approved unanimously Thursday night, which also includes funding for more than a dozen new firefighter paramedics, design plans for a new fire station in northern Tampa and $7 million more for street paving — though not as much as Mayor Jane Castor initially sought.
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