Citizens Insurance for all? Florida lawmaker says yes but insurance insiders say idea is too risky
What if state-owned Citizens Property Insurance Corp. became the go-to provider of windstorm coverage for all personal and commercial property owners in Florida who want it? If enacted, Citizens would no longer offer comprehensive coverage to Florida homeowners who cannot find affordable coverage in the private market, but instead would potentially free the private market to sell “bread and butter” comprehensive coverage. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Florida Trend Exclusive
Florida Icon: Annetta Wilson
President of Speak With Ease, a Florida company specializing in communication skills for executives; former prime time television anchor in Central Florida, tells us: "I’ve always been inquisitive and remember watching the news every night with my dad. That was our thing, and I thought that all these places the reporters went to were amazing and they got to meet these interesting people. So, I thought: I want to do that someday." [Source: Florida Trend]
After tornado or storm damage, scammers come out. How to avoid getting ripped off in Florida
Tornados and powerful storms ripped through Bay, Calhoun and Jackson counties Tuesday, leaving behind thousands of exhausted, worried people trying to pick up the pieces. Your home may be damaged or even unliveable and your future may feel overwhelming. You are as vulnerable as you've ever been. That's when the scammers show up. [Source: Panama City News Herald]
Experts tell lawmakers AI could streamline Florida’s bureaucracy or open it to security threats
Artificial intelligence could soon map Florida roads, analyze public health data and deliver customer service to taxpayers. But could it also be used to hack elections? AI experts testified to House members that AI could deliver huge impacts that could both ease bureaucrat and impact state workers. “Integration of AI stands to revolutionize the public sector at unprecedented rates,” said Brian Fonseca, a public policy professor at Florida International University. It also brings a series of challenges. [Source: Florida Politics]
Some Florida cities using leftover COVID relief money on unrelated projects
In 2020 and 2021, Florida cities received millions of dollars from COVID relief. Going into 2024, several Florida cities are still sitting on piles of cash that still need to be spent. When COVID relief funds were doled out during 2020 and 2021, the U.S Treasury Department listed requirements on how cities should spend funds, but critics of the program said the Treasury Department “requirements” were too vague and enforcing the rules wouldn’t happen. [Source: Florida Daily]
Lender and partner — Securing business financing in challenging markets
Florida is a snapshot of a strong economy. The state’s daily influx of about 1,000 new residents and businesses seeking its business-, regulatory- and tax-friendly regimes are bringing income migration of roughly $4.5 million per hour. Ranking first in startups and business diversity, the Sunshine State is a resilient place to launch or grow a business. [Source:Sponsored report]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Florida-based grocer Publix enters 8th state with new Kentucky store
Publix opened its first store in Kentucky Wednesday, entering its eighth state of operation. Publix plans to open five more stores in Kentucky. They will be located in Louisville, Lexington and Walton. Publix was founded in Winter Haven in 1930. It has more than 1,300 stores across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
› Mammoth rocket stage for Blue Origin New Glenn goes for sideways ride on Space Coast
A first stage of Blue Origin’s massive New Glenn rocket became king of the road for a day making a trip from the factory to its launch complex on Wednesday. Transported by a series of multiwheeled carriages and an arching structure, the 189-foot-tall first stage for what will be a 320-foot-tall rocket when fully assembled traveled horizontally on a 22-mile trip from the New Glenn factory in Merritt Island through Kennedy Space Center over to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station where Blue Origin has a hangar and launch pad at Launch Complex 36.
› Massive pickleball complex with 43 courts set for Fort Lauderdale ahead of tournament
Fort Lauderdale will soon be home to a massive pickleball facility, as developers expect to break ground later this month on the massive space at Snyder Park. The project is expected to bring $10 million of tourism economic impact for the city and provide 100 job opportunities in Fort Lauderdale, developer and marketer Brad Tuckman told the Miami Herald.
› St. Petersburg is the No. 2 trending U.S. destination this year, Tripadvisor says
St. Petersburg is one of the “up and up” spots in the U.S. this year, according to Tripadvisor. The travel site named the Sunshine City as the No. 2 trending destination in the nation for 2024, Tripadvisor announced Tuesday. Tripadvisor expects travel to keep momentum in 2024 after a resurgence of people going on vacation after the pandemic. About 93% of Americans have budgeted to spend the same amount on travel this year as last, according to data from Tripadvisor.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
› Florida citrus packing house closes doors after 35 years
One of Florida’s last citrus packing houses, Emerald Packing Company, is closing its doors. Emerald Packing Company owner Stuart Arost: “We had a good time for a long time. It was time to get rid of the packing house. Business is slow. We went from 240 million boxes in the state to over 3 million roughly right now, and the viability of the business just changed.”
› Covered in dust: UF observatory at risk from proposed sand mine in Levy County
A University of Florida-owned observatory may be at risk of shutting down if Levy County commissioners approve a special land-use amendment that would pave the way for the creation of a sand mine. An agenda document from Dec. 5 says that if approved, the mine will span around 1,100 acres and will not engage in blasting or fracking. The impacts on neighbors, including dust and noise, however, aren’t the only concerns that come with building the mine.
› Volusia County raises pay for lifeguards in effort to fill open positions
Volusia County Beach Safety said it’s offering additional perks like better pay and bonuses to fill open lifeguard positions. In a post on social media, Beach Safety said the starting pay for lifeguards will now begin at $17 per hour, with the opportunity to get up to $1,750 in bonuses for new or returning guards.
› Osceola County blasts St. Cloud over lack of funding for road improvements
St. Cloud, the fastest growing area of the county, has long seen residents angry about overdevelopment and the accompanying jammed roads. A recent study commissioned by the county found that traffic will only increase. The study cited one thoroughfare, Kissimmee Park Road, that currently has 11,000 trips per day will reach 43,000 a day by 2045.