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Friday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Citrus industry gets sour forecast
Federal officials Thursday reduced a forecast for Florida citrus production this growing season, dealing a setback to a struggling industry that continues to rebuild from Hurricane Ian. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a forecast that, in part, projected Florida will produce 19.8 million boxes of oranges during the 2023-2024 season, down from a 20.5 million projection in a January forecast. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Business Beat - Week of February 9th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Red tide, manatees and hurricanes: NASA PACE spacecraft to collect Florida environmental data
Algal bloom and red tide detection and prediction. The health of seagrass beds, a key food source for manatees. Coral reef bleaching. And even hurricane forecasting. Florida's shallow-water coastlines may be environmentally analyzed in unprecedented detail via NASA's PACE spacecraft, which launched amid cloudy conditions at 1:33 a.m. EST Thursday atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. More from the Daytona Beach News Journal and the Tampa Bay Times.
Watchdog agencies push back against state bill barring anonymous complaint investigations
County ethics commissions across the state are sounding alarms over legislation they say would cripple their efforts to fight corruption. The legislation, should it become law, could result in Palm Beach County “reclaiming its previous title of Corruption Capital,” said Michael Kugler, chair of the county’s ethics commission in a news release. “It would result in the unraveling of successful ethics reform in Palm Beach County.” [Source: Palm Beach Post]
Associated Industries of Florida launches coalition to navigate AI use, regulations
The AI revolution is here, and the Associated Industries of Florida is launching a new initiative to develop policies and guidelines for its use and regulation. The AIF Coalition for the Future of Artificial Intelligence in Business will feature a mix of technology companies, such as tech industry behemoths Google and Meta, as well as Florida businesses, such as Florida Blue, JM Family, HCA, TECO and Disney. [Source: Florida Politics]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› In Hillsborough, nonprofits that get government money face new rules
Hillsborough County Commissioner Josh Wostal hoped to change how local nonprofits get funding from the government — in some cases, money that could be spent on roads and public safety, he said. Part of the board’s Republican majority, Wostal created a seven-point plan intended to bring transparency and accountability to nonprofits that have received $225 million in county money over the last decade.
› City officials in Sarasota and Manatee eye proposed state policies on vacation rentals
Local officials are leery of how proposed restrictions that cap the fees cities can charge for vacation rental registration could impact local ordinances already on the books. Vacation rentals have been a hot-button issue among local and state officials for years, and legislators have proposed new restrictions that cap registration fees, outline maximum penalties, and preempt other regulations to the state.
› Landstar System Inc. CEO optimistic as he retires
Landstar System Inc.’s results dropped in 2023, giving retiring Chief Executive Jim Gattoni a lot to talk about in the company’s year-end conference call with analysts Feb. 1. “I’d like to thank everybody for having this be my longest call in 10 years on my last day as the president and CEO of Landstar. So that’s special,” he said. However, Gattoni is optimistic that the Jacksonville-based trucking company can handle this down cycle for freight traffic as he heads into retirement.
› Fort Lauderdale to recoup $400,000 from massive water pipe break caused by FPL subcontractor
Fort Lauderdale is finally recovering $400,000 spent repairing a massive water pipe it didn’t break. A subcontractor for Florida Power & Light drilled a hole into the city’s main water supply line close to five years ago, leaving tens of thousands of residents without water along with hundreds of businesses. Faucets stopped flowing and toilets stopped flushing, forcing hundreds of businesses to close that day, on July 17, 2019.
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