Gas prices are down across Florida as we hit the road for summer. Will that continue?
Gasoline prices have been on a steady downward trend in Florida, according to the AAA-The Auto Club Group. Over the last 10 days, the state average dropped 11 cents, landing at $3.45 per gallon by Sunday. "While gasoline prices are usually volatile through the summer months, recent futures prices suggest the state average could move lower this week," AAA-The Auto Club Group spokesperson Mark Jenkins said. More from the Tallahassee Democrat, WPEC, and the Miami Herald.
In Miami, jobs are plentiful—and you might need two to afford it
The clearest view of America’s economic conundrum is from the sunny beaches of Miami. The city has been growing quickly and jobs are plentiful. But prices, especially the cost of housing, have risen so fast that workers can’t keep up. The 2.7% unemployment rate in the Miami metro area is among the lowest in the country. But inflation was higher than in any other major metro area in April, and housing costs have doubled in just six years. Wages have been rising—but not enough to keep up with prices. More from the Wall Street Journal.
Here’s how Duke, Tampa Electric customers can weigh in on rate hike requests
Customers of Duke Energy and Tampa Electric will soon get the chance to attend rare local, public hearings and weigh in on the utilities’ requests to raise base rates next year by millions of dollars. Base rates are a major component of electricity bills, which also include other charges. Both companies have said the rate hikes are necessary to help them keep up with infrastructure improvements and build more solar capacity, among other reasons. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
JTA's first phase of self-driving shuttles will use converted cargo vans
Construction has started on making Jacksonville the first city in the nation where self-driving vehicles pick up passengers as an everyday fixture of the transit system, but when riders board those shuttles in summer 2025, they'll ride in retrofitted Ford E-Transit vans originally designed to carry cargo. More from the Florida Times-Union.
Will Orange County voters get to consider rural land protections? County board will decide.
Orange County commissioners will take on the rural boundary discussion Tuesday that a citizens’ panel studied for nearly a year with advocates hopeful the elected board will put the hotly contested growth control issue on the November ballot for voters to decide. The board will get the report of the county’s Charter Review Commission and its nearly unanimous recommendation for a referendum. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Space Business
A new space plane gets ready for launch from Florida
There’s a new spaceship in town. It will remind you of the space shuttle because it takes off on a rocket and lands like a glider. The newest space plane program is called Dream Chaser, built by a company called Sierra Space and designed to make cargo runs to and from the International Space Station. The first model is named Tenacity. It arrived at the Kennedy Space Center last week, and will make its debut launch in September.
» More from NBC Miami.
Public Safety
This Florida county is the Shark Bite Capital of the World. How often do bites happen?
Sharks. There's a special week on TV dedicated to them. They've been the subject of numerous movies, starting with what's considered to be the first major shark movie, "Jaws," in 1975. People love to search Florida beaches to collect their teeth. And they have plenty of them to lose. And speaking of Florida, the Sunshine State has the unenviable title of leading the United States, which leads the world, in the number of unprovoked shark bites.
» Read more from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.