Economic forecast projects cooling Florida figures in 5 years
A Florida TaxWatch report projects that the number of people moving to Florida will begin to slow running through the year 2028. The government watchdog group is beginning a new economic outlook forecast for the state. In the initial report in what will be regular quarterly forecasts, Florida TaxWatch said the state’s population will continue to increase. But the pace of that increase will begin to ease up. More from Florida Politics.
Florida gas prices are the lowest they’ve been in months
Gas prices are at the lowest prices since February. The state average for gas has declined for the 17th day in a row, dropping 25 cents total during that time, according to AAA – The Auto Club Group. Sunday’s state average was $3.30 per gallon, making it the lowest price since Feb. 28. Gas prices are 15 cents less than they were a week ago, 22 cents less than a month ago, and 9 cents less than this time last year, according to AAA. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Moving on up: Miami jumps 7 places into top 20 in global startup ranking
Miami moved up an impressive seven places and is now solidly ranked among the top startup ecosystems in the world, according to the 2024 Global Startup Ecosystem Report released by Startup Genome and the Global Entrepreneurship Network today. The GSER includes research and insights from more than 300 entrepreneurial ecosystems and 4.5 million startups. More from Refresh Miami.
JAX ranks for the lowest number of tarmac delays, despite national delay increases
Jacksonville International Airport ranked among the lowest number of tarmac delays for medium airports, according to a new study about tarmac delays in the U.S. Online complaints about travel delays have become more and more frequent in the last five years, with a total of 83,000 tarmac delays in the U.S. in 2019. Tarmac delays — which are when passengers are on a plane and waiting for takeoff or are waiting to deplane after it has landed — approximately doubled from 2020 to 2021, the report said. More from the Florida Times-Union.
Jimmy Buffett’s new Margaritaville cruise ship just arrived in Tampa
Themed for the chill Buffett-inspired lifestyle, the Margaritaville cruise line has been offering shorter two-night itineraries to the Bahamas out of Palm Beach. But its new larger ship launching from Tampa will more than double the passenger capacity of the boutique cruise line with 1,105 staterooms, which includes six signature grand suites inspired by some of the late singer’s most iconic songs. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Out of the Box
Highway that charges cars to be built in Central Florida
A new highway is set to begin construction in Central Florida and will be eminently useful to electric vehicle owners – as they'll be able to charge their cars while driving. The Central Florida Expressway Authority, CFX, is constructing a nearly five-mile highway called State Road 516, which will connect Orange and Lake counties.
» More from NBC Miami.
Profile
Cyber champ
Lego robotics first attracted Harrison Keating to the world of tech. By age 12 he was building websites, and a couple years later making video games. In high school he heard about CyberPatriot, a cybersecurity competition: “We put a team together and none of us really knew what we were doing.” Still, Keating met students with similar interests as his own interest in cybersecurity grew. Keating and other UCF students are acquiring hands-on experience that gives them an edge in the lucrative cybersecurity job market.
» Read more from Florida Trend.