Slight uptick for Florida oranges, but citrus woes persist
With one leader saying it is on the “brink of a disaster,” Florida’s citrus industry is nearing the end of the 2023-2024 growing season showing relatively little growth from the previous hurricane-marred season. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday released a monthly forecast that showed a slight uptick from May projections for the state’s orange crop. But the forecast for grapefruit and specialty fruits dipped from May projections. The forecast for the overall citrus harvest is about 11 percent higher than the 2022-2023 yield, but the 2022-2023 total was the lowest in more than nine decades. More from News Service of Florida.
SpaceX Starship launch plan at KSC generates environmental concerns
SpaceX officials hope to soon launch and land massive 492-foot-tall Starship-Super Heavy rockets up to 44 times per year at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. But 40-year Titusville resident Susan Palma fears more development at the Cape will risk further disrupting the imperiled Indian River Lagoon's natural water flow and salinity. She attended a Wednesday environmental meeting on potential Starship impacts. More from Florida Today.
GRU board fires manager, appoints resigning member to interim position
The Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority board fired General Manager Tony Cunningham Wednesday night, with authority Chair Ed Bielarski subsequently resigning from the board and being named interim general manager. Bielarski is the sixth GRU Authority member to resign in the past year, as four previous members of the board left their positions over a lawsuit filed by a local citizens group More from the Gainesville Sun.
Orlando bets $1.3 million that arts will give downtown more appeal
Musicians singing and strumming on the streets. Eye-catching installations popping up on buildings and in vacant lots. Windows of empty storefronts filled with art. These sights are coming to the heart of Orlando as the city aims to make downtown a more inviting — and artistic — place to work, live and visit. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Miami commissioners try to resurrect pensions for elected officials — again
Two Miami city commissioners are trying to resurrect a policy that would guarantee the city’s elected officials thousands of dollars a month for the rest of their lives, five years after the last effort to bring back publicly funded pensions failed. The commission is slated to vote on a proposal to revive a program that was frozen in 2009 during the financial crisis that enshrined five- to six-figure annual payments for city commissioners after they leave office. More from the Miami Herald.
Profile
Florida student gets award for perfect attendance from kindergarten to 12th grade
For the Florida student, a normal school year in Florida is 180 days. Multiplied by 13 years (kindergarten through 12th grade), that’s 2,340 days of school for any student. With that many days, it’s natural for a student to miss a few here and there right? Well, one student in Clay County was recognized for being present every single day of their grade school career.
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Down in Margaritaville
Canadian homebuilder Minto Group is partnering with Panama City Beach-based St. Joe Co. to develop the adult planned community Latitude Margaritaville Watersound. Leading the Margaritaville development for Minto is division President William Bullock, who shared insights about what’s attracting buyers, where they’re coming from and other trends.
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