More than 3 million without power after Hurricane Milton slams Florida, causes deaths and flooding
Hurricane Milton barreled into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday after plowing across Florida, pounding cities with ferocious winds and rain, and whipping up a barrage of tornadoes. It caused at least four deaths and compounded the misery wrought by Helene while sparing Tampa a direct hit. [AP News]
‘This is the worst-case scenario’: Hurricane Milton could clobber Florida’s insurance market
The expected billions in damage from Hurricane Milton could wreck the state’s still fragile insurance market and potentially disrupt the state’s economy. The storm-prone state has been reeling from insurance problems for years, including spiking premiums for homeowners and insurers retreating completely from the state. [Source: Politico]
Florida medical providers navigate national shortage of IV fluids, dialysis solution
Florida medical providers are navigating a national shortage of IV fluids and dialysis solution after a major manufacturer suffered damage during Hurricane Helene. Mary Mayhew is the president and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association, which advocates on behalf of hospitals in the state. She said Florida hospitals are joining others in trying to preserve every drop of IV fluid. [Source: News 4 Jax]
Florida groups seek to reopen voter registration amid Milton
After Gov. Ron DeSantis declined to extend Florida’s voter registration deadline as Hurricane Milton neared, multiple civil and voting rights organizations turned to federal court on Tuesday. The League of Women Voters of Florida and the Florida State Conference of the NAACP, represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center, filed a motion for emergency relief in the Northern District of Florida division, asking the court to force DeSantis to reopen registration. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Half million containers being unloaded late after ports strike
Reverberations of a three-day port strike that briefly crippled PortMiami and stretched from Maine to Texas have led to disruptions and raised concerns for the upcoming months. “There’s about 72 or 73 ships out and anchored between the East Coast and the Gulf with about half a million containers that have to be unloaded; they’re not going to be able to be unloaded all on time,” said Gary Goldfarb, chief strategy officer of Miami-based Interport Logistics. [Source: Miami Today]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Florida's property tax rebate program can help hurricane victims
Florida homeowners impacted by the massive destruction from Hurricanes Helene and Milton may apply for a break on their 2024 property taxes, the state's chief financial officer told FOX Business.
› ‘Not even 2 weeks’: In Siesta Key, first Helene then Milton’s landfall
Near the place Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday night, like so many of the Gulf Coast barrier islands from Sarasota to Clearwater, it was hard to tell where the damage from one storm ended and the ruin of another began. Siesta Key was silent early Thursday, save for a stiff breeze that shook the palms. At the turn from the bridge on Stickney Point Road, couches were thrown across the pavement.
› Miami metro makes US’s top 10 for VC activity, luring $1.37B in 1st half
For South Florida venture capital activity in the first half of 2024, it could have been much worse. While the national picture brightened mostly due to outsized AI deals, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area still ranked in in the top 10 US metro areas for venture capital results.
› Bonita Springs company passes $1B in monthly cannabis deposits
A Bonita Springs-based financial services and software provider for cannabis-related business has passed a milestone, marking $1 billion in monthly cannabis sales deposits in the third quarter. Green Check, which was founded in 2017, has now served more than 11,000 cannabis-related businesses (CRBs) on its platform, the company says in a statement.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
› British fintech Floww expands to the U.S. via Miami to transform capital raising for startups
Raising capital is often one of the most daunting challenges for any startup founder. It’s not just about securing funds but navigating a complex web of relationships that can make or break a company’s future. This is the exact problem Martijn de Wever, CEO and founder of Floww, set out to solve.
› Why Orlando Health is spending $1.3 billion on hospital acquisitions
Orlando Health's recent hospital purchases line up with a goal to grow and block competing health care systems. The nonprofit health system closed on its deal to buy a 70% stake in Alabama-based Brookwood Baptist Health from Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp. for $910 million and soon will complete a $460 million deal for a trio of Steward Health Care hospitals on Florida's east coast with a target closing of Oct. 23.
› Navarre residents take sides on whether or not to build a beach boardwalk complex
The beach walk project, to be constructed in the vicinity of a county marine park east of the Navarre Beach Causeway Bridge, was initially supported in a community-wide survey and has been in the works since 2019, but was derailed by COVID-19 and tropical storm activity, according to Ray Eddington, the commissioner whose District 4 includes Navarre Beach.
› Palm Beach County approves $13.8M warehouse park expansion near airport
The Palm Beach County Commission unanimously approved an amended lease agreement that will enable a developer to expand the size of an industrial park just west of Palm Beach International Airport. The amended lease agreement, which was approved at the county commission's October 8 meeting, will enable Airport Logistics Park LLC, a subsidiary of Orlando-based the McCraney Property Company, to build 90,998 square feet of industrial warehouse and distribution facilities on 6.43 acres of county owned land.
"I apologize. This is just horrific."
It's easy to forget sometimes that we're all human. Even weather forecasters. NBC Miami meteorologist John Morales broke down on-air as he was discussing the threat of Hurricane Milton on a local south Florida TV station. The "extremely dangerous" storm is a Category 4 hurricane expected to make landfall this week in the state.
Read more at USA Today