Return of Snowbirds: Florida beaches hammered by hurricanes rejoice as part-timers come back
Despite damages, snowbirds coming to support beaches hit hard. When you drive through beach communities along Florida's West Coast, you will see the ravages of our devastating hurricane season. Still, if you look past the destruction, you'll also see people returning to their slice of paradise. [Source: WFTS]
FEMA sends $1B to Florida storm victims, but some are still waiting on the agency
Delays in aid have slowed some beaches' recovery, casting a pall over island life for locals who miss their tight-knit communities. FEMA applications for this season’s storms flooded the agency with more than double the number of requests than those following hurricanes Ian and Idalia, according to agency data. Hillsborough led Florida counties for most individual assistance applications. [Source: Miami Herald]
Florida ranks No. 1 state for fraud in 2024, report says
The Sunshine State was named the fraud capital of the country this year, according to a report that cited Federal Trade Commission data. Investment fraud lawyers at Investor Loss Center analyzed FTC fraud reports and found that Florida had the highest fraud rate, with 1,020 reports per 100,000 people in the first half of the year. [Source: Tampa Bay Business Journal]
Report: Florida's citrus industry crop is down 90% from two decades before
A report by a nonpartisan nonprofit says Florida's citrus industry's production has dropped 90% in the last 20 years and offers solutions back to primacy. The report by Florida Taxwatch says the industry is under assault by citrus diseases and hurricanes. Florida was hit by three hurricanes this year alone, with two of them, Helene and Milton, impacting the citrus industry. [Source: Apopka Voice]
Florida Realtors report: Median home price in November over $400K
The industry group Florida Realtors recently released a report that showed the statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes in November was $410,700. See all of the median prices in the state’s metropolitan statistical areas. [Source: Jacksonville Business Journal]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Massive invasive python is freed into the Palm Beach County wilderness. Here’s why.
Donna Kalil, one of Florida’s most famed snake hunters, usually hates seeing invasive pythons get away, but on a postcard-pretty morning a few days before Christmas, she teamed up with researchers from the University of Florida to release one of the larger snakes she’d ever caught. Kalil knows the snake, once free, will go on to kill native wildlife again. But it’s for a good cause.
› Asphalt tiles, popular roofing material, may need to go in Florida, Citizens Insurance exec says
The most widely used roofing material might soon be on the outs with state policymakers — at least it’s getting there for the president and CEO of the state’s largest property insurer. Tim Cerio, leader of Citizens Property Insurance Corp., at a gathering of state and insurance industry leaders, alluded to a future in which a new asphalt shingle roof is looked upon as less-than-ideal in the calculus of each homeowner’s premium.
› Orlando industrial sales point to industry demands
A wave of industrial property sales in Central Florida have highlighted a trend toward smaller footprints among the asset class. Smaller facilities known as small-bay industrial are in increasing demand in Central Florida, according to experts.
› Foot Locker quietly moves ahead with relocating HQ from NY to St. Pete
After announcing on an earning call in August that it was relocating it global headquarters to St. Petersburg, little is publicly known about Foot Locker’s plan. But things are happening. St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, for one, met with company employees in late November and welcomed the company to town.
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› Sterling Bank shareholders approve EverBank buyout
Sterling Bancorp Inc. said shareholders voted at a special meeting Dec. 18 to approve the sale of its Sterling Bank and Trust subsidiary to Jacksonville-based EverBank. The deal will give EverBank 25 branches in California, a major brick-and-mortar expansion for the bank which has done most of its business with customers online.
› Universal’s Epic Universe will be first new Florida theme park in 25 years
Universal Orlando is conjuring up more than just another wizard-themed land for Epic Universe, the first new theme park in Florida in more than 25 years. When it opens in May 2025, Walt Disney World should be worried, analysts say. The new park, estimated to cost more than $6.6 billion including the adjacent hotels, is a “game changer” according to analysts, giving tourists a reason to visit Central Florida without the draw of the Mouse.
› As Miami-Dade Courthouse set to open, historic site gets buying offer
Relentless time has pushed completion of the new Miami-Dade County Courthouse a tad passed its scheduled opening, now set for Jan. 21, according to Kathy Labrada, chief efficiency & compliance officer for the county’s Internal Services Division.
› At 8,000 square feet, the state’s largest laser tag arena is tucked away in Tampa
Ted Mangano can be surprised how well his arcade is hidden. Especially since he says it features the largest indoor laser tag arena in the state. “You would think more people would realize it’s right here in Tampa,” Mangano said. “But, we’re here, and I always figured that if I was going to have laser tag, make it worthwhile to come out to, either by size or experience or both.