Major Florida grower to exit citrus business
Pointing to Florida’s decades-long fight with deadly citrus greening disease and damage from hurricanes, a major grower Monday announced it will “wind down” citrus operations and focus on more-profitable uses of its land. Fort Myers-based Alico Inc. said it will not spend additional money on citrus operations after the current crop is harvested. It said about 3,460 acres of its citrus land will be managed by other operators through 2026. More from the News Service of Florida.
Florida average gas price at $3.10
Motorists in much of the Florida Panhandle continue to pay less than $3 a gallon for gas, but the statewide average price lingers above that mark. The AAA auto club said the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded Monday in Florida was $3.10, a 4-cent increase from a week earlier. More from the News Service of Florida.
A South Florida family business reaches its end after more than 200 years
Rachel Rodriguez looks around her store, and emotions surface at the sight of her relatives’ portraits on the walls. They’re a reminder of a legacy that dates back more than 200 years. Her business, Constantine’s Wood Center, soon will close in Oakland Park. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Lakewood Ranch Southeast expansion in east Sarasota County gets OK from planning board
Lakewood Ranch's eastward expansion in Sarasota County took another step forward recently after the Sarasota County Planning Commission recommended approval for the first 550 acres in the 4,100-acre development about 10 miles east of Interstate 75. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Orlando expands flight options with 9 airlines adding routes
Orlando International Airport already has more than 22 new flights that will debut in 2025. The airport has lined up new activity from several of its airline partners that will begin this year. That includes first-time flights to U.S. cities, as well as new international destinations in Germany and France. All of that activity comes as it has grown to become the seventh-largest airport in the U.S. More from the Orlando Business Journal.
Entertainment
It’s right whale season in Florida. Here are the best places to see one off the shore
Wondering what those huge, dark blobs in the ocean are this winter? If you guessed a whale, you're right! North Atlantic right whales have been making their annual trek to Florida since late November, opting for the scenic route along the Eastern coast instead of I-95's typical chaos.
» More from Daytona Beach News Journal.
Out of the Box
Mob wife turns her story into a comedy with a world premiere on a Boca Raton stage … and then maybe a movie!
For about 14 years Sharon Pfeiffer has had this story, which is now a comedic play, ping-ponging in her mind. Now her story her been run through a funny filter and come out on the other end as “From Brooklyn to Boca,” where the Catholic Rifiutos family — Regina and Frank, and their son, Carmine — are relocated from Brooklyn by the Federal Witness Protection Program to Boca Raton where they attempt to blend-in as an ersatz Jewish family.
» Read more from the Soutth Florida Sun-Sentinel.