Floridians’ lack of sleep is bringing a snooze to their wallets
Most of us probably don’t think about the impact not getting enough sleep can have on our pocketbooks and the economy as a whole. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 38.8% of adults in Florida are getting less than the recommended seven hours of sleep a night. The economic impact to not getting enough sleep includes productivity and higher costs for businesses that pay for health insurance. [Source: WUSF]
U.S. Coast Guard to ‘surge assets’ in South Florida after Trump’s immigration orders
The U.S. Coast Guard is increasing its presence in the waters off South Florida in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive orders aiming to curb illegal immigration. Adm. Kevin Lunday, Coast Guard acting commandant, said in a news release Wednesday that he ordered all operational commanders to “immediately surge assets,” including cutters, boats, helicopters and planes and specialized teams beginning with “key areas.” [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Survey: Florida still the ‘dream’ state for relocation
Florida is still the most desired state to relocate to in America. That’s according to a new study by moveBuddha, a personal advisory website offering services on relocations. “Florida is the most desired state to move to in 2025, with residents in three of four U.S. regions naming it as the state they’d most like to move to,” the moveBuddha results showed. The site surveyed 1,250 Americans about their plans on moving this year. [Source: Florida Politics]
Which Florida congressional district has the highest household income?
It’s home to President-elect Donald Trump and his billionaire neighbors in Palm Beach, but Florida’s 22nd Congressional District isn’t among the districts with the highest earnings in the country. It’s not even close. About half the nation’s 435 congressional districts have higher median household incomes. And Florida’s 22nd, which is entirely within Palm Beach County, isn’t even among the top in the state or in South Florida. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Coral restoration in Florida and Puerto Rico can protect thousands of lives, new study finds
Have you ever thought about the value of coral reefs? While they serve as important ecosystems which promote biodiversity, they also serve as storm and erosion protection, and provide jobs and food for millions of people. According to a previous study led by UC Santa Cruz, existing coral reefs shield more than 18,000 people and provide more than $1.8 billion annually for the direct benefits of avoided flood damages to property in the United States. [Source: Oceanographic]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Will Martin County sue Stuart over its stance on Brightline grants?
City commissioners have opened Stuart up to a potential lawsuit. By declining last week to throw its support behind Martin County's effort to secure grant money for a Brightline train station in downtown, Stuart could be setting itself to be sued by the county for breaching a legal obligation. Stuart made its decision final on Tuesday, declining to provide the letter by the county's deadline.
› 7 job fairs from Tampa to Fort Myers coming up
Employers across the region are hiring, with multiple job fairs planned in the first quarter as organizations seek to fill positions in the new year. This week, a high-end resort on Longboat Key and Sarasota County government are hosting job fairs. Next month, large-scale events hosted by Florida Job Link are planned for Tampa, Fort Myers and Sarasota.
› Sitting in traffic costs Orlando drivers $483 a year, study says
Metro Orlando residents lost 27 hours sitting in traffic in 2024 — at a cost of $483 per drive — according to a new study from Kirkland, Washington-based transportation analytics company Inrix Inc. The findings reinforce the idea that "time is money," but also make the case things could be worse in Central Florida. After all, Orlando was the 38th most-congested city in the U.S. — behind in-state peers like Tampa (No. 25) and Miami (No. 6) — and ranked 263rd worldwide.
› Miami-Dade County urges state to repeal law barring local crane safety
The Miami-Dade County Commission wants state lawmakers to allow cities and counties to regulate construction cranes. The commission on Wednesday voted unanimously on a resolution to ask the Florida Legislature to remove the preemption in state law barring local governments from making their own rules on crane safety. It references the crane that fell from a downtown St. Petersburg high-rise and smashed into an office building in October during Hurricane Milton.
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› Orlando beats Miami for top STEM jobs market in Florida, report says
One Florida market is among the top 10 locations in the U.S. for science, technology, engineering and math professionals, according to a new study from WalletHub. That market is not in South Florida. Instead, the Miami-area came in at No. 52 in an analysis of 100 metro areas that looked at factors such as professional opportunities, STEM friendliness and quality of life. In comparison, Orlando – the highest ranked location in Florida – was the tenth-best market and Tampa was No. 13.
› Lakeland officials set a February date to debate whether to add fluoride to city's water
Lakeland officials have set the stage for a showdown over whether fluoride should be added to the city's water supplies next month. Mayor Bill Mutz directed city staff to schedule a public hearing on whether the city should continue to add supplemental fluoride to the city's water for its second February commission meeting on Feb. 17.
› Fort Myers airport breaks passenger traffic record in 2024
More than 1.1 million passengers traveled through Southwest Florida International Airport in December, according to the Lee County Port Authority, which operates RSW and Page Field. This marked a busy end to what officials say was a record year for the airport in Fort Myers.
› Can a big ‘transit community’ at a west Miami-Dade bus station ease traffic woes?
For nearly two decades, Miami-Dade County has been on an aggressively effective campaign to recruit developers to create dense clusters of apartments and shops at Metrorail stations. By now a familiar model, it works to boost housing supply and transit ridership while curtailing auto dependency. Now the county transit department and a prominent Miami developer have teamed up to launch what promises to be Miami-Dade’s largest, most ambitious transit-oriented development.