Reports show military installations give Florida huge economic boost
Two new reports on the economic impact of Florida’s military installations show they provide hundreds of billions of dollars in value. FloridaCommerce unveiled the Florida Defense Industry Economic Impact Analysis and the Florida Military and Defense Economic Impact Summary, showing the economic benefit is far-reaching in the Sunshine State. Military bases and support installations dot nearly every region of Florida. The Florida Defense Support Task Force has been monitoring their economic impact for more than a decade and helped prepare the briefings. More from Florida Politics.
Disney Cruise Line opting for smaller ships in future to increase destination flexibility
Disney Cruise Line is planning to buck a trend of some competing cruise lines. When other cruise lines — most notably Royal Caribbean — are building larger and larger cruise ships, Disney will be making three of its future ships smaller than its recent ones. Disney says three ships that it will introduce in 2029, 2030 and 2031 each will be about 100,000 tons and will carry about 3,000 passengers. More from Florida Today.
Fort Lauderdale seeks to collect new EMS tax. The higher the property value, the higher the tax.
Fort Lauderdale is moving forward with plans to set up an EMS taxing district that could generate close to $55 million a year to help pay the salaries of the city’s firefighter/paramedics. Homeowners and commercial property owners would see the Emergency Medical Services tax on their property tax bill along with a fire fee already levied by the city. The EMS tax would come to nearly $500 for a home with a taxable value of $590,000. The higher the value of the property, the higher the tax. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
St. Petersburg to Rays: No deadline in contract for repairing Tropicana Field
City Administrator Rob Gerdes has told the Tampa Bay Rays in a letter that St. Petersburg is under no obligation to repair Tropicana Field in time for opening day 2026, as the Rays now expect. The back-and-forth written exchange between the Rays and the Pinellas County Commission over next steps after Hurricane Milton tore the roof off the stadium is now happening between the city and the team on repairs to Tropicana Field. Still unclear is where the Rays stand on a deal to build a new $1.3 billion stadium, which would include demolishing Tropicana Field in a few years for new development. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
This famous (and huge) French restaurant from New York is opening in Miami Beach
A famous French restaurant from New York City is making its Florida debut in Miami Beach. The huge, determinedly chic La Grande Boucherie, the giant Parisian bistro that’s more than twice the size of most Parisian bistros, is opening in Miami Beach’s South of Fifth neighborhood. The concept from The Group Hospitality, which first opened in Manhattan in 2020, now has four New York restaurants, one in Chicago and another in Washington. More from the Miami Herald.
Out of the Box
See the wacky foods coming to Tampa’s Florida State Fair next month
The Florida State Fair returns Feb. 6-17, and with it comes a new lineup of wacky foods that are deep-fried or covered in chocolate and served on a stick. This year’s offerings are tame compared to recent contenders like Pop Rock pickles and the now-classic Donut Burger, the Donut Dog and the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Funnel Cake. So be proud, Tampa. As the first state fair of the year, the weird foods get a test run here.
» More from the Tampa Bay Times.
2025 Economic Outlook
Central Florida's economic forecast for 2025
Regional business leaders talk about the outlook for the year ahead, plus demographics and statistics. Janet Petro Director at NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center tells us: "The current infrastructure — roads, sewer systems, wastewater — were all built back in the 1960s to support the Apollo programs, maybe six, eight launches a year. Fast forward to where we are today at nearly 100 launches, and we’re using that same infrastructure."
» Read more from Florida Trend.