Hurricane sales tax holiday in limbo as Florida budget negotiations linger
Florida leaders continue to grapple with contentious state budget negotiations, while the clock is ticking for residents preparing for the upcoming hurricane season. With lawmakers now more than three weeks overdue in reaching a consensus, concerns are mounting regarding the potential impact on the Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday. More from WPTV.
National Hurricane Center tracking tropical waves in Atlantic, Caribbean. See predictions
As we near the official start of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season on June 1, the National Hurricane Center is tracking two tropical waves as of the morning of May 27. One wave is in the central Atlantic. The other is in the Caribbean from south of the Dominican Republic southward to northwestern Venezuela. Both are moving west, although forecasters don't expect any tropical cyclone activity over the next seven days. More from the Florida Times-Union.
Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp elected as next President & CEO of Florida TaxWatch
The Florida TaxWatch Board has elected Jeff Kottkamp as the incoming President and CEO, officially taking the helm in January 2026. Kottkamp, currently serving as Executive Vice President and General Counsel, brings decades of leadership experience from his time as Florida’s Lieutenant Governor and a longtime public policy advocate. More from Florida Trend.
JaxPort well-positioned amid shifting global trade dynamics
The biggest issue facing JaxPort’s role in warehousing and logistics in Jacksonville is managing the current economic uncertainty surrounding shifting global trade flows while positioning the region for long-term growth. Jacksonville’s growing connections to emerging trade lanes — particularly in Southeast and South Asia — are enhancing port activity, warehousing and logistics. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Construction will start on Osceola County’s planned Crossprairie city center in 2026
With the selection of a builder, a downtown is on the way for Crossprairie, the 1,400-acre master-planned community in Osceola County east of Lake Toho. Master developer BTI Partners, which has lined up an array of homebuilders to handle the residential lots in Crossprairie, now has enlisted WMG Development for the 95-acre urban center at the new Florida’s Turnpike interchange. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
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Arts Business
Photos: Muralists painted huge murals on the walls at St. Pete’s Dali Museum
With a swirl of bright teal paint for whiskers, the artist known as Palehorse (real name Christopher Parks) filled in the face of a neon-orange tiger as part of his mural homage to Salvador Dali. He and 12 other muralists were invited by the world-famous museum in St. Petersburg to paint on the walls and express the influence that the surrealist had on them. And for many, like Parks, the museum itself had a big influence as one of their first childhood encounters with artistic genius.
» More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Florida Trend Exclusive
Affordable apartments
The City of Pensacola’s priority initiative to foster more affordable housing has taken a major step forward with developers’ plans to build two apartment projects on the old Baptist Hospital campus. The Georgia-based Paces Preservation Partners’ plans, recently approved by the Pensacola City Council, call for construction of Kupfrian Manor, a 94-unit senior housing development, and Avery Place, a 112-unit family apartment complex.
» Read more from Florida Trend.