Florida says it’s ready for hurricane season, with or without FEMA’s help
Every hurricane season in Florida comes with uncertainty but there’s a surprising new source of questions this year surrounding the federal agency that responds to disasters and has historically helped pay for often massive cleanup and recovery costs. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, already down thousands of employees under cuts directed by the Trump administration, is also under new marching orders to slash federal spending on disaster responses, leaving bigger shares of the bills to state and local governments. [Source: Miami Herald]
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» Column: Florida needs to streamline and bolster hurricane recovery
Foreclosures rise modestly nationwide, but Florida sees sharp uptick
Overall, the national mortgage delinquency rate remained steady, ticking up just one basis point to 3.22%. Florida stood out as the state with the most pronounced year-over-year deterioration in mortgage performance. The Sunshine State saw a 12.13% increase in its non-current loan rate — the largest jump of any state — and ranked among the top five states for loans 90+ days past due, at 1.30%. [Source: National Mortgage Professional]
Commentary: Florida’s tug-of-war on tax cuts
Floridians are facing the pressures of rising costs of living in the form of inflation, lack of affordable housing, and recovery from a once-volatile insurance market. In a recent JMI Poll, 58% of registered Florida voters listed the rising cost of living as their top concern, followed by homeowners’ insurance (23%), housing costs (21%), and high taxes (17%). They’ll be delighted to hear that help is on the way through essential tax breaks, which seem to be the consensus among state leaders. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Floridians could soon be able to use gold and silver to pay for things
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Tuesday that would recognize gold and silver as legal tender in the state, paving a path for Floridians to use the commodities in payment transactions. The bill, HB 999, starts the process of allowing government or private entities, such as businesses, to voluntarily accept gold and silver as a form of debt payment. The bill also outlines sales tax exemptions on the purchase of the precious metals if they meet the purity requirements or if the sale of the gold or silver exceeds $500. More from Business Insider and Click Orlando.
Who can use Florida’s beaches? Depends on where you are.
The fight over one Gulf county's sugar white sand has moved from the beaches to the courtroom and back to the halls of Florida’s Capitol seven years after lawmakers tried to settle the issue. Now the Legislature is reversing course, passing a bill to repeal a 2018 law governing the establishment of beach access. Even if Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the bill, the fight over beach access is unlikely to end. [Source: Politico]
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ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Consultant: JEA should invest in upgrades versus repairing aging infrastructure
Armed with a newly delivered report saying it would be more cost-effective for JEA to borrow funding to replace aging parts of its infrastructure and equipment than fix them piecemeal style with an expanded workforce, the city-owned utility’s leadership is working on a plan to optimize staff efficiency and invest in its systems.
› Tourists coming to Brevard for space launches spend 17% more per day than other visitors
Tourists who come to the Space Coast primarily to watch a rocket launch present a lucrative revenue opportunity for local hotels, restaurants and attractions. Data compiled by the Space Coast Office of Tourism shows that these tourists, on average, spend more than other overnight visitors coming to Brevard County. And with the cadence of rocket launches increasing, that mean more opportunities to attract these visitors at a time when overall tourism could be waning because of economic and political concerns.
› FSU loses $53 million in research funds
Florida State University has lost over $53 million in DOGE cuts. As of May 23, 54 federal grants and contracts have been canceled, according to university spokesperson Amy Farnum Patronis. Earlier in the month, the university was facing a loss of almost double the amount of money, $102 million. But an appeal to the National Institutes of Health to reinstate the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS interventions (ATN) at the Scientific Leadership Center at FSU restored over $50 million.
› EPA approves permit for aquaculture demonstration project in Gulf off Sarasota County
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved a modified permit on May 15 for the Ocean Era aquaculture project, which would raise up to 55,000 pounds of redfish in an offshore net pen in federal waters off of Sarasota County. Environmental groups may challenge the EPA's approval, citing concerns about fish waste and potential impacts on wild fish.
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› Mote releases record number of juvenile snook in Sarasota County waters
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium recently released 28,000 juvenile snook in Sarasota County estuaries over an eight-day period, more than doubling the amount previously released as part of its fisheries enhancement program. Mote’s previous release record was approximately 12,000 fish that had been produced through multiple spawning events. This time, nearly 35,000 snook were produced from a single spawn.
› Health care company to cut jobs across South Florida amid layoffs
Eagle Healthcare LLC will permanently lay off 250 employees across 11 Sunshine State facilities, including 68 workers in South Florida. The layoffs are set to take effect July 14 and stem from what the company described as “the unexpected loss of a significant contract."
› About $2.5 billion in Duval land is in title limbo. A nonprofit is working on a fix.
LISC Jacksonville, a local community development support organization, will receive a $450,000 grant to help families address property issues of their heirs. Heirs' property is land passed down by inheritance without legal documentation proving ownership. The grant "will help families avoid involuntary loss of property, resolve tangled title issues and promote long-term stability through clear and secure homeownership," according to the Jacksonville chapter of the national the Local Initiatives Support Corp.
› Lee County School District holding transportation job fair
The School District of Lee County is hosting a Transportation Job Fair for Southwest Florida job seekers from 3 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28, at Bonita Springs Public Library, located at 10560 Reynolds St. in Bonita Springs. School bus drivers working with the District are responsible for providing safe, timely, efficient and courteous transportation services for Lee County students.