Scammers hijack Google reviews; Florida businesses say they’re powerless to stop it
Small businesses in Florida are battling fake Google reviews by scammers looking to extort money. Business owners say Google is slow to respond to their complaints and it's hurting their bottom line. Businesses said they tried to contact Google, but there was no phone number, no email. The only thing they could do was flag the reviews and hope they would be removed. High Google ratings can boost business but even a few negative reviews, even fake ones, can turn potential new customers away. [Source: WTSP]
Florida Trend Exclusive
Threat preparedness
Artificial intelligence is helping hackers target more small to mid-sized businesses that might have felt more immune to ransomware and other attacks, says Cathy Mulrow-Peattie, a partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson’s New York office who helps lead the firm’s cybersecurity, privacy and AI practice. “These cyber criminals as well as threat actors from other countries, they’re looking for data and money — wires and other types of payments that can make them money. This is a business to them, and this needs to be understood as well,” Mulrow-Peattie says. [Source: Florida Trend]
Column: Florida auto insurance — trapped in the ’70s, and you’re paying the price
In 1971, Florida enacted auto insurance laws designed for a world of muscle cars, pay phones, and gas under 40 cents a gallon. Fifty-four years later, the world has moved on — but our laws haven’t. Today, Floridians pay nearly $29 billion a year for auto insurance — the highest per-vehicle cost in the country. The average Florida driver pays nearly $2,400 annually, compared to a national average of roughly $1,700. But the real issue isn’t just the price. It’s how unfairly the burden is distributed. [Source: Florida Politics]
What Floridians should know about solar, EV tax credit rollbacks
A suite of programs that help Americans afford clean energy technology will be phased out in a complex series of successive deadlines. For Floridians who have been considering adding solar to their roofs or buying an electric vehicle, those decisions will soon cost thousands more. The new law could also affect electric bills. Here are three dates and facts to know about how the new law will impact energy in Florida. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
How immigration issues can affect Florida real estate
Some buyers have the upper hand in Florida, with rising inventory and developers offering sales incentives. But immigration issues also are affecting the real estate market, with uncertainty leading some property owners to sell their homes quickly to capitalize on rising prices. Many immigrants bought homes by taking advantage of federal FHA loans, which allow for low down payments of around 3.5%, and other assistance for first-time buyers. [Source: Miami Herald]
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ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› A new Mote aquarium is rising in Florida. Here’s the latest
For two years, Mote Marine has been building a new Science Education Aquarium near a mall off Interstate 75 in Southwest Florida. Originally projected to open in early 2025, Hurricane Helene and Milton delayed the $130 million complex. An exact opening date hasn’t been announced. Beyond the storms, why the uncertainty? Two reasons: getting the water chemistry in the new aquarium correct and getting the animals quarantined, transferred and acclimated to their new home.
› Boca Raton group wants downtown redevelopment plan to be on the ballot
Who gets to decide the future of Boca Raton’s downtown? A new petition effort wants it to be the voters. Frustrated by the city’s plans to redevelop 30 acres of public land — including the relocation of long-standing recreational facilities like the tennis center and skate park — a group of residents is launching a campaign to force the project onto the ballot.
› Largest-ever partner joins Lee economic development nonprofit
The Horizon Foundation, a nonprofit in Lee County that supports economic development, has picked up the first $50,000-level investor in its 30-year history. The donor is the Lee County Industrial Development Authority, a seven-member board appointed by Lee County Commissioners. The IDA, according to a statement, is tasked with fostering industrial and business development.
› Mayor Deegan unveils $2 billion Jacksonville budget with no tax rate increase, drawdown of reserves
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan is proposing a $2 billion 2025-26 municipal operating budget with a roughly $110 million spending increase over the adopted 2024-25 version. In a July 14 presentation to City Council, Deegan also proposed a five-year Capital Improvement Plan with $687 million in first-year spending, an increase of $198 million over what Deegan recommended and Council adopted in 2024.
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› Firefighters' union, Brevard County reach contract agreement that will go to votes
Brevard County and its firefighters' union have reached a contract agreement at last — 18 months after those negotiations began. The three-year contract proposal now will go to Brevard County Fire Rescue union rank-and-file and the Brevard County Commission for ratification votes. The proposal calls for average pay increases of 16% to 22% for the most common categories of union members in the first year of the contract.
› MDIA seeks startup solutions for improving access to affordable housing
It’s no secret that affordable housing has been harder and harder to find in Miami-Dade County. To help solve this growing problem, the Miami-Dade Innovation Authority today launched its sixth Public Innovation Challenge to identify tech-driven solutions to improve how residents access affordable housing.
› Leading Tampa homebuilder names future president, seeks CFO
Homes by WestBay, the largest locally owned, privately held homebuilder in Tampa Bay, has announced an executive succession plan. The firm’s founder and president, Willy Nunn, will move to the role of CEO and chair of a newly created board of directors at the end of 2027.
› Breeze bringing more new routes to these Florida cities this fall
Breeze Airways is ramping up its Florida service, again. The low-cost airline had already announced 14 new routes from Sunshine State airports starting in September and October, and now it's added a nonstop flight from Orlando to Norfolk, Virginia and bringing back a route between Tampa and Charleston, West Virginia.
"I just want to taste that waffle."
Randy Moss has had a few careers. NFL wide receiver. Sports commentator. Bile duct cancer survivor.
And now, South Florida chicken restaurant entrepreneur.
In his newest role, the Pro Football Hall of Famer was excited to pass out chicken sandwiches Friday as a partner in the new Crisppi’s Chicken on Biscayne Boulevard, just north of downtown Miami.
Read more at the Miami Herald