Florida's minimum wage is about to go up again
In under two weeks, many Florida workers will get a bump in their paychecks. On Sept. 30, this year's minimum wage hike goes into effect, adding another $1 an hour to minimum wage worker pay. Minimum wage will go up another buck in 2026 until the state minimum wage is $15 an hour, an increase mandated by the "Fair Wage" constitutional amendment Florida voters approved in 2020. Minimum wage in Florida is currently $13 an hour for non-tipped employees and $9.98 for tipped employees. More from the Tallahassee Democrat and the News Service of Florida.
Two disturbances trail Hurricane Gabrielle, one could affect Caribbean
Behind a strengthening Hurricane Gabrielle, which could become a Category 3 major hurricane Monday night, are two potential tropical systems that may develop this week, one of which may arc into the Caribbean. So far in 2025, there have been seven named storms. AccuWeather is now predicting 13 to 16 named storms and six to nine hurricanes, according to an update. Its previous forecast, issued in March, predicted 13 to 18 named storms and seven to 10 hurricanes. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Gas prices soar by double digits in Florida. See the cheapest places to pump
After a big dip last week, gas prices have increased in Florida by double digits this week. The change has sent most areas over $3 a gallon. The increase “may sound steep, but these kinds of fluctuations have become fairly routine over the past year,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman for AAA - The Auto Club Group. Since September 2024, Florida’s average gas price has been like a yo-yo on a string, up and down, down and up. North Florida remains the cheapest to get gas in the state. Naples and Palm Beach County are among the most expensive areas. [Source: Miami Herald]
New UF/IFAS bilingual online resources help Florida farmers launch, enhance their business
The University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension has launched a new bilingual online resource to help Florida farmers strengthen their operations through effective business planning. The websites, "Building Your Florida Farm Business Plan" / "Construyendo tu Plan de Negocios Agrícola de Florida," offer step-by-step guidance, practical tools and expert insights to support new and experienced farmers in creating comprehensive farm business plans. “Farming is more than growing crops or raising livestock — it’s running a business,” said Luis Rodriguez, UF/IFAS Extension Polk County agent. [Source: Gainesville Sun]
Vehicle thefts dropping in Florida
Good news for Florida drivers: vehicle thefts across the Sunshine State dropped by a whopping 30% in the first half of 2025, according to new data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). That puts Florida at No. 6 among the top 10 states with the biggest year-over-year declines in auto theft. The nationwide numbers are also looking significantly better. The U.S. saw a 23% decrease in vehicle thefts compared to the same period in 2024. [Source: Florida Times-Union]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Hurricanes walloped Tampa Bay. A year later, how the area is recovering
Devastating floods. Devastating rains. Devastating winds. Nearly a year has passed since Hurricane Helene made landfall, one of three storms that drilled Florida’s west coast in the worst hurricane season Tampa Bay has seen in more than a century. In the season’s wake: crumpled garages, shredded docks, more than a dozen dead. While Tampa Bay has largely healed, recovery is still a slog in the areas hit hardest.
› Rockledge two-decade suit pits property rights against city plans
A two-decade eminent domain case in Rockledge concerning a 60-acre flooded dredge pit remains unresolved. Rockledge seeks ownership of the pit for drainage system improvements. Recent court rulings favored the property owners, so now the city may have to pay millions in damages to the property owners.
› Citizens Insurance seeing fewer lawsuits from South Florida
The share of lawsuits against Citizens Property Insurance Corp. originating from South Florida has declined sharply. Lawsuits against the so-called insurer of last resort have declined statewide from 6,251 between January and July of 2021 to 3,600 during the same period this year, according to Citizens research. The percentage of cases filed in state circuit courts against Citizens from Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties declined from 88% in 2020 to 55% during the first seven months of 2025, the research shows.
› Northeast Florida unemployment rate highest in four years at 4.6%
Jacksonville’s unemployment rate jumped in August to its highest level in more than four years, when the economy was beginning its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, with job growth at a post-pandemic low. The unemployment rate in the Jacksonville metropolitan area of Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties rose from 4.2% in July to 4.6% in August, the Florida Department of Commerce reported Sept. 19.
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› Florida organ recovery agency could close after ‘unsafe practices’ found
A South Florida nonprofit that recovers organs for transplantation could close after a federal investigation found years of unsafe practices and other problems. Federal regulators are moving to decertify the Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency, a division of the University of Miami Health System, following the investigation’s findings, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced in a news release.
› Jacksonville philanthropists' 'lasting gift' helps fund $190 million Baptist Health tower
Baptist Health has broken ground on a $190 million four-story emergency and patient tower at the health system’s main campus, which is on Jacksonville's Southbank and currently houses Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville and Wolfson Children’s Hospital. The project "marks a major step forward in expanding and enhancing access to advanced care for adults and children in Northeast Florida when they need it most," according to Baptist.
› American Magic HQ will be much more than a sailing team. Aerospace manufacturing is coming
The $20 million American Magic headquarters at the Port of Pensacola will not just be a sailing team base but also a manufacturing facility for maritime and aerospace work. Work at Warehouse No. 10 is progressing rapidly, and the New York Yacht Club American Magic sailing team is preparing to move into the 56,000-square-foot facility in early November.
› Winter Park may cut impact fees to spur more development on West Fairbanks
Winter Park, in a bid to transform the West Fairbanks Avenue corridor, is exploring incentives that could ignite more development in the area. Winter Park held a City Commission work session to discuss the future of the corridor, specifically the South of Fairbanks Avenue (SOFA) District. The district, which stretches from Orlando Avenue to I-4, is part of a community redevelopment area with land under the jurisdiction of Winter Park, Orlando, and Orange County.