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Florida's rural rise
State law defines a rural county as one with a population of 75,000 or fewer, or one with a population of 125,000 or fewer that’s contiguous to a county with a population of 75,000 or fewer. Florida has 31 rural counties, most of them concentrated in North-Central Florida and the Panhandle. A hub exists in South-Central Florida as well. Altogether, Florida’s rural counties contribute just 2.9% to the state’s $1.6-trillion economy. But, with a 56.6% spike in GDP since 2018, their growth has outpaced that of non-rural counties. More from Florida Trend.
Rayonier, PotlatchDeltic to form timber products giant in $8.2 billion merger
Rayonier and PotlatchDeltic said on Tuesday they will merge in an all-stock deal worth about $8.2 billion, including debt, to create one of North America's largest publicly traded timber and wood products companies. The merger comes as lumber markets remain volatile, whipsawed by shifting tariffs and a weak construction outlook. More from Reuters and the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Trio of Tampa Bay insurance firm IPOs raise nearly $900M
After a lull, the initial public offering market for insurance companies in Tampa Bay is back, in a big way. Tampa’s American Integrity Insurance Group was the first area insurer to go public this year when it listed on the NYSE in May. That debut was quickly echoed by Tampa-based Slide Insurance Holdings in June and St. Petersburg-based Neptune Insurance Holdings, parent company of Neptune Flood, in early October. More from the Business Observer.
Tupperware investor lawsuit nears $21.75M settlement
Tupperware investors have reached a proposed settlement in a class-action lawsuit for certain owners of the company's common stock. Law firms Pomerantz LLP and Levi & Korsinsky LLP announced the proposed settlement of up to $21.75 million, which will be considered at a Dec. 18 hearing in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Orlando, according to a news release. More from the Orlando Business Journal.
Miami startups bagged $754M of VC in Q3
Venture capital activity rose in Q3 in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area, ensuring 2025 will be a better year for South Florida startups raising funding than 2024, the latest Pitchbook data show. Nationally, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro also retained its position as a top 10 VC hub by deal count, according to the Q3 PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor report out this morning. More from Miami Today.
Event
Organizers say Florida International Air Show still on despite federal shutdown
Organizers of the 2025 Florida International Air Show say the Punta Gorda event will run Nov. 1-2, despite the Federal Government shutdown and potential loss of the main attraction, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. Air show officials say they remain in close communication with federal and local partners to assess and address any potential impacts promptly.
» More from WGCU.
Health Care Trends
On our plates
Florida has a huge number of specialty license plates — more than 100 of them. They allow drivers to personalize their vehicles and support various causes, universities or sports teams. One of them is the “End Breast Cancer” license tag, which was introduced in 2002. Each time a vehicle owner purchases or renews this plate, the nonprofit Florida Breast Cancer Foundation receives $25. The state says there are 16,927 of these plates currently in circulation, and that funnels nearly $425,000 a year to the foundation.
» Read more from Florida Trend.