Could E-Verify requirement for all Florida businesses pass this year?
The newly proposed bill builds off a Florida law (SB 1718) that passed in 2023, dubbed one of the toughest immigration laws at the time. That bill originally required E-Verify for all businesses, but the final iteration set the limit at those with more than 25 employees, which is still law. If a company runs afoul of the law, it's a $1,000 fine for every day of noncompliance. Also, all the businesses' licenses are at risk of being suspended. Business owners criticized the move, saying it would raise prices and cause labor shortages, especially in agriculture and construction. [Source: Tallahassee Democrat]
To hunt Florida pythons, state partners with leather company
The state of Florida has entered into a public-private partnership with Inversa — a leather company that specializes in invasive species — to support the fight against Burmese pythons. The partnership has Inversa overseeing the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Python Action Team Removing Invasive Constrictors (PATRIC) program, which employs 50 professional, trained python hunters. The hunters are paid by the hour and by the foot, just as they were previously, but now they have the option of selling the snake’s skins to Inversa, which pays them additionally. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Fierce competition unfolds as Florida weighs expanding medical marijuana industry
A months-long hearing kicked off Monday in a fierce licensure battle over a rare opportunity to join the state’s medical-marijuana industry. The hearing, slated to run through mid-February, comes nearly a year after Florida health regulators announced their intent to award medical-marijuana licenses to 22 of dozens of applicants who vied for the licenses. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Southeastern Grocers to rebrana s The Winn-Dixie Company
Southeastern Grocers, LLC, parent company of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket, announced it will rebrand as The Winn-Dixie Company in early 2026, marking a symbolic return to its heritage and a sharpened focus on its home state of Florida. The move underscores SEG’s intent to build on Winn-Dixie’s 100-year legacy while investing heavily in store modernization, private label expansion, and customer experience enhancements. More from Mass Market Retailers and the Florida Times-Union.
565 manatee deaths reported in Florida this year
As of October 10, 565 manatee deaths have been reported in Florida this year, aligning with the annual average. Although the number of deaths is at the usual annual average, wildlife officials remain cautious. Of the reported deaths, 89 were connected to incidents involving watercraft. [Source: WFTV]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Onx plans for Orlando factory in question after homebuilder lays off workers
Plans to develop an Orlando factory from Texas-based homebuilder Onx Homes are in question after the company confirmed it would close two South Florida factories as part of a “broader restructuring effort”. Earlier this week, Onx announced it would be laying off 137 workers and closing factories in Pompano Beach and Homestead in response to challenges in the national housing market, according to a report in GrowthSpotter. Onx previously had won attention in Florida because its concrete-cast homes are particularly resistant to hurricane damage.
› Can a university from Tennessee help accelerate growth in West Palm Beach?
Much as professional sports teams have revitalized neighborhoods with real estate projects beyond arenas and stadiums, universities entering new communities can drive economic development by attracting new businesses that cater to students, faculty and staff. They can also act as community resources with programs and lectures open to the public, and can contribute to entrepreneurship through the development of patents and other innovations at the university.
› Super Girl Surf Pro: Largest women’s surfing competition coming to Jacksonville this fall
While most Floridians spend their first weekends in November preparing for the holidays, surfing fans in North Florida are intently watching the weather in the lead up to one of the most anticipated surfing events of the year. This event, held in Jacksonville, Florida, is the second part of the largest female-only surfing competition. The competition series gathers competitors from around the world to compete for the title of “Super Girl Surf Pro.”
› New academic partnerships will propel St. Pete startups
The ARK Innovation Center in St. Petersburg has a new resident with funding and intellectual property to propel local entrepreneurs: The USF Institute of Applied Engineering. Based on the University of South Florida Tampa campus and flush with military contracts, the Institute of Applied Engineering, in collaboration with the Florida High Tech Corridor, will establish a presence at the startup incubator.
More stories ...
› Florida Conservation Group safeguards 7,300 acres of working lands in Levy County
As growth and development accelerate in Levy County, the Florida Conservation Group (FCG) has secured the permanent protection of more than 7,300 acres of working forests and farmland through coordinated efforts with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (FDACS) Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Florida Forever program.
› Lake Wales CRA board rejects $420,000 deal with operators of BizLinc business incubator
Lake Wales will not offer another three years of financial support to a controversial business incubator. Though BizLinc has been a source of contention, the board of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency voted down a request for $420,000 over three years at its Oct. 13 meeting for a purely legalistic reason: Funding BizLinc would violate strict rules on how the CRA can use its funds.
› Alachua County OKs final development plans for new sports club, 75-unit apartment complex
The Alachua County Development Review Committee on Oct. 16 approved two projects that could see the creation of a new sports facility and a 75-unit apartment complex. Flamingo Sports Club would be located at Southwest Archer Road west of its intersection with Southwest 91st Street at the former YMCA sports facility. The private club would include pickleball and tennis courts, a pool, and other recrational opportunities.
› South Florida drone company to bring AI technology to battlefields, humanitarian missions
A South Florida company that makes artificial intelligence solutions for use in drone imagery entered into an agreement to receive a $14 million investment led by Ondas Holdings, Inc. Aventura-based Safe Pro Group will sell two million shares of common stock to investors. Proceeds are exepcted to accelerate the development and integration of its computer vision and threat detection systems for deployment in the U.S. and international defense and humanitarian markets.