Canadians flee Florida real estate market as Trump tariffs and trade tensions create uncertainty
A new chill is sweeping through Florida’s sunny real estate market — and it’s coming from the north. Canadian homeowners, long among the biggest foreign investors in U.S. property, are now selling off their Florida homes amid mounting trade friction, tariff fears and a weakened Canadian dollar that’s making ownership more expensive than ever. Historically, Canadians make up about 13% of all foreign buyers of U.S. real estate. In recent months, there’s been a decline in Canadian buyer searches in Florida, according to Realtor.com. [Source: FOX Business]
DeSantis wants Florida universities to ‘pull the plug’ on H-1B staff from foreign countries
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he wants to “pull the plug” on H-1B visas at state universities, arguing the program meant to recruit top talent from foreign countries wrongly takes jobs away from Floridians. Almost 400 employees from foreign countries currently work at Florida public universities under that visa program, according to data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Miami-Dade’s $2.2 billion North Corridor rail plan moves ahead as residents seek safer, faster transit options
The North Corridor Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Master Plan for Miami-Dade is moving forward. A community workshop took place Oct. 22 at the Sherbondy Village Community Center in Opa-locka, marking the first of two meetings designed to shape development around the long-awaited transit corridor. The plan builds on decades of conversations to extend rapid transit along Northwest 27th Avenue from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Metrorail Station in Gladeview to the Broward County line, a busy, historically underserved corridor. [Source: Miami Times]
'Keep it as it is': Miccosukee seek to protect North Florida homelands from development
A few miles to the east of the Florida Capitol lies one of the last, if not the last, untouched prairie lake in the state. And the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida is trying to keep it that way. “The Everglades is a really important refuge that saved the Miccosukee, but this is where the Miccosukee are from,” said Edward Ornstein, deputy counsel for the tribe. The lake, about 5 miles by 1 mile, looks a lot like the Everglades. It’s a shallow, grassy lake, similar to the “River of Grass,” teeming with wildlife, including fish, wading birds and alligators. [Source: Tallahassee Democrat]
Appeals court reverses $208M judgment against All Children’s in ‘Maya’ case
An appeals court has reversed a civil jury trial decision that resulted in a $208 million judgment against Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in the case made famous by the “Take Care of Maya” Netflix documentary. In a 48-page ruling issued Wednesday, a three-judge panel for Florida’s 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled that the evidence from the civil trial does not support the jury’s verdict that the hospital contributed to the 2017 suicide of Beata Kowalski. She took her own life after her 10-year-old daughter, Maya, was removed by the state and sheltered at All Children’s for three months. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Jamaican community in Southwest Florida takes action following Hurricane Melissa
Chef Omar Clarke is raising funds from the Gulf Coast to support his hometown in Saint James, Jamaica, which was severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa, leaving many residents without homes and food.
› 'Homecoming': Florida's first Black History Museum to sit on historic FMU land
Decades after leaving its former campus in St. Augustine during the Civil Rights Movement, the Florida Memorial University Foundation (FMUF) signed a historic ground lease with St. Johns County. The agreement paves the way for Florida’s first state-sponsored Black History Museum to be housed at that site, once known as Florida Normal and Industrial Institute.
› Drivers unaware of 'Slow Down and Move Over' laws, study finds. What about Florida?
A new report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that nationwide, many drivers aren't aware of "Slow Down and Move Over" laws or what they're supposed to do. And accidents keep happening.
› FSU researchers explore tourism as a tool for economic and mental health recovery in crisis zones
At Florida State University, researchers from the Dedman College of Hospitality and the Learning Systems Institute (LSI) are investigating how tourism can drive economic recovery and support mental health in regions impacted by crises such as natural disasters or armed conflict.
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› Developers revamp plans for Boca Raton City Hall campus
Terra and Frisbie Group have once again revised their master plan for the redevelopment of the government campus site in Boca Raton, now by reducing how much land they would leave and altering the commercial development components.
› Publix to open 5 new stores by end of November. See locations
Publix is slated to open five new locations across two states by the end of November, including a few new stores in its home state of Florida.
According to the company's "New Store Openings" page, five new locations will open their doors before the end of November, with four of them located in Florida.
› Drug take-back day brings in pounds and pounds of prescribed meds at HCA sites
Gainesville residents dropped off their unused or expired prescription drugs at HCA Florida Gainesville Emergency on Saturday as part of efforts to safely dispose of medications. This is the seventh annual Crush the Crisis at HCA Florida Gainesville Emergency, one of 36 HCA collection sites in Florida and 140 across the country.
› Former survival, reality TV star holding class in the Everglades. How many spots are left?
Dave Canterbury knows how to survive, and the expert woodsman is bringing his life-long experience to the Everglades in March to teach about 20 students how to survive and maybe even thrive in Florida's premier wilderness.