Winter freezes hit growers with $3.1 billion tab
With farmers caught shorthanded and with crops not ready for harvesting, a pair of winter storms at the beginning and end of January potentially inflicted more than $3.17 billion in losses to the state’s agricultural industry. In a release, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson described the freeze events as “one of the most damaging” in Florida agriculture history. The fallout is expected to linger into future harvests, according to preliminary estimates. More from the News Service of Florida.
Orlando to vote on plan to convert 300 properties into single-family homes
A new plan from the City of Orlando to turn more than 300 empty properties into single-family homes priced at $375,000 or less in downtown Orlando could be approved Monday. City leaders are calling it a path to affordable homeownership, but questions remain about whether that price tag is truly within reach for working families. More from Click Orlando.
Tampa Bay gains ground in 2026 competitiveness report
Tampa Bay is improving on many of the measures that define a region’s long-term strength. Yet the pressure on household finances continues to mount. That is the central tension in the 2026 Regional Competitiveness Summary Report, released by the Tampa Bay Partnership Foundation with Community Foundation Tampa Bay and United Way Suncoast. The report evaluates 66 indicators across eight counties. More from the St. Pete Catalyst.
Palm Beach County coworking space surges
The footprint of coworking spaces in Palm Beach and Broward counties surged last year, a new study shows. West Palm Beach-Boca Raton led the way, with flex offices growing by nearly 23%, year over year, to end 2025 at 1.19 million square feet, according to CoworkingCafe’s latest market report. Fort Lauderdale also posted double-digit growth, with a coworking footprint that rose 18% since 2024, to 1.77 million square feet. More from the South Florida Business Journal.
Collier County weighs ads to draw back Canadian visitors
With Canadian visitors down 24% year over year in December, Collier County Tourist Development Council is considering whether a targeted advertising campaign from the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau could help lure them back to the Paradise Coast. The latest visitor data, presented at the TDC’s Feb. 20 meeting, showed continued softness in international travel. International visitation declined 16% in December and was down 14% from October through December, according to CVB partner Downs & St. Germain Research. More from Gulfshore Business.
Travel Trends
More than 1,000 Florida flights canceled today
This may not be the best day to head to the airport, especially if you're heading northeast. A powerful nor'easter slammed much of the Northeast U.S. with heavy snow, grounding flights, shuttering schools and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses. Florida airports aren't getting hit as hard as other areas of the country, but as of Monday morning there have been more than 100 delays and more than 1,000 cancelations at Florida airports.
» More from the Florida Times-Union.
Florida Dining
Take a look at the South Beach food festival’s Grand Tasting on Miami Beach
Under a sprawling white tent on Miami Beach, thousands of food lovers gathered Saturday to eat, drink and celebrate in style. The Grand Tasting Village, one of the largest events of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which marked its 25th anniversary this year, brought together celebrity chefs, local culinary stars and enthusiastic festivalgoers for a full day of indulgence.
» Read more from the Miami Herald.