Florida small business owners confident about future growth
A new Florida Small Business Economic Trends (SBET) report, produced by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Research Center and released today, shows Florida small business owners are more optimistic about the direction of the economy, but face certain other challenges, such as hesitancy to hire. The survey highlights responses from Florida small business owners on a variety of issues compared to national averages from the NFIB’s monthly SBET surveys throughout the year. [Source: Florida Trend]
Business Beat - Week of March 20th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Florida homeowners were forced into a new insurance company. Whistleblowers say it siphoned millions in profits.
Between 2021 and 2023 in Florida, nine property insurance companies went insolvent, leaving their customers suddenly without protection in the most hurricane-prone state in the country. The market dried up and homeowners couldn’t find insurers willing to take their money. More than 800,000 people found themselves with no other option but the state-run Citizens, which suddenly became the No. 1 market leader in Florida home insurance. [Source: CBS News]
Florida was on the verge of restoring this beloved river. What happened?
A legislative proposal that charted the clearest course in years for reviving Florida’s storied Ocklawaha River, dubbed by supporters as the state’s “next great restoration project,” appeared destined for success last month. Over several weeks, the bill that required a state plan to restore the winding north-central Florida river cruised through political committees in the annual legislative session with broad and bipartisan support. So why did it die? [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Citrus Commission boosts fresh fruit marketing
Florida citrus growers are doubling domestic fresh fruit marketing as the industry works to recover from destructive winter freezes. The Bartow-based Florida Citrus Commission on Wednesday agreed to put $184,000 toward supporting fresh citrus production. “Know that we’re working hard to make sure that everybody is taken care of,” said commission Chairman Steve Johnson, owner of Johnson Harvesting in Wauchula. [Source: News Service of Florida]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Inflation concerns grow as families seek deals in Central Florida
Federal Reserve officials said they expect the conflict in Iran will worsen inflation this year. Policymakers left short-term interest rates unchanged Wednesday, but many families are still feeling the burden of rising costs. “We have seen an influx of customers in our Central Florida stores,” Goodwill Regional Director of Store Operations Laura Sharp-Edge said.
› DeSantis signs bill blocking a proposed Manatee County cruise ship terminal
In his first bill-signing ceremony of the year, Gov. Ron DeSantis approved legislation blocking a planned cruise ship terminal in Manatee County. “Florida remains an important destination for cruise expeditions,” DeSantis said on Thursday in Bradenton. “There's not really a need to add another port in the middle of a conserved area and aquatic preserve.”
› FPL may have collected No. 1 highest profit margin nationwide in 2025, report finds
Compared to other utilities nationwide, Florida Power & Light collected the highest profit margin from its customers last year, according to a new analysis by a utility watchdog group. The rising profits of utilities across the country are helping to drive increases in electric bills, the Energy and Policy Institute wrote, before calling for stricter regulations.
› Tallahassee company steps up to help unpaid TSA agents
The partial federal government shutdown is now in its second month and many Americans are confronted with the dysfunction as they grab their bags and head to the airport. Bad weather compounded with spring break travel to create chaos in Transportation Security Administration lines, including long waits at many airports across the country. Fielder & Associates, a landscaping company in Tallahassee, is sponsoring a "community lift" to support the local TSA workers.
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› Uber and Rivian to bring robotaxis to South Florida
Uber is partnering with electric car maker Rivian Automotive to deploy robotaxis in Miami. The ride-hail company will invest $1.25 billion in Rivian through 2031 to build a fully autonomous fleet of the company's Rivian R2 robotaxis. They expect to begin deploying the vehicles in San Francisco and Miami in 2028, with plans to expand to 25 cities by 2031.
› Stellar invests $4 million into continued HQ upgrades
Jacksonville-based global design-build company Stellar Group Inc. said two years ago in March 2024 that it would make a “substantial” investment in revitalizing its Jacksonville campus. As that continues to play out, the city issued a permit March 18 for Stellar to make interior renovations at its Mandarin-area headquarters building at a project cost of $4 million.
› Clearwater petition seeks voter approval of downtown land transfers
A year after the Clearwater City Council agreed to transfer a segment of downtown roadway to the Church of Scientology, a community-led group has filed a petition that could require voter approval of future transactions of its kind. The Save the Garden coalition, which formed last year to provide an alternative proposal for the roadway Scientology was seeking, submitted a petition with more than 8,000 signatures to the city clerk for verification Tuesday.
› Long lines for security at Orlando International Airport amid TSA funding debate
A standoff over federal TSA funding combined with an influx of spring break travelers and bad weather nationwide has created a perfect storm to frustrate travelers at Orlando International Airport. On Wednesday, travelers at OIA waited in security checkpoint lines for up to 45 minutes. Lines were shorter Thursday, though still as long as a half an hour in one terminal.