Could building fees replace Florida property taxes?
As Florida weighs proposals to eliminate property taxes, Miami is seeking state approval to use building fees to offset general operating costs and preserve funding for essential city services. Miami Commissioner Ralph Rosado is sponsoring an item that urges Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature to authorize local governments to use building fee revenue to help cover general operating expenses. It also calls on other municipalities and counties across the state to adopt similar measures, saying the change could provide fiscal flexibility if property tax revenues are reduced or eliminated. More from Miami Today.
Aerospace firm invests up to $20M in Central Florida facility
Emelody Worldwide is relocating from Georgia to Central Florida, where it plans to invest up to $20 million in a 60,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, adding to the region's momentum as an aerospace and defense hub. The new facility is nearly six times the size of the company's Georgia hub, Emelody CTO Jon Thomas said. More from the Orlando Business Journal.
‘Hiding in plain sight’: An AI-ready data center is coming to a Miami neighborhood
As companies race to expand their AI capabilities, the need for data centers has mushroomed. In Florida, the construction of data centers has become a hot button issue, with state lawmakers passing a bill adding guardrails intended to protect residents from increases to their electric bills and risks to water supply. Florida’s bill, however, allows data center companies to have government employees sign nondisclosure agreements, allowing secrecy to persist in the projects. More from the Miami Herald.
Clearwater health system studying how robots can help move patients
BayCare Health Systems has partnered with a Gainesville technology company on a pilot program to see how robotics can support hospital operations and make it easier to move patients. The Pinellas County nonprofit health care system began the pilot program earlier this month at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater. More from the Business Observer.
Jacksonville wastewater plan could reshape North Florida water supply
A proposed water treatment plan could send millions of gallons of treated wastewater from Jacksonville into North Florida rivers — raising both hope and concern among residents, environmental advocates and water management leaders. Supporters say the project is a necessary solution to growing water demands driven by an ongoing drought. Environmental advocates, however, are raising questions about water quality and the potential impact on communities that depend on those waterways for drinking water and recreation. More from News 4 Jax.
Recreation Trends
Florida 'Cast for Cash' pays anglers $250 - what do they have to do?
Florida is launching a "Cast for Cash" program to pay recreational anglers for research data. Participants can earn $250 per trip, up to $1,500, for recording their fishing excursions with a camera. The program is initially limited to the Tampa Bay area and focuses on 10 popular reef fish species. The goal is to gather better data on released fish that is often difficult to recall accurately after a trip.
» More from the Palm Beach Post.
Florida Trend Exclusive
Labor of love
In early 2025, the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System discovered several hundred women in its surrounding communities couldn't access prenatal care. By that February, the public health system launched a pregnancy care team, which links pregnant patients to local obstetric providers according to their risk levels and insurance. "That way, we could get the right patient to the right provider," says Abby Olsen, director of Women and Children's Services at Sarasota Memorial.
» Read more from Florida Trend.