Florida ranks high among state economies in new report
Florida is ranked No. 10 in the country in economic outlook in the 19th annual Rich States, Poor States ranking. Fifteen state policy variables are measured in the ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index, released Wednesday by the American Legislative Exchange Council. Better scores go to states spending and taxing less to attain higher growth rates. Utah, Tennessee and Idaho are the top three, respectively. Florida was No. 15 last year and No. 14 in 2024. More from the Center Square and the Capitolist.
Business Beat - Week of April 24th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Florida lawmakers reach initial budget deal, set special session in May
More than one month after ending the regular session without passing a budget, legislative leaders said Thursday they have a deal on top-line spending levels. The breakthrough means the House and Senate can enter formal negotiations on the final details of the spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1. But they won’t start right away. Next week the Legislature will have a special session to consider redrawing congressional districts, installing regulations on artificial intelligence and expanding exemptions to vaccine requirements for children attending public K-12 schools. [Source: South Florida Sun Sentinel]
Map shows how much rain Florida needs by area to get out of drought
Florida's drought varies from the most severe level of "exceptional" to the lowest level of "abnormally dry." How much rain is needed to dig everyone out of their drought-induced despair of burn bans and brown lawns depends on where you live. In recent weeks, fleeting cold fronts have brought inches of beneficial rains to the Treasure Coast and southeast Florida, while zipping past the Panhandle into Central and southwest Florida with no rain whatsoever. [Source: Palm Beach Post]
Florida housing affordability takes center stage at policy summit
Housing affordability is now a defining issue for many Floridians, according to discussions at this week’s Florida Policy Project Summit. Industry leaders, including Realtors, builders, business owners, and elected officials, have gathered to address mounting concerns over the state’s housing market. According to Zillow, the average home price in Florida is currently around $375,000, which is significantly higher than the prices buyers faced before the COVID-19 pandemic. [Source: Spectrum News]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Spirit confirms cash is running short and tells judge airline is in ‘very advanced’ bailout talks
A Spirit Airlines lawyer confirmed to a New York bankruptcy judge Thursday that the troubled Dania Beach-based carrier is in “very advanced discussions” with the federal government on a financing rescue package, and that cash is running short. Marshall Huebner of the New York law firm Davis Polk, which represents Spirit, told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane that the company has shared details of a Trump administration offer with its three primary creditor groups, and expects it will take a week’s time to discuss it and apply for the court’s approval.
› Pinellas hotel tax hits record as county directs $85M in public funds to Phillies
Pinellas County recorded its highest-ever hotel tax collections for January and February, with Tourist Development Tax revenue reaching $8.3 million in January and $10.8 million in February, both monthly records, according to Visit St. Pete-Clearwater. January increased slightly from a year earlier, while February rose more than 9%. The figures were presented April 22 to the Pinellas County Tourist Development Council, a day after commissioners voted 6-1 to commit $85 million in public tourism tax dollars toward a $205 million renovation of BayCare Ballpark and the adjacent Carpenter Complex.
› Boynton posts 35 fulltime jobs despite nearly $5M budget shortfall
Boynton Beach is prepared to spend millions of dollars hiring dozens of city employees, months after its city manager said a nearly $5 million budget shortfall forced him to lay off staff members, plan more dismissals and consider a hiring freeze.
The city posted 35 full-time positions to the website GovernmentJobs.com between Jan. 1 and April 9. The sum of annual wages offered ranged from nearly $2.3 million to more than $3.1 million. Figures do not include the city's budget for health insurance, benefits and other expenses for these positions.
› CSX earnings rebound from weak 2025
After weak freight trends reduced earnings last year, CSX Corp. rebounded in the first quarter of 2026 and expects revenue growth to pick up the rest of the year. The Jacksonville-based railroad company reported first-quarter revenue rose 2% to $3.48 billion and earnings jumped 25% to $807 million, or 43 cents a share. “This represents an encouraging first step toward our goal of best-in-class performance,” CEO Steve Angel said in an April 22 conference call with analysts.
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› Boca Raton's Mizner Park could sell back to firm tied to its builder
The owners of Mizner Park are in talks to sell the dining, office and residential center to a Boca Raton firm linked to the developer who built the complex 35 years ago. CPGroup, former known as Crocker Partners, is negotiating to purchase the 30-acre complex, Angelo Bianco, managing partner, confirmed. Bianco did not disclose a price. Crocker Partners was started by developer Tom Crocker, who built Mizner Park in 1991.
› Southeast Toyota shows off huge new JAXPORT site
A sprawling 340,000-square-foot Southeast Toyota Distributors processing facility was on display Wednesday in the middle of a new 88-acre site at JAXPORT’s Blount Island Marine Terminal. The $170 million facility is the result of a four-year construction project that brought 400 people to prepare and ship new Toyota and Lexus automobiles to Southeast Toyota’s 178 dealers nationwide. The facility replaces a smaller, aging site on Jacksonville’s Talleyrand Avenue.
› How is Tampa Bay’s seagrass faring? These scientists are finding out
Across Tampa Bay, seagrass coverage has largely improved of late after years of struggling. The bay added about 1,400 acres of seagrass, about a 5% gain, according to data collected by the district in 2024. It was the first time in nearly a decade that Tampa Bay saw an overall increase in seagrass. But in the bay’s northern section, Old Tampa Bay, the aquatic plant hit a record low, where it lost more than 320 acres of seagrass over two years.
› Kendall Parkway project stalled over high costs. Will Miami-Dade make it pricier?
A planned 14-mile southern extension of State Road 836 into Kendall has quietly stalled over cost concerns as leaders of a state toll board continue to freeze spending on the project. While the Greater Miami Expressway Agency (GMX) has about $6 million worth of engineering contracts in place for the planned Kendall Parkway extension of the 836, documents from the toll board’s most recent agenda show none of that money has been spent.