Record Memorial Day traffic expected in Florida
Despite gas prices being at a four-year high, the auto club AAA anticipates a record 2.7 million Floridians will take to the roads for the Memorial Day holiday weekend. But while people still want to get out, some travel habits have been curtailed. “Memorial Day travel is still reaching record levels, but with the smallest year-over-year increase in more than a decade,” AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said. “Although travel demand remains strong, higher fuel prices and persistent inflation may cause some travelers to shorten trips, delay plans, or stay closer to home.” More from the News Service of Florida.
How data centers factor in Florida Power & Light owners' merger plans
Growing demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing services and the enormous amount of electricity required by the data centers that provide them, is behind the push by Florida Power & Light's owners to acquire Dominion Energy. John Ketchum, the chairman, CEO and president of NextEra, told stock analysts in a conference call on May 18, "We believe the combined company can become the go-to partner for large load customers." More from the Tallahassee Democrat.
Why West Palm wants a nonprofit to run Currie Park after $35M makeover
As West Palm Beach presses ahead with its $35 million renovation of Currie Park, the city is making plans for a private organization to operate the waterfront park when it reopens next year. Unlike most city parks, the 13-acre park north of downtown would be run by a management company and overseen by a nonprofit organization, a city administrator told commissioners May 18. More from the Palm Beach Post.
JEA execs subpoenaed as council investigation opens door to charter changes
The Jacksonville City Council’s legislative counsel has suggested testimony and documents gathered from subpoenas of JEA executives authorized Tuesday could lead city lawmakers to consider changes to the public utility’s charter. The council’s Finance Committee voted 8-0 to subpoena JEA CEO Vickie Cavey, Chief Administrative Officer Jody Brooks and the utility’s former chief legal counsel, Regina Ross, to appear before the Special Investigatory Committee on JEA in June. More from Jacksonville Today.
Orange school board rejects adding teacher pay hikes to school property tax
A divided Orange County School Board agreed Tuesday to again put its special property tax to voters in November, but it rejected a proposal to use the tax money for teacher raises. Board members and the district’s teachers union clashed last week over a proposed addition to the school tax referendum that would guarantee some of the money be spent on “increasing teacher pay.” Some other Florida school districts, including Brevard, Lake and Miami-Dade counties, include such proposals in their school tax ballot language. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Business Profile
How a high school dropout built a $120M business
Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania with nothing but a 600-square-foot cottage, a phone, a computer and piles of postcards — no outside funding. That was in 1998. Since then, Gendusa and her company has bootstrapped her way to $120 million a year in revenue.
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Florida Trend Exclusive
Safeguarding seniors
Elder fraud is a huge problem nationwide, especially in states such as Florida that have a high concentration of retirees. In 2024 alone, Sunshine State seniors were defrauded of more than $388 million, according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which received 11,902 reports from Floridians age 60 and up, second only to California. Jortty, a West Palm Beach-based startup, aims to fight elder fraud with AI.
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