Florida Trend Exclusive
Stretched thin
Florida consumers aren't the only ones struggling with rising costs of essential goods and services and other economic headwinds: Nonprofits across the state have encountered a confluence of challenges that threaten their ability to deliver vital programs, jeopardizing their role as a key cog in the state's economy and a safety net for residents. [Source: Florida Trend]
Business Beat - Week of June 19th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by associate editor Brian Hartz.
Florida gas prices went down, then back up. What’s going on?
Gas prices in Florida started to dip in late May after peaking at an average of $4.35 a gallon, federal data shows. That’s largely a result of governments tapping into strategic reserves and changes at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, said Abby Hall, an economist at the University of Tampa. But they’re unlikely to go down much further if nothing more changes in the Middle East. Even as the strait fully reopens, it will take months for prices to normalize. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Florida colleges partner with employers to redesign curriculum and close critical workforce gaps
Across Florida, the relationship between higher education and business is being rewritten in real time. Colleges and universities are no longer operating as distant talent suppliers. They are becoming active partners in shaping the workforce – designing curriculum alongside employers, embedding companies on campus and aligning programs to meet fast-evolving industry needs. [Source: Tampa Bay Business Journal]
Florida still owes $603 million on immigration enforcement contracts
Florida still owes at least $603 million to 27 companies that helped build the state’s migrant lockups and carry out an undocumented immigration crackdown, according to dozens of contracts reviewed by the Phoenix. This means the majority of immigration contracts remain unpaid — even after the DeSantis administration’s emergency managers spent half a billion dollars on vendors and other immigration costs. [Source: Florida Phoenix]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Palm Beach adds over 60 building fees in response to new state law
Contractors and homeowners who plan to seek building permits from Palm Beach can expect to pay a number of new fees now that the town changed its permitting system to comply with a soon-to-be-enacted Florida law. The Planning, Zoning and Building Department will add over 60 construction-related and compliance fees tied to the review, inspection, approval and processing of various aspects of a project.
› Tampa sees one of nation’s biggest gains in rental affordability
The Tampa rental market is starting to give renters a little more room. The share of rental listings affordable to a median-income household in the Tampa metro area rose to 61.4% in May, up from 51.6% a year earlier, according to a Zillow analysis released Thursday. That was one of the largest gains among major U.S. markets.
› Miami again ranks in top 25 in the world in Startup Genome’s GSER ranking
The Miami metro area ranks No. 25 in the world among startup ecosystems, according to the 2026 Global Startup Ecosystem Report released by Startup Genome and the Global Entrepreneurship Network today at VivaTech in Paris. Notably, this is the third global ranking this year in which South Florida ranked in the top 25. In Startup Genome’s ranking, the Miami metro area also ranked 11th against its US peers.
› Winter Park trying to save more of its historic homes from wrecking ball
The city of Winter Park touts itself as a community with unique character, due in large part to its historic architecture. But some residents are worried builders and bulldozers are chipping away at its past, one home at a time. Among the endangered buildings are works by the city’s most-famous architect, James Gamble Rogers II.
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› DeSantis signs bill that further cements GRUA control. What's next?
The constant tug-of-war over who controls Gainesville Regional Utilities looks to sway in the GRU authority board's favor after a bill that further cements state control was signed into law. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB-1451, sponsored by state Rep. Demi Busatta, R-Coral Gables, on June 11. The law restricts how much cities can charge certain out‑of‑city utility customers, requires public meetings for new agreements with other municipalities, and expands state oversight of municipally owned utilities.
› First Coast universities embed corporate partners in classrooms to build AI-ready workforce
Upskilling and technology literacy are increasingly becoming frontline needs for the modern workforce. North Florida businesses are making a play to get out in front of the competition: turning the region’s higher education institutions into staging grounds to determine how corporations can effectively translate those skills into their workforce.
› IKO holds grand opening for Clay County manufacturing plant
More than two years after it broke ground, global roofing manufacturer IKO Industries held a grand opening June 17 for its 300,000-square-foot asphalt shingle production facility in Clay County. According to the Canada-based company, the facility is the result of a $240 million capital investment and will bring 100 jobs to the county. It is the first plant in Florida for IKO, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.
› Orlando board OKs 37-story tower dwarfing neighboring church on Lake Eola
Members of Orlando’s Municipal Planning Board voted 6-1 Tuesday to approve a zoning amendment for a proposed 37-story tower that could bring a luxury hotel and the downtown’s first branded condo residences across from the Lake Eola bandshell. The vote overruled concerns raised by members of the historic St. George Orthodox Church and residents of the 60-year-old Metropolitan condominiums, which both abut the proposed tower.