Florida farms are disappearing. You may pay the price at the store
Rising prices for fresh fruits and vegetables are a big concern for consumers these days, but higher prices may be what's needed to keep Florida farmers in business. Between 2017 and 2022, Florida lost 2,887 farms and 30,331 acres of farmland sold to developers. That trend is forecast to continue. The reason: increasing costs — for everything from labor to fertilizer and fuel — that make it harder for farmers in the United States to earn a living. More from the St. Augustine Record.
NASA audit warns $1 billion needed to repair Kennedy Space Center’s stressed infrastructure
As NASA works toward returning astronauts to the moon to stay and then onward to Mars, Kennedy Space Center remains the hub of that ambitious effort — but a June report by the space agency's chief watchdog warned of major Earth-based risks to these plans. Everything from bridges to roads, and electrical power to nitrogen and helium gas supplies requires upgrades at a facility built in the 1960s for Apollo program and later modified to support the space shuttle, which retired in 2011. More from Florida Today and the Orlando Sentinel.
Tampa property insurer calls off IPO
Tampa property insurance company Safepoint Holdings Inc. is scrapping plans to go public. In a letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on June 24, the company requested to withdraw the registration statement it filed for an initial public offering in early May. Safepoint did not say why it was calling off the offering. Safepoint is changing direction despite a strong resurgence of the IPO market this year, with activity reaching the highest level since 2021. More from the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Texas developer proposes multibillion-dollar data center to be built in rural DeSoto
The concern most often cited for the opposition is data center’s drain on water resources and how they tax electrical systems, raising costs for residents. But in DeSoto County, a Dallas, Texas, developer behind a planned data center project on the site of a former natural gas plant says his firm's project is different. The pitch is that it wants to build is self-sustaining and environmentally friendly. More from the Business Observer.
Jacksonville among first cities to push housing aid cuts
The Jacksonville Housing Authority could become one of the first in the nation to adopt a regulation that includes a two-year limit on assistance and mandates that tenants work. The Housing Authority is notifying residents about the requirement now, even though it falls under a voluntary federal policy that hasn’t taken effect yet and could face challenges in court. Housing Authority CEO Cheron Corbett says the change is a start down the path to “self-sufficiency” for the city’s most vulnerable. But critics say it’s another example of the federal government’s continued assault on poor people. More from Jacksonville Today.
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Business Beat - Week of June 26th
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Getting a jump start
Savannah Guilford used to work at a local restaurant. Now, she’s interning in UWF’s marketing and communications department, writing profiles of students and alumni and drafting press releases — work that’s enhancing her communication skills. "I get to talk to these amazing people who have had such incredible stories and experiences, and I get to write their story," she says.
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