Gov. DeSantis signs 15 more laws, vetoes 3 others
On Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed another batch of 15 bills, adding to the list of over 200 laws approved so far this year. Many of the new laws will take effect on July 1, including new traffic designations, required payments for local governments, and even a missing persons project. More from Click Orlando, the Center Square and SoCBS News.
Business Beat - Week of June 26th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by associate editor Brian Hartz.
Jobless claims drop in Florida
Unemployment claims in Florida dropped for a second consecutive week, but remained close to the weekly average since the start of the year. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 5,981 first-time jobless claims were filed in Florida last week, down from 6,943 the week ending June 13 and 7,671 the week ending June 6. With the numbers for the week ending June 13 revised up from 6,732, the state’s weekly average since the start of the year is now 6,007. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Naples-based Hoffmann Family of Companies buys Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team
As Naples billionaire David Hoffmann spoke, an undisclosed amount of money believed to be just south of $1.8 billion was being wired from his family’s company to Fenway Sports Group. The Pittsburgh Penguins have changed hands and are now owned by Naples-based Hoffmann Family of Companies, which is owned by the Hoffmann family themselves. The Florida Everblades, a minor league affiliate in the ECHL, will be affiliated with the Penguins when the 2026-27 season begins. More from Gulfshore Business and the Business Observer.
Florida researchers developing AI tools to predict flesh-eating waterborne threats
Researchers are developing a pathogen warning system for Vibrio species, also known as flesh-eating bacteria. The project, supported by a $3.6 million NIH grant, involves the University of Florida and the University of Maryland. The goal is to create an AI-powered forecasting platform to predict health risks in coastal waters. [Source: Gainesville Sun]
See also:
» New Vibrio vulnificus case in Florida, 'flesh-eating' bacteria spreads
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Get free entry to Florida state parks during Fourth of July weekend
Looking for something special to do over the Fourth of July holiday weekend and don't want to spend a lot of money? Get free admission to Florida state parks over the three-day weekend. There are 175 state parks in Florida, offering a wide variety of activities or just enjoy some quiet solitude.
› Rising food prices lead some Jacksonville shoppers to this alternative
As grocery prices and food inflation continue to spike, some Northeast Florida shoppers are shifting away from grocery stores and turning to farmers markets and flea markets to get fresh produce and mingle with small businesses and vendors. Food inflation can be caused by transportation costs, higher input costs, and supply chain distributions. More than 88% of Americans have changed their grocery shopping habits, according to a LendingTree survey.
› Stratos Ventures launches with $50M and a plan to help make Miami a defense-tech gateway
For decades, Israeli founders have looked to the United States when it came time to scale. Increasingly, they’re choosing Miami as their first stop. That trend gained another signal this week with the public debut of Stratos Ventures, a defense technology and resilience-focused venture capital fund that operates between Tel Aviv and Miami.
› Florida court wipes out 2.5 fee multiplier against Universal Property
A Florida appeals court has wiped out a 2.5 fee multiplier, cutting a near-million-dollar award against insurer Universal Property & Casualty. On June 24, 2026, Florida's Third District Court of Appeal handed Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company a partial win in a fight over how much it owed opposing counsel after settling with its insured, Orlando Cisneros Dameras.
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› Extra surcharge at Florida restaurant surprises customers; company calls it ‘venue fee’
A surcharge at a restaurant in Tampa, Florida, was brought to light by a Nextdoor app user claiming she was surprised to see the fee added to her receipt. The woman was dining at RO in Hyde Park when she noticed an additional surcharge on her receipt. When she asked restaurant staff about it, they told her other restaurants in the area were doing the same.
› ReliaQuest invests $1.5M in AI and Cybersecurity at USF
ReliaQuest is investing $1.5 million in the University of South Florida to expand artificial intelligence and cybersecurity research while enlarging a workforce development program that has supplied the Tampa cybersecurity company with talent since 2018. The investment will establish the first endowed professorship in USF’s College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing and add an artificial intelligence-supported software engineering track to ReliaQuest Labs, the experiential learning program the company and university launched in 2018.
› $20B auto retailer creating 100 jobs in Manatee County
Online used car retailer Carvana is establishing an inspection and reconditioning center in Manatee County and plans to hire 100 employees to support the operation. Headquartered in Arizona, Carvana enables people around the country to buy, sell, finance and trade vehicles entirely online. It also offers delivery and pickup services. Last year, it sold more than 596,000 vehicles.
› Spirit Airlines postpones auction of Dania Beach headquarters
Spirit Airlines has postponed the planned auction of its former corporate campus in Dania Beach. The now-defunct carrier’s legal counsel filed a notice of revised timeline Thursday with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, records show. Under the revised timeline, the auction is now scheduled for Aug. 4, where it was previously set for July 22.