Florida falls slightly in CNBC business rankings
Florida fell five spots to No. 8 in CNBC's annual Top States for Business rankings, released last week. The state lost ground in areas like business friendliness, infrastructure, economy and quality of life — slipping from No. 3 last year. Florida fell the furthest in the infrastructure category, from 16th to 32nd, after CNBC made it the most heavily weighted measure for 2026. Florida's brightest spots were workforce and access to capital, where it earned an A-plus and A, respectively. Ohio claimed CNBC's top spot this year, followed by North Carolina, Virginia, Texas and Minnesota. [Source: Axios]
Florida has some of the strongest markets for homebuyers in the U.S. Here's where.
A new report ranks some of Florida's homebuyer markets among the strongest in the United States, led by regions such as Miami and Orlando. The report, released Tuesday by Redfin News, found that roughly 70% of the U.S. metro areas it examined were buyer's markets. June's strongest buyer's market across the U.S. was Miami, which had an estimated 140% more sellers than purchasers. Orlando drew 98% more sellers than buyers in June. The Redfin report listed other Florida metros as buyer's markets: West Palm Beach (86% more sellers), Jacksonville (74.4%) and Tampa (70%). [Source: South Florida Sun Sentinel]
Environmental group drops one of its lawsuits over 'Alligator Alcatraz'
The Center for Biological Diversity withdrew a lawsuit against the state after satellite and aerial imagery showed the alleged "air-polluting equipment" had been largely dismantled and removed from Alligator Alcatraz, the state-run immigration detention center in Big Cypress National Preserve. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in May, argued the Florida Division of Emergency Management violated the federal Clean Air Act by failing to get air quality permits for the facility. Alligator Alcatraz closed on June 25, just shy of its one-year anniversary. [Source: WUSF]
Frontier adding daily service from Fort Lauderdale to Denver, will introduce Starlink WiFi in 2027
Frontier Airlines is adding daily nonstop service from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Denver starting in late November, pushing its slate of destinations from the Broward County airport to 16. Introductory fares will start at $99, with tickets available through July 20. Separately, Frontier announced it will introduce high-speed inflight WiFi by Starlink in early 2027, capable of HD streaming and online gaming. [Source: South Florida Sun Sentinel]
NASA's Roman Space Telescope set to unlock the universe's biggest mysteries
NASA is gearing up to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope this summer, sending the spacecraft 1 million miles from Earth to investigate dark matter, dark energy, exoplanets and astrophysics. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is set to launch the telescope on Aug. 30 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The telescope will capture panoramic images about 100 times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope and may measure light from a billion galaxies during its lifetime. [Source: UPI]
Myths and Facts About Powers of Attorney
A power of attorney (POA) authorizes an agent to act for the principal in financial, legal and personal matters — but it's often misunderstood. Among the common myths: that a POA survives the principal's death (it doesn't), or that it can't be revoked (it can, as long as the principal is competent). A POA can be tailored as broadly or as limited as the principal decides. More from Florida Trend. [Sponsored]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› 60 cyclosporiasis cases confirmed in Florida
According to the Florida Department of Health, 60 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported in the state so far this year, with 42 reported in June alone. That includes five cases in Miami-Dade and another five cases in Broward. Cyclosporiasis is a parasite that can cause weeks of diarrhea, abdominal cramping, bloating, loss of appetite and flu-like symptoms.
› The latest luxury in Florida? A guaranteed private flight out before a hurricane
PriorityEvac launched this summer, selling seats on planes that would leave from major Florida airports and take evacuees to Atlanta. For $1,250 a year per person, the pass is good for two separate storms in one season. Pets can come for an additional $125.
› Publix fruit infected a Palm Beach County couple in E. coli outbreak, lawsuit says
Publix frozen fruit linked to an E. coli outbreak infected an octogenarian couple, putting the wife into a hospital and nursing home for 28 days, according to a Palm Beach County lawsuit. The lawsuit accuses the Lakeland-based supermarket of negligence and strict liability.
› What permanent daylight saving time could mean for Florida winters
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent across the country, eliminating the twice-a-year clock change. The change would be especially noticeable during Florida winters, when it would push sunrises later into the morning.
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› These Florida supermarkets have now become Winn-Dixie stores
Eight Harveys Supermarkets across Florida have now been converted into Winn-Dixie locations, the company announced. The move is part of the company's evolution to The Winn-Dixie Company, reflecting a focus on growing the Winn-Dixie brand and delivering a more unified grocery experience.
› Even more Central Florida restaurants shut down over health problems
Over the past two weeks, 14 eateries across Central Florida were forced to close after receiving a visit from a health inspector, according to state records. One restaurant — China Lee in Orlando — was shut down for the fourth time after previously closing in March, April and May for pest and food storage issues.
› Space Coast launch schedule
The Space Coast has recorded 47 orbital launches in 2026 as of July 14, including 40 from SpaceX, five from ULA, one from Blue Origin and one NASA SLS launch on Artemis II. The most recent launch was a SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Starlink 10-45 mission on July 14.
› Florida falls slightly in CNBC business rankings
Florida fell five spots to No. 8 in CNBC's annual Top States for Business rankings. The state's worst score was a D-minus for cost of living, ranking 48th out of 50 states. Ohio claimed the top spot this year.