Florida sheriff departments strike deal with feds to detain illegal immigrants

Seventeen Florida law enforcement agencies have agreed to cooperate with the federal government on immigration enforcement, offering what officials say is a template that can be used nationwide. More from the AP, the Wall Street Journal, FOX News, and WLRN.

See also:
» How the U.S. will replace immigrant workers with Puerto Ricans

Florida Trend Exclusive
Al Hoffman is a ‘Florida Icon'

Developer Al Hoffman on his life journey: “There’s my father’s business card. Hoffman Poultry. My dad’s chicken shop. I used to kill chickens a lot and dress them. On the south side of Chicago — the wives would come in mostly — they’d pick out a live chicken or a turkey or a goose or a duck. We’d have to kill it, dress it and have it ready for them when they came back. I swore to myself: A: I would never do this kind of labor in my life, and B: I wanted to be a millionaire. Somehow I was going to make it.” Read more in the full interview.

U.S. aims to groom tennis champs at national campus in Florida

Drive past the strip malls with their fast-food chains, the palm trees lined up just so along green, green grass about 25 miles east of Walt Disney World, and eventually a sign arises, announcing in capital letters, "USTA National Campus, the home of American tennis." Welcome to the 65-acre, 100-court complex that opened a year ago and represents so much to so many folks invested in the sport in the United States. [Source: AP]

Florida could declare porn a health threat

The state could declare pornography a public health risk that needs education, research and policy changes to protect Floridians, according to a resolution overwhelmingly approved by a House committee Thursday. See the resolution filed by Republican Rep. Ross Spano, here. Also read more at the Orlando Sentinel.

Puerto Rican evacuees in Central Florida fret over housing as officials point finger

Although FEMA’s Transitional Shelter Assistance program was extended until March 20 following a request from the governor of Puerto Rico, hundreds of people l are falling through the cracks of an often-confusing and bureaucratic federal aid process. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Foreclosure filings down sharply in South Florida [South Florida Business Journal]
During the recession, the tri-county region was at the top of the list for most foreclosures for many months. For 2017, South Florida ranked only No. 21 for highest foreclosure rate among the nation’s metro areas.

› University of Miami: Raising the bar in sports medicine [Sponsored Report]
For an athlete, whether professional or amateur, a serious injury can considerably alter the course of their future.

› One Spark announces return of entrepreneurial festival [Florida Times-Union]
One Spark is going to try again to hold an entrepreneurial festival in Jacksonville that has been postponed so many times it’s been two years since the city has seen the event.

› Florida Hospital, UCF vying for Sanford Burnham facility [Orlando Sentinel]
UCF and Florida Hospital are competing to acquire the Lake Nona facility where the Sanford Burnham Prebys research institute has been slowly shutting down over the past two years.

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› Publix rolls out medication discount program [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Publix is offering a new prescription drug program where it will sell 29 common generic medications for $7.50 for a three-month supply. The Lakeland-based grocery chain said it will sell drugs to treat diabetes, cholesterol, mental health, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, gout, asthma and others.

› O.J. Simpson won’t move to Florida after all, lawyer says [AP]
O.J. Simpson’s lawyer says Simpson isn’t planning to move from Las Vegas to Florida like he told state parole officials before he was released in October from Nevada state prison.

› Bonnier lays off 30 in Winter Park [Orlando Sentinel]
Bonnier Corp., a magazine publisher with an office in Winter Park Village, is laying off 30 people locally. The layoffs for New York-based Bonnier come as the company shutters five magazines: WaterSki, Wakeboarding, Sport Diver, Baggers and Dirt Rider.

› Florida's harsh driver’s license suspensions draw Senate scrutiny [Tampa Bay Times]
Chasing a national trend, the Florida Legislature is rethinking its long history of punitive laws that punish drivers for many offenses not related to driving.

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