Florida business owners’ optimistic after tax reform

Florida business owners feel optimistic about the coming year. That’s according to the recent JPMorgan Chase Business Leaders Outlook survey, which showed that about 91 percent of owners of the state’s small- and medium-sized businesses expect local economic conditions to be favorable in 2018. See the executive summary of the survey here. Also read more at the Tampa Bay Times.

45th Space Congress convenes in Cape Canaveral

The “next great steps” in space exploration and commerce are the focus of a three-day gathering of industry experts starting today in Cape Canaveral. The 45th Space Congress at the Radisson Resort at the Port continues a revival of the once can’t-miss conference, mirroring a comeback in the local space economy since the shuttle’s retirement nearly seven years ago. [Source: Florida Today]

Public support could end drilling in Florida waters

An amendment barring offshore drilling in Florida could appear on the ballot this November, but it needs public support to get there. Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch, a member of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission, has submitted Proposal 91, which would prohibit oil and gas drilling for exploration or extraction in and beneath Florida's state and coastal waters. [Source: Pensacola News-Journal]

Florida Trend Exclusive
Pining for change

The pine tree has long been a staple of northwest Florida’s paper mill industry, which for many years has been among the region’s major air and water polluters. But wood pellet manufacturer Enviva, based in the tiny Jackson County town of Cottondale, is now using pine trees to create a source of clean and efficient power. Full story here (part of a business news roundup for Northwest Florida).

Florida lawmakers have two weeks to do something about guns. Here’s what’s possible.

Steve Bousquet, who has covered Florida's Capitol for 30 years, and Emily L. Mahoney, who is covering her first session this year for the Times/Herald, discuss what Florida lawmakers are doing, and can do, after the Feb. 14 mass shooting in Parkland. [Source: Times/Herald]

See also:
» Citing ‘systemic failure of government’, Florida House launches Parkland probe

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› CareerSource Tampa Bay votes to fire CEO Edward Peachey [Tampa Bay Times]
Hillsborough County’s workforce board voted to fire its CEO on Monday as it grapples with a series of investigations into whether the agency inflated its job placement numbers.

› At Jacksonville Zoo, teen employees get ‘hands-on’ with animals, become leaders [Florida Times-Union]
14 Jacksonville youths work at the zoo as part of its city-funded Wildlife Immersion and Leadership Development, or W.I.L.D., program. Started in 2016, the teen employment program incorporates leadership development, public-speaking training and studies in zoology and horticulture.

› Florida revamp of PIP auto insurance hits Senate panel [Orlando Sentinel]
With less than two weeks left in the legislative session, a proposal to repeal the state’s no-fault auto insurance system has re-emerged in the Florida Senate. The Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee is slated Wednesday to take up the Senate’s version of the proposal. See text of Senate Bill 150, "Motor Vehicle Insurance," here.

› Fast internet and free beer: Miami is now America’s No. 1 city for co-working [Miami Herald]
Looking for a co-working space in Miami? You’ve got options — by one measure, more than any other city in the U.S. A new study has found Miami is now home to the most co-working space in America as a share of total commercial real estate.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Ringling Bros. circus cars get new home in Williston [Gainesville Sun]
When Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus closed last year, much of the focus was on the future of the many animals used in the show. But it took a lot of train cars to transport those animals and the human performers from town to town, and trains have dedicated enthusiasts just as animals do.

› Think filling your gas tank is expensive now? Analysts warn prices are about to go up, up and away [Bradenton Herald]
Gas prices across Florida had their priciest start in four years to open 2018, then followed with the most-expensive February in four years. Now comes this warning from AAA: Motorists can expect to see significant upward pressure on prices at the pump as the calendar turns to March. See the latest gas price news from AAA here.

› Diaz hitting Mexico-Florida homerun with World Direct Shipping success [American Journal of Transportation]
Carlos Diaz was in the big leagues just long enough to have one MLB basehit, and now he’s knocking a metaphorical homerun as an ocean carrier executive with World Direct Shipping, a Florida-based line with an expanding presence in weekly services across the Gulf of Mexico.

› Havana florist and doll shops are among businesses prohibited for American shoppers [Miami Herald]
An Old Havana flower shop is on the State Department’s restricted list under its old name Florería Jardín Wagner. The Cubans have renamed it Rosa Blanca and say it shouldn’t be on the list anyway.