Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Wednesday's Daily Pulse

Florida farmers look to artificial intelligence as workforce declines

Florida farmer Gary Wishnatzki was convinced that automation would be a game-changer and so he joined a team of engineers to try and create a robot that could mimic what a picker in the field does. Five years later, Harvest CROO Robotics has a robotic picker which is able to look at a strawberry plant and determine which among the berries on the plant is ripe, all through artificial intelligence [Source: CBS News]

Florida and Texas are expected to take the biggest economic hit from climate change

Florida and Texas are the two states expected to suffer the greatest economic damage from climate change, according to a new study from Science magazine. Researchers calculated that Florida will lose $100.9 billion from GDP due to climate change, while Texas will lose $100.7 billion. [Source: Marketwatch]

See also:
» Full white paper: Estimating economic damage from climate change in the United States

Related Florida Trend Content
» We need to prepare for sea-level rise

Florida Trend Exclusive
Turning Radius: NASCAR tries to engage Millennials

Daytona 500

By the mid-2000s, NASCAR had evolved from modest origins — car races on the sands of Daytona Beach more than 60 years ago — to become a multibillion-dollar industry. But 2006 marked a turning point. Within five years, attendance at NASCAR races had declined by 22%, and racetrack revenue was in free fall. Full story here. (This is Part 2 of a 3-part series on the business of sports in Florida.)

Coming tomorrow to Florida Trend.com:
» Soccer Goals: Soccer in Florida is having its share of ups and downs.

Post-Irma agriculture relief could come soon

Florida farmers awaiting federal disaster relief to help cover losses from Hurricane Irma last September may learn more details this week about the highly anticipated program. The $2.36 billion Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program (WHIP) is expected to offer a direct-payments model that would not hold growers to traditional payment limitations. [Source: News4Jax]

Florida to consolidate statewide crime info in one database

Florida will begin consolidating crime data from multiple agencies including prisons, law enforcement, and courts all in one easy-to-access database. The goal is to get a better understanding of crime trends in the state to help inform policy decisions, but some criminal justice experts say interpreting those numbers will be a challenge in itself. [Source: WJHG]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› South Florida mall, largest in America, in final stretch of approvals
One of the largest development plans in South Florida history — the American Dream Miami mega-mall, theme park and hotel, plus an adjacent office hub and residential community — is in its final stretch of approvals in Miami-Dade County.

› St. Augustine commissioners say no to hiking horse industry fee
Horse and carriage companies got a break from the St. Augustine City Commission this week. But the city could soon consider charging fees for tour companies that aren’t regulated, such as operators of pedicabs, golf carts and scoot coupes.

› FPL bills under spotlight for tax savings as NextEra profits jump
Results announced Tuesday beat analysts’ expectations and left no question that federal tax cuts sweetened the bottom line at Palm Beach County’s largest company, Juno Beach-based NextEra Energy Inc.

› Welcome to Mulberry, Florida's boomtown
The little town of Mulberry seems to be sitting on a powder keg of development. The streetlights are already in for the first phase of Bridgeport Lakes, a new 700-home subdivision. Nearby, another developer is putting up apartments, a storage facility and senior living complex.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› FWC to decide whether endangered Goliath grouper should be fished, killed for research
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission could decide this week if Goliath grouper, labeled critically endangered by the World Conservation Union, should be fished and killed in the name of research.

› Dayton, Ohio’s most awarded chef is headed to Florida
Anne Carney is the Dayton area’s most highly credentialed chef, based on her recognition by the James Beard Foundation, whose awards are regarded as the nation’s most prestigious recognition program for the food and beverage business — the equivalent of the Academy Awards of the restaurant industry.

› Belle Glade company creates innovative disposables
Tellus Products LLC is a Belle Glade-based manufacturing company that uses leftover sugarcane fiber to make compostable, sustainable, and chlorine-free plates, bowls, and takeout containers.

› Judge awards former Fleetwing president $3.4 million
A circuit judge has ordered Fleetwing Corp. to pay its former president $3.4 million in a breach-of-contract lawsuit against the Lakeland-based petroleum distributor. Circuit Judge Steven Selph also ordered the family-owned fuel distribution company to pay former company president Dave Ricketts’ attorney fees.