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Thursday's Daily Pulse

Experts warn Floridians to brace for another potentially catastrophic hurricane season

Following last year’s most destructive hurricane season on record, government officials and emergency responders are imploring Floridians to be prepared should the state experience another nightmarish season marked by prolonged power outages, fuel shortages and potentially deadly storm surge. New research reveals hurricanes have been getting stronger more rapidly than they did 30 years ago. This study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, analyzed data from NOAA's National Hurricane Center and the U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center on hurricanes that occurred from 1986 to 2015. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Newsweek, and Fortune.

See also:
» Don't count on feds right after hurricane, FEMA chief tells Florida leaders
» Gov. Rick Scott speaks at hurricane conference in West Palm Beach

Political spending by utilities has jumped, boosted by opposition to rooftop solar

Political spending by Florida’s largest electric companies has soared in the last two election cycles, more than doubling what those companies spent in the previous ten years, a new report says. Florida’s four largest energy companies gave more than $43 million during the 2014 and 2016 election cycles to state level candidates, political parties and political committees. More from the Miami Herald and the Tampa Bay Times.

Navigating Florida's medical marijuana industry

More and more Floridians every week are signing up for access to medical marijuana, and with over 100,000 patients already on the registry, there is clearly money to be made. This week, Florida Matters spoke with people who work in the business about the obstacles and opportunities in the burgeoning medical marijuana industry. [Source: WUSF]

Florida land values strong thanks to rising economy

David TepperOverall, the residential land market in Florida is very strong as a result of the improving economy, combined with the continued influx of almost 1,000 people per day to the state The heart of residential growth is occurring along the I-4 corridor from Tampa to Daytona Beach. This is according to a report by Dean Saunders as presented at the recent "Lay of the Land" conference in Orlando (photo). Full story here.

Florida stone crab season ends after wallop from Hurricane Irma

Another stone crab season has ended — but this time, Hurricane Irma left Southwest Florida stone crabbers in a bit of a pinch. Irma drove the crabs offshore early in the season. Instead of being accessible 5 miles offshore, the stone crabs were anywhere between 20 and 50 miles offshore. [Source: Naples Daily News]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Tampa has more jobs than Orlando, but it's not growing as quickly
The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area ranks 20th in the nation for job growth among large-sized cities, according to Forbes study released this week. The Tampa area ranks ahead of Miami, but behind Orlando and Jacksonville.

David Tepper

› Florida Trend's Summer Getaway Guide
This guide is a great place to find the perfect vacation site - whether you are thinking of a personal vacation or a business getaway! Explore the ideas here.

› Orlando company launches clinical trial, introduces new generation of prosthetic arms
Limbitless Solutions, a UCF-based company that makes 3D-printed bionic arms for children, is launching the first clinical trial of its kind to study the effectiveness of its prosthetics and the impact on the children’s quality of life.

› Marlins hire executives to help the fan experience, community outreach
Derek Jeter’s Marlins are last in the standings and a tough sell at the ticket windows. While there’s no quick fix for rebuilding the on-field product — a process that could take years — Jeter is taking steps to improve the bottom line. The Marlins have hired three new executives to help with sales, marketing and customer service. See the full announcement from the Marlins, here.

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› 10 more cities join gun lawsuit against Florida
Another 10 cities from Key Biscayne in South Florida to Tallahassee in the Panhandle have joined the lawsuit against the state of Florida which seeks the power to regulate firearms.

› Nine figure deals in South Florida tech industry
The companies Ron Antevy and Rodrigo Griesi help run are very different. But both technology companies sold in the past several months for nine figures -- at least $100 million. The deals represent the regional technology industry as it works to grow and mature.

› Amateur sports add more than $104M to Lee economy
Amateur sports are almost like a stealth part of Lee County’s tourism economic profile. Residents who don’t work in the hotel or restaurant industries may not realize what baseball players and swimmers and others bring to the county.

› Should Florida let patients smoke marijuana? A judge is hearing arguments
The fight for medical marijuana went to court Wednesday, as the trial began in Orlando attorney John Morgan's lawsuit against the state's prohibition on smoking as a method for sick patients to consume the drug.