Gov. Scott issues warning as potential tropical system approaches gulf

Florida Gov. Rick Scott is urging Floridians to heed warnings as a large area of low pressure in the Caribbean threatens to form into the first tropical system of 2018. Even if it doesn't become a named storm, forecasters say it could dump heavy rain and cause localized flooding across the Gulf Coast for Memorial Day weekend. The latest forecast from the National Hurricane center says, "Formation chance through 5 days: Medium, 60 percent." See the news release from Gov. Scott here. Also read more at the Tampa Bay Times and WESH.

See also:
» Florida's rain brings out more snakes
» Water levels of Lake Okeechobee rising, discharges possible

Florida Trend Exclusive
Aviation additions in Florida

Northwest Florida gets a boost as two more aerospace companies move in. Anchored by such aviation giants as Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, Northwest Florida’s claim as an aerospace hot spot took another big step forward in early 2018. Full story here.

» Coming tomorrow in our series on transportation in Florida: Update on Jacksonville's elevated rail system; a look at the cross-state bike/hike trail.

Golden age of new theme park rides led by Orlando

If this is a golden age for theme parks, then nowhere are new thrills more abundant than in Orlando where the major theme park resorts have been in an arms race, opening new attractions every year recently, with even bigger blockbusters slated for next year. [Source: AP]

Despite trade war concerns, Florida construction industry sees growth

Thirty-eight states added construction jobs between March 2017 and March 2018, with Florida sitting near the top of the pack after adding more than 31,600 construction jobs for an increase of 6.3 percent. More in the the news release from the Associated General Contractors of America.

Report: Florida cities are most at risk from climate change

The picturesque Florida cities of Miami Beach and Sarasota carry high investment-grade credit ratings and are popular travel destinations. They’re also two of the most exposed U.S cities to climate change in the country, according to a new analysis. [Source: Bloomberg] Also see the white paper, "Assessing Exposure to Climate Change in U.S. Munis," from 427.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Amazon is selling facial recognition to Orlando law enforcement - for a fistful of dollars [Washington Post]
Amazon has been providing facial recognition tools to law enforcement agencies in Oregon and Orlando for only a few dollars a month, paving the way for a rollout of technology that is causing concern among civil rights groups.

› Sarasota faces $49 million bill after losing garage lawsuit [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
The $49,792,431 verdict in Buck-Leiter Development vs City of Sarasota comes after an appeals court reversed a ruling in favor of the city of Sarasota in 2017, reopening the case against the city filed by the developer that was originally selected for the city’s Palm Avenue parking garage.

› Orange Park company capitalizes on co-working spaces [Florida Times-Union]
Coworking spaces aren’t new, but these flexible workplaces are gaining in popularity — and some people are so taken with the concept that they are launching new locations in Jacksonville to take advantage of the work-from-home trend that’s especially popular with millennials.

› Get ready: Florida tax holiday for hurricane supplies is June 1-7 [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Hurricane Irma may be fresh in your memory, but it's time to get ready for 2018 storm season, which run June 1 through Nov. 30. This year, foresters are predicting a slightly above average number of hurricanes to form in the Atlantic. See the full list of what will be tax-free during the "Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday," here.

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› 15,000 invasive lionfish removed from Florida waters [WWSB]
The fourth annual Lionfish Challenge is underway and thousands of members of the invasive species have already been captured and removed from Florida waters.

› Cade Museum Opens In Gainesville As Hub For Invention [WUFT]
The revitalization of downtown Gainesville continued on Saturday with the grand opening of The Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention. Some 100 visitors took to exploring the 26,000-square-foot intellectual oasis on its inaugural morning.

› Fewer people are staying in in Central Florida hotels [Orlando Sentinel]
Hotel occupancy rates in Orlando last month dropped 5.3 percent over April 2017, marking the biggest year-over-year drop in four years. The data from Hendersonville, Tenn.,-based industry research firm STR also showed a drop of 3.4 percent in revenue earned per available room in Orlando.

› Florida’s early voting ban on campuses challenged in court [Tampa Bay Times]
A new lawsuit accuses Gov. Rick Scott's administration of making it more difficult for young people to vote by preventing early voting at public buildings on state university campuses.