Florida ranks No. 11 for GDP growth in first quarter of 2018

Florida just missed a spot in the nation’s top 10 for economic performance in the first quarter of the year. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis on Tuesday ranked the Sunshine State No. 11 for gross domestic product performance, which increased 2.5 percent from the last quarter of 2017 to the first quarter of 2018. Read more at the Tampa Bay Times and see a chart of industry performance in Florida during Q1.

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Flying high

Eyeing the end of his military pilot career, fighter jock Rob Ceravolo had a choice. Transitioning to a job as a commercial airline pilot meant a great salary, benefits and predictability. Instead, Ceravolo founded a seaplane airline. Full story here.

» This article is part of a business news roundup for Southeast Florida and includes briefs, people in the news.

Judge strikes down Florida's campus ban on early voting

A federal judge is telling Florida that college campuses can be used for early voting sites in this year's elections. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker ruled Tuesday that the state's ban on using college and university campuses for early voting sites is unconstitutional. Walker ruled that a 2014 state opinion that banned early voting on campus violates three amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Walker's injunction directs Scott's chief elections official, Secretary of State Ken Detzner, to tell all 67 counties that they can use campus buildings for early voting this fall. [Source: AP] See the original 2014 ban from Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner, here.

Summer of seaweed: Battle against smelly seaweed spreads on South Florida beaches

It has been an especially difficult battle lately with a dramatic increase in seaweed floating to South Florida and the Caribbean. From using heavier equipment to more frequent sweeps of the beaches, cities are working harder to clean it up. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Ratings agency ignites controversy over financial strength of Florida insurers

With Florida about to enter peak hurricane season, a state insurance association representing more than a dozen insurers in Florida is hitting back against a recent report from ratings agency Weiss Ratings that identified 10 Florida-based insurers as “weak.” [Source: Insurance Journal]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› National junior college golf championship coming to Viera [Florida Today]
The junior college national golf championship tournament will be coming to Viera next May — giving a boost to both the sports sector and the tourism sector along the Space Coast.

› Florida Supreme Court justices to weigh FPL environmental costs [Daily Business Review]
The Florida Public Service Commission filed a brief Monday urging the Supreme Court to uphold a decision that allows FPL to recover money from customers to deal with a saltwater plume that moved from a power-plant complex into nearby groundwater.

› Miami Dolphins want county and city dollars to move training camp to Miami Gardens [Miami Herald]
The Miami Dolphins want to move their training camp about 10 miles south from Davie to a new facility next to Hard Rock Stadium that would cost at least $50 million to build, a relocation across county lines that would be subsidized by Miami Gardens and Miami-Dade.

› Rehearing rejected in conservation funding case [WJXT]
A Leon County circuit judge has rejected the state’s request for rehearing in a battle about whether lawmakers properly carried out a 2014 constitutional amendment that required spending on land and water conservation.

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› Gov. Scott’s appointee sought unemployment benefits a week before taking office [Florida Times-Union]
Just a week before his controversial appointment to the Jacksonville City Council would spark bitter political fighting and force attorneys from City Hall and the Governor’s office to defend a lawsuit challenging his eligibility for office, Terrance Freeman was out of work and seeking state unemployment benefits.

› 8 of top 10 theme parks located in Florida [WFLA]
Here’s another reason why it’s awesome to live in the Tampa Bay area. Seven of the top 10 theme parks and water parks in the U.S. are a short drive away in Orlando.

› Florida Hospital has a secret project called Fulcrum. Here's what we know. [Orlando Sentinel]
Working in an undisclosed location in Orlando, Florida Hospital has assembled a secret team to “kill the old health care model,” said health system CEO Daryl Tol during a recent talk.

› A lawyer sued Miami over the Beckham stadium deal. A full hearing could be next. [Miami Herald]
The city has a week to respond to a complaint alleging it didn’t follow proper procedures when the City Commission approved a November ballot measure asking voters whether it should waive competitive bidding for the development, which was proposed by a team led by retired soccer star David Beckham and businessman Jorge Mas.