Tomato fight divides growers in Florida and the West Coast. Will it trip up NAFTA?

Florida and Mexico are having a food fight over tomatoes and other fresh produce. Will farmers in California and Washington get caught in the crossfire? That’s one question that swirls around the final negotiations between the Trump administration and Mexico on a revamped North American Free Trade Agreement. More from McClatchy DC and the Miami Herald.

Spaceport race is on as municipalities woo the likes of SpaceX and Bezos’s Blue Origin

There are now 10 licensed commercial spaceports in the U.S., from Alaska to Florida, double the number in 2004. The global space industry, including government and commercial activities, reached $384 billion in 2017, compared with $207 billion in 2007, according to Space Foundation. More from Marketwatch and the Wall Street Journal.

A hurricane may be only way to get rid of red tide, expert says

The killer menace, which has turned the emerald green waters of the Gulf of Mexico into a soft-drink brown hue and transformed pristine white sand beaches into ghastly graveyards of rotting sea turtles, manatees, dolphins and whale sharks in recent weeks, doesn’t look like it will loosen its grip on the area, scientists say. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

See also:
» Red tide leaves beaches vacant: ‘All we can do is say our prayers’
» Red tide pushing more people, more business to St. Pete Beach
» Florida red tide map
» Related quick poll: Have you encountered either the toxic algae or the red tide plaguing Florida this year?

Florida Trend Editor's Column
Going fishing: Companies turn to aquaculture in Florida

When Peter Betzer, former dean of USF's College of Marine Science, saw a new facility in Wisconsin that couples aquaculture with hydroponics, he took it as a glimpse into the future of feeding the world. And Betzer thinks it's a future Florida ought to embrace. Full column by Mark Howard, here.

Experts explore strategies to control new palm disease

In addition to helping the environment, palm trees also enhance Florida’s economy. Now palms are being threatened by two diseases: lethal yellowing and lethal bronzing. Lethal bronzing is killing palm species including sabal (cabbage) palms, silver date palms and true date palms, said Brian Bahder, an entomology assistant professor with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. See the news release from UF here and read more at the Tallahassee Democrat.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Florida Trend wins top awards from the Florida Magazine Association [Florida Trend]
Florida Trend attended the Florida Magazine Association's annual conference over the weekend at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. At Friday night's "Charlie Awards" ceremony, Florida Trend was awarded two first-place awards, one silver and one bronze award.

› New Lake Worth business owner brings The Bronx to Lake Avenue [Palm Beach Post]
Sitting inside NoDoSo — short for North Down South — at 609 Lake Avenue, Jerusha Benjamin, almost looks like one of the fine pieces of art she has hanging on her wall. Benjamin, 38, owns and operates NoDoSo, an art gallery and event space that opened Wednesday.

› Florida child welfare leader Mike Carroll bows out [Tampa Bay Times]
The head of Florida's long-troubled child welfare agency is stepping down, the state announced Friday, after a four-year stint that saw him serve longer than the agency's other recent chiefs.

› From school safety to voter guides, Orlando's hackers are coding for good [Orlando Sentinel]
From voter education to clearing storm drains, programmers put their collective heads together to brainstorm for the greater good. It’s a yearly program that in the past has tackled problems like improving Orlando’s permitting process, making it easy to access city meeting’s over Amazon’s Alexa devices and redesigning Orlando’s flag.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› South Florida ranked among the best for work-life balance [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
More than 80 percent of South Florida professionals rate their work-life balance as either “excellent” or “good,” according to a new nationwide survey released by staffing firm Robert Half International

› Should beach-based shark fishing be banned in Florida? [Palm Beach Daily News]
For generations, average Joe anglers cast their lines from Florida’s sandy shores hoping to land one of the ocean’s most ancient creatures, furtive shadows thrumming with power and intrigue. But the state is taking a closer look at the loosely regulated sport of beach-based shark fishing.

› When Airbnb competes with hotels, Miami travelers pocket some extra cash, says study [Miami Herald]
An ongoing study authored by MIT and Harvard researchers has confirmed what many analysts have been saying for a while now: Airbnb is taking a sliver out of hotel revenues, and travelers are reaping the rewards of lower costs.

› Parker Solar Probe launches from Cape Canaveral [Orlando Sentinel]
A spacecraft designed to unlock the mysteries of the Sun was sent on its way early Sunday in a fiery liftoff from Cape Canaveral. United Launch Alliance sent the $1.5 billion Parker Solar Probe into the night sky, setting it on a voyage that will bring it within 3.8 million miles of our Solar System’s star.