A year after Irma, Keys businesses can’t find enough workers

Islamorada resorts, restaurants and retailers that have rebuilt since Hurricane Irma struck a year ago say they can’t find enough workers to fill their jobs. A new report by the University of Florida suggests one reason why: People left the Florida Keys after the hurricane and never came back. [Source: Miami Herald]

Related, from Florida Trend:
» The Florida Keys, post-Irma

Florida Trend Exclusive
Florida Icon: David Lawrence Jr.

The Chairman for the Children's Movement of Florida was formerly the publisher of the Miami Herald. Lawrence talks about a life in letters, living in Miami, the importance of reading, working in journalism. He says: "Miami’s the cutting edge of America. Miami needs to show the rest of America how we give each other the benefit of the doubt, how we celebrate what we have in common, how we learn to respect our differences." Full interview here.

Florida ranks high in risk of mortgage fraud

New York, New Jersey and Florida remain the top three states for the risk of mortgage fraud as fraud on mortgage applications ticks up nationally. One in 109 applications contained fraud in the second quarter of this year compared to one in 122 in the same period a year earlier, according to the financial services company CoreLogic. See the report from CoreLogic here. Also read more at the Tampa Bay Times.

Most fire in Florida goes undetected, researchers say

A new study from Florida State University researchers indicates that common satellite imaging technologies have vastly underestimated the number of fires in Florida. Their report challenges well-established beliefs about the nature and frequency of fire in the Sunshine State. See the full story from FSU (includes photo gallery).

When will Red Tide on Florida’s west coast go away? It’s anyone’s guess.

Now that Red Tide has reached Pinellas County’s popular beaches, chasing away tourists and depositing tons of dead marine life, the big question is when it will end. The short, unsatisfying answer, 10 months after the current bloom cropped up off the Southwest Florida coast, is no one can predict when it will break apart and float away. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Column: How much power does your homeowners association board have? [Sponsored Report]
To protect homeowners against costly board decisions, the Florida Condominium Act imposes a limitation on the type of alterations that may be made to the common areas of a condominium property. So what happens when your condo association board decides to create a common area, like a fire pit gathering area, and you think it's too close to your property?

› What workers do Southwest Florida's employers need the most? Not nurses. [Naples Daily News]
While nurses will always be needed in Southwest Florida, they're not as much needed by local employers as they were a year or two ago. For the first time in three years, nurses and other health care professionals aren't included in the top 10 list of occupations showing the largest employment gaps.

› Palm Beach joins county’s fight for hearing on West Palm business district [Palm Beach Daily News]
Citing traffic concerns, Palm Beach will join Palm Beach County’s fight for a hearing before the state can approve a zoning amendment allowing West Palm Beach to create an Okeechobee Business District.

› UCF acknowledges misusing $38M in state funds for new building [Orlando Sentinel]
The University of Central Florida on Thursday acknowledged to the body that oversees the state university system misusing more than $38 million in state funds intended to cover operating costs for a new building that were instead used for its construction. See the statement from Dale Whittaker, President of UCF, here.

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› Hurricane Florence evacuees flee to Disney World [Orlando Sentinel]
With the threat of Hurricane Florence, some East Coast residents have evacuated to the Orlando area, making trip reservations within a day or two, the kind of planning that normally takes months.

› The F.B.I. Is Quietly Contacting Cubans in Florida, Raising Old Alarm Bells [New York Times]
At least five Cuban-Americans in Miami who have opposed a trade embargo with Cuba and promoted better relations with the communist government in Havana, said they received surprise visits in the past week from federal agents.

› Urban Land Institute shows Miami Beach a path to resiliency [Miami Today]
The City of Miami Beach is preparing to live with water in a much deeper way. As the climate continues toward warmer temperatures and South Florida’s coastal cities see more frequent and damaging flooding, one of Miami-Dade County’s most vulnerable cities is fighting back against the threat of flooding, rising waters and stronger storms.

› Tampa’s Cigar City Brewing to sell its brews in Sweden, Finland and Norway [Tampa Bay Times]
Swedes will soon have the chance to take a swig of Cigar City’s beloved IPA. Cigar City Brewing on Thursday announced that a new partnership with a Swedish brewer will expand its beer sales throughout Scandinavia.