Water woes become political wild card in Florida election

While Democrats continue to point to water quality and the environment as a driving force in Tuesday’s elections, other issues, including President Donald Trump, have been drawing away attention. And when policy issues of importance to Floridians come up, the environment has to make space for health care, immigration, gun control and the economy. [Source: WUSF]

Florida home sales up in third quarter

Florida's housing market had more sales, higher median prices, more pending sales and more new listings in 3Q 2018, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. Closed sales of single-family homes statewide totaled 72,843 in 3Q 2018, up 7.5% from the 3Q 2017 figure. See the full release from Florida Realtors and read more at Builder.

Battle over phosphate mining roils small Florida town

Phosphate mining is a major industry in Florida, but it’s also a major source of pollution, responsible for red tide, toxic algal blooms and killing wildlife. In the northern part of the state, residents of a small town are resisting a man who wants to mine phosphate near their homes. [Source: NewsHour]

How will Florida's next governor get around the state?

Florida leaders will soon have to determine how exactly the new governor and Cabinet members will be able to travel the state after Gov. Rick Scott, who uses a private jet, leaves office. But so far, the campaigns of Ron DeSantis and Andrew Gillum have not outlined how they would travel when no longer driving and flying on the dollars of political contributors. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

NASA satellites help Florida issue experimental red tide forecast

After a summer in which the red tide spread to several parts of Florida's coast, becoming such a widespread problem that the governor had to declare an emergency, there's a new tool that'll help residents fight back. [Source: The Weather Channel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Democrats call for state-run bank for medical marijuana industry [WOFL]
It may be legal in Florida, but patients like Gena Lederhandler say it’s still not easy or cheap to get their medicinal marijuana prescriptions filled. The reason: the payment method is cash. That doesn’t just go for the patients but the companies as well who often have to do everything in cash from transactions to paying their employees.

› Is bus rapid transit the answer to Miami traffic? CEOs discuss the realities [Miami Herald]
This week’s question to South Florida CEOs who are on the Miami Herald CEO Roundtable: Thinking about transportation, are you in favor of the bus rapid transit plan? What in your view are realistic solutions to easing Miami's transit/traffic woes?

› Florida farmers lay the foundation for a growing Southeast industry [Olive Oil Times]
As the partners at River Run planned their Florida company’s future business back in 2014, they found themselves searching for new avenues to explore. “We have corn, we have cows, let’s try something different,” recalled Mike Casey, managing partner of River Run Olive Oil. Their interest was piqued by California’s burgeoning olive oil industry and wondered if producing olives in the Southeast United States might be possible.

› First phase of businesses open at Dania Pointe: See what's there [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Kimco Realty Corp.’s project, which will have hundreds of new residences, shopping and entertainment activities, occupies the spot of the former Dania Beach wooden roller coaster ride that was dismantled years ago.

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› Publix stock up as third-quarter sales reach $8.8 billion [Orlando Sentinel]
Publix Supermarkets made $8.8 billion in the third quarter, even though it struggled to match big sales from Hurricane Irma last year, the company reported Thursday. Sales increased 3.2 percent, but same-store sales were up just 0.6 percent because the company saw a massive boost last year from high demand because of the storm.

› Miami’s strong-mayor referendum is a multimillion-dollar fight [Miami Herald]
Moneyed interests in real estate, architecture and construction have poured more than $1 million into the campaign to make Mayor Francis Suarez, the 41-year-old politician in his first year as the city’s figurehead, into a powerful “strong mayor” in charge of the municipal government’s day-to-day operations.

› Will Collier County approve its first penny sales tax? [Florida Politics]
Will notoriously conservative Collier County voters get behind the creation of its first local sales tax? Business leaders in the region hope so, and have rallied behind the One Collier effort for a penny tax to raise capital for needed assets.

› Hillsborough shows off $17 million ‘sportsplex,’ with 15 fields for championship play [Tampa Bay Times]
Work is still under way, but Hillsborough officials took a moment Thursday to show off progress on their new $17 million sports complex — a state of the art collection of 15 athletic fields designed to attract national tournaments.