Cybercrime becoming bigger problem in Florida

Cybercrimes are becoming a bigger problem in Florida. Comparitech says Florida had almost 22 million victims of cyber crimes last year. The averaged loss per victim was $5,054. Cybercrimes, which include attack and digital fraud, are at a six-year high. More from WJXT and CNBC.

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» Introducing: The Cybercrime Support Network

Florida eyes California’s medical review process for comp savings

California’s 6-year-old independent medical review program for workers compensation claims could be a solution to keeping Florida’s workers compensation costs low, according to a report released this week by Florida TaxWatch. See the news release from Florida TaxWatch and the full analysis here, plus read more at Business Insurance.

Layoffs and stalled projects plagued space start-up Moon Express. Then NASA stepped in.

Space start-up Moon Express, based in Cape Canaveral, is working on a fleet of lunar landers. But after an investor pulled out in the summer of 2017, the company has struggled. It laid off about half its staff. Projects stalled. And not a dollar was spent on its launch complex. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Complaints from private entrepreneurs in Cuba lead to unusual about-face on new regulations

In an 11th-hour reprieve, the Cuban government has announced several big changes that should make new rules scheduled to go into effect Friday more palatable to the island’s cuentapropistas (self-employed workers). [Source: Miami Herald]

New species of giant salamander discovered in Florida

There have been whispers for decades that a creature with the spots of a leopard and the body of an eel lurked in the swamps of Florida and Alabama. Rumor had it the animal was as long as a man’s arm, with glistening gray skin, and frills on either side of its face. But unlike Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster, this animal is real. [Source: National Geographic]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Publix opens first store on college campus in Florida [WESH]
Publix has opened its first store on a college campus at the University of South Florida. The Lakeland-based supermarket chain said more than 50 of the 140 employees are university students. The store opened Thursday in Tampa.

› Should FPL have to refund up to $736 million? Three powerful groups are asking for it. [Miami Herald]
In a high-stakes case, attorneys for consumers and two business groups are asking state regulators to require Florida Power & Light to refund as much as $736 million to customers and are calling for a review of the utility’s base electric rates.

› Feds award money for high-profile Jacksonville projects [Florida Times-Union]
The federal government looks poised to help Jacksonville City Hall take down the Hart Bridge’s elevated ramp over Bay Street, a taxpayer-financed boost for Jaguars owner Shad Khan, who has said the removal must be done before he can complete a $2.5 billion mega-project on several pieces of public land near TIAA Bank Field.

› Tampa Bay's newest, tallest condo tower is almost done, and units already are being flipped for big bucks [Tampa Bay Times]
Less than a month ago, an investor paid $511,200 for a unit in Tampa Bay's newest condo tower, ONE St. Petersburg. This week, she sold it — for $702,000. Though the 41-story tower in downtown St. Petersburg is not yet finished, several buyers already have moved in while others hope to quickly flip their units.

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› Asylum denials surge to 18-year high in Florida as Trump cracks down on refugees [Orlando Sentinel]
Refugees requesting asylum in the U.S. to escape violence in their home countries have been more likely to be rejected in Florida this year than at any time in at least 18 years, a new report says.

› What would Miami build with $58 million the city wants to borrow? [Miami Herald]
City administrators have released a long-awaited list of the first round of improvements to be funded by the $400 million Forever Bond, approved by voters in the November 2017 election. Voters gave their government permission to borrow money on the municipal bond market and use a new property tax to pay for a range of public projects across the city.

› Tampa welcomes Curaleaf, its first medical marijuana dispensary [Tampa Bay Times]
Cannabis operator and medical marijuana dispensary, Curaleaf, opened last week in the heart of Old Seminole Heights. The 2,000 square foot space marks Curaleaf's 17th Florida storefront and its fourth in the bay area joining St. Petersburg, Lakeland, and Palm Harbor.

› Nemours names first Enterprise Chief Scientific Officer [Orlando Sentinel]
Nemours Children’s Health System, the parent company for Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, has appointed its first-ever enterprise chief scientific officer to lead the organization’s efforts in developing new cures and better treatments for children.