‘The worst I’ve ever seen it’: Lean stone crab season follows red tide in Florida

On a good day, in a good year, a captain fishing off the shores of the Florida Everglades might catch 400 pounds of one of the state’s unrivaled delicacies, the stone crab. These are not good days. A prolonged red tide in Southwest Florida has hurt the iconic stone crab — and the fishermen, whose family businesses go back generations, who catch it. [Source: New York Times]

Partial government shutdown could affect Florida

A shutdown showdown is looming this week in Washington, D.C. At stake are impacts to hundreds of thousands of government employees and several federal agencies, including NASA. Workers at the Kennedy Space Center would be forced to stay home Christmas week and there is no guarantee they would get back pay. [Source: Spectrum News 13]

Florida Trend Exclusive
L3 Technologies and Harris merge

The recently announced $15-billion merger between L3 Technologies and Harris, based in Melbourne, creates the sixth-largest defense contractor in the U.S. out of what had been two medium-sized players. Both companies have big presences across Florida. [Source: Florida Trend]

T.K. Wetherell, a former state House speaker and FSU president, dead at 72

T.K. Wetherell, a former state House speaker who went on to become president of his alma mater, Florida State University, died Sunday after a long battle with cancer, the university announced. He was 72. Read the announcement and see more from the Tampa Bay Times.

Florida reemployment tax rate to remain at lowest rate for fourth year in a row

Governor Rick Scott announced Florida businesses will continue to pay the lowest possible rate for reemployment taxes in 2019 – for the fourth year in a row. Florida’s strong economy and private-sector job growth has allowed the state to dramatically reduce the minimum reemployment tax rate. [Source: Space Coast Daily]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› What happens after you click ‘buy’ on Amazon: Inside Ruskin’s fulfillment center [Tampa Bay Times]
While you’re sitting cozy at home, scrolling Amazon for your next holiday gift, Barbi Evans is at work finding spots for toys, trinkets and electronics that haven’t even been ordered yet inside Amazon’s million-square-foot warehouse in Ruskin.

› Florida farm labor company pays $53,000 in back pay after violating rights of visa workers [Miami Herald]
Bringing workers into the United States to harvest vegetables in Florida? SOL Harvesting did that. Providing those workers proper pay, housing, transportation? SOL Harvesting didn’t do that. So, the company paid $53,428 in back wages to its H-2A visa workers and a civil fine of $2,368, according to the Department of Labor.

› Gainesville seeks balance between majestic trees and urban growth [Gainesville Sun]
If the Cellon Oak could talk, it could tell of picnics a century ago beneath its broad canopy and, before that, of native people who hunted the hardwood hammock north of where Gainesville lies today. It is the largest known live oak — quercus virginiana — in Florida, one of 30 champion trees of various species in Alachua County.

› CSX shareholders suing board of directors over Hunter Harrison’s hiring [Florida Times-Union]
A Jacksonville judge may soon decide if CSX shareholders have the right to take the Jacksonville railroad giant’s board of directors to task for its decision to spend $84 million to hire former CEO Hunter Harrison even though he was in poor health and would die eight months later.

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› South Florida lags on tech talent, Square co-founder McKelvey tells ITPalooza [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
South Florida’s tech sector is not growing talent as quickly as it should, according to billionaire entrepreneur Jim McKelvey. The co-founder of mobile payment company Square was addressing more than 2,000 technology professionals gathered at ITPalooza at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward Convention Center.

› The ‘ultimate nightmare scenario’ for this historic Miami church: A $7 million tax bill [Miami Herald]
The First Presbyterian Church of Miami, the oldest organized congregation in the city, has been hit with a $7.1 million tax bill by the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser, which claims the church has leased a portion of church grounds to a for-profit school and food trucks, violating its religious exemption status.

› JAXUSA announces international business awards [Florida Times-Union]
JAXUSA Partnership, the business development wing of JAX Chamber, announced its International Awards recognizing local businesses with global involvement at the organization’s quarterly luncheon. The International Company of the Year was the Macquarie Group.

› Tribune Publishing ends talks about selling company to McClatchy [Orlando Sentinel]
Tribune Publishing has terminated negotiations to sell the Chicago-based newspaper company to McClatchy, a source familiar with the matter said Thursday. Potential antitrust issues in Florida, where McClatchy owns the Miami Herald and Tribune Publishing owns the nearby Sun Sentinel, ultimately derailed a deal between the two companies.