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Friday's Afternoon Update

Hurricane Irma’s costs are still rising, and so could your insurance rates

South Florida homeowners could be in for another round of property insurance rate hikes, thanks in part to “creeping” loss increases from Hurricane Irma back in September 2017, experts are warning. Losses from Irma, the fifth-costliest Atlantic hurricane, are now 26 percent higher than originally estimated. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Florida gas prices jump 25 cents in 10 days

If you live in Florida, you're paying more at the pump. AAA estimates gas prices went up 14 cents per gallon in the past week alone. Experts said it’s not unusual for gas prices to rise this time of year because refineries are doing their maintenance work, which ultimately drives up the cost of gas. More from WJXT.

Atlanta Braves stadium in North Port nearing completion

With spring training in full swing, construction of the Atlanta Braves’ baseball stadium in south Sarasota County has rounded third base and is bound for home. Construction on the $140 million spring home of the Braves, in the city of North Port’s West Villages development, is more than 90 percent complete. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Mail-in votes helped make Florida’s election a nightmare. A solution? More mail-in votes

One of the reasons Florida’s election system has repeatedly endured national embarrassment in the last two decades is that, in their search for solutions to problems real and imagined, Florida lawmakers have sometimes created more complications. More from the Miami Herald.

A game-changer for Florida patients and their families

Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center is the only program in Florida and the Southeastern U.S. chosen to replicate the multidisciplinary model of care established by MD Anderson Cancer Center, the nation’s No. 1-ranked cancer hospital. This means that top-quality cancer care is now available close to home, providing you with access to the latest clinical trials and new targeted therapies. [Sponsored report]

Out of the Box
Homeless donation meters coming to Florida town

 Daytona Beach is in the process of placing donation devices that look and operate like parking meters in various parts of the city. The meters, distinguished by their bright orange color and signs identifying them as donation stations for the homeless, will be placed in high-traffic spots.

» More from Santa Rosa's Press Gazette.

 

Profile
Dr. BBQ

floridaWhen Ray Lampe teamed up last year with Tampa Bay area restaurateurs Roger and Suzanne Perry to launch Dr. BBQ, an upmarket barbecue eatery in St. Petersburg’s EDGE District, he and his partners had to work hard to prove to their lender, Valley National Bank, that their ambitious, $3.3 million concept would succeed.

» Read more from Business Observer.