Florida Trend Exclusive
Florida's Space Coast Renaissance: The private space race is on

Long subject to whims in congressional spending on space, the Space Coast’s economy turned in 2011 with the government’s decision to end the shuttle program. Instead of slipping into an economic coma, however, the Space Coast capitalized on its skilled workforce. In less than a decade, the region has rebounded by attracting companies such as plane maker Embraer to join longtime Defense Department contractors Lockheed, Northrop Grumman and Harris in Brevard County. [Source: Florida Trend]

See also:
» Florida's 2019 rocket launch lineup

Tesla reneges on showroom closures, but fate of Florida stores is uncertain

The once endangered Florida showrooms of Tesla may be safe for now, but their future remains uncertain as the electric car manufacturer offers little in the way of guidance on what direction it’s headed. Tesla recently announced, then walked back, a plan to close most of its stores in an effort to reduce the price of its entry-level Model 3 vehicles. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Governor, Cabinet briefed on disaster zone caused by Hurricane Michael

How bad was Hurricane Michael? It deposited 920,000 cubic yards of debris in waterways, only 110,000 of which have been removed to date, at a cost of $19.4 million. The final price tag could hit $167 million, Barbara Goodman, deputy director for lands and recreation at the Department of Environmental Protection, told Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Cabinet Tuesday. [Source: Florida Politics]

Partner in Little Haiti project, IMG Academy director charged in college admissions probe

The CEO of the Miami-based investment firm Dragon Global, Zangrillo was one of 33 parents — including two well-known Hollywood actresses — accused on Tuesday morning of cheating on college exams and posing their children as athletic recruits to gain admission at prestigious schools such as USC, Yale and Harvard. Mark Riddell, the director of college entrance exam preparation at IMG Academy, a boarding school in Bradenton, Florida that has been a springboard for elite high school athletes to Division I college athletic programs, was also charged. More from the Miami Herald, NBC Miami, and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Senators back effort to collect ‘remote' sales taxes

A State Senate committee this week approved a bill that could help the state collect sales taxes on purchases made over the internet from out-of-state businesses. The bill (SB 1112) comes after years of debate about efforts to collect sales taxes on such “remote” sales. If out-of-state businesses do not collect Florida sales taxes, the burden has technically fallen on consumers to pay the taxes -- though few do. [Source: WJXT]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› AdventHealth plans major expansion of Orlando emergency department [Orlando Sentinel]
AdventHealth Orlando has filed plans with City of Orlando for a major expansion at its main campus north of downtown, according to a report in GrowthSpotter. The hospital, formerly known as Florida Hospital, wants to expand its emergency department by 45,000 square feet, according to the documents.

› Rival seafood companies settle corporate espionage lawsuit [AP]
A federal judge has dismissed a corporate espionage lawsuit filed by National Fish & Seafood against a former employee and her new company after the sides announced an agreement. Gloucester-based National Fish claimed the former employee, with the urging and assistance of her new employers at Dover, Florida-based Tampa Bay Fisheries, used company-issued equipment last summer to help steal confidential information.

› Mote asks Manatee County for $15 million for new aquarium [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Mote Marine Laboratory is asking Manatee County to contribute $15 million toward the construction of its proposed state-of-the-art aquarium at Nathan Benderson Park. Sarasota County, where the lakefront park is located just south of the Sarasota-Manatee line, is considering a $20 million request for the $130 million project.

› Tampa Electric enters crucial stretch to get its Big Bend plans approved [Tampa Bay Times]
Tampa Electric Co. is entering a crucial stretch in the approval process for its plan to convert part of Big Bend Power Station to natural gas, and the plant’s neighbors are paying close attention.

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› Jacksonville incentives for downtown resort hotel at Berkman II site get scrutiny [Florida Times-Union]
Several Jacksonville City Council members expressed concerns this week over a $36 million package of public incentives for a developer planning to build a waterfront resort hotel with games and rides — including a 200-foot tall observation wheel — at downtown’s partly-built Berkman II property in a deal that includes an unusual provision for the city to subsidize the hotel’s operation.

› An entire block of Sarasota Main Street is for sale [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
An entire city block on Main Street in the heart of downtown is on the market for $14 million. The 1.3-acre property on the southside of the 1700 block is currently home to three existing buildings that generate cash flow, but the location in a federally designated opportunity zone offers “significant development potential.”

› Tampa Bay's foreclosure rate was unchanged in 2018 although fewer people were seriously late on their mortgages [Tampa Bay Times]
The foreclosure rate in the Tampa Bay area was unchanged between 2017 and 2018 despite a drop in the percentage of homes that were "seriously delinquent'' on their mortgages. According to the property data site CoreLogic, about 1 percent of all mortgaged bay area homes were in some stage of foreclosure at the end of December.

› Oceaneering renews lease for 10 years with Panama City Port [Panama City News Herald]
Oceaneering International Inc, will continue its work at Panama City Port for at least the next 10 years. Oceaneering and the Port Authority have reached an agreement to renew and extend the lease of Oceaneering’s on-port umbilical manufacturing facility through 2029, with additional options that could extend through 2039.