Evolution of Florida citrus growers: What it takes to stay in the embattled industry

Just 30 percent of the growers from 10 years ago are still fighting to stay in the industry. Some Florida citrus growers are finally starting to see an increase of orange production. Those who managed to stick around as the greening disease ravaged their groves have been experimenting with different variations of trees, expensive chemicals and fertilizers. [Source: WJCT]

See also:
» The state of Florida's citrus industry
» Florida citrus industry's battle with plant disease continues
» EPA proposes increasing use of antibiotic to fight citrus bacteria

Florida utilities can use federal tax savings for storm costs

Two Florida utilities can use savings from the federal tax overhaul to cover restoration costs after recent hurricanes, without raising customers’ electric bills, a state commission said. The Florida Public Service Commission on May 21 approved settlement agreements for Duke Energy Florida LLC and Tampa Electric Co. to lower storm restoration costs and standardize their processes for future storm restoration efforts. More from Bloomberg and Bay News 9.

Questions raised over Florida Cabinet meeting in Israel

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is going to Israel with a large contingent of business leaders — not surprisingly, especially as the GOP woos Jewish voters ahead of the 2020 presidential election. But DeSantis’s plan to hold a meeting with his elected Cabinet while he’s there has raised concerns about whether officials are violating the state’s open-meeting laws. More from the AP and the Times of Israel.

A look at seven proposed ballot measures to watch in Florida

Florida lawmakers this month approved a controversial bill that is expected to make it harder to put citizens’ initiatives on the ballot. But amid the likely changes, petition signatures have continued pouring into the state Division of Elections in recent weeks, with two initiatives ready for Supreme Court review and others nearing that initial threshold. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

The low down on South Florida's food hall craze

Food halls have been showing up all over South Florida the past couple years. The concept is simple: a communal space with various food vendors from local restaurants in the region. But the financial sustainability of food halls remains a big question. [Source: WLRN]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Air filter maker Molekule moves its manufacturing facility to greater Tampa Bay area [Tampa Bay Times]
Air filtration company Molekule has further strengthened its ties to the Tampa Bay area. The company, which sprang from technology created by a University of South Florida professor, has consolidated its manufacturing at a facility in Lakeland.

› Virgin Trains announces construction start for rail between Orlando and South Florida [Orlando Sentinel]
Virgin Trains USA announced today that its team of builders has started construction on long-awaited tracks between West Palm Beach and Orlando International Airport. The start of additional rail construction from the airport to West Palm Beach “is imminent” the company said in its announcement. Virgin Trains expects project completion and the start of service to be in 2022.

› MIA gets new 3-D explosives detection scanner that will speed up your security wait [Miami Herald]
Miami International Airport unveiled its new 3-D explosives detection scanner Tuesday. It’s designed to make flying safer — and to speed up security lines. In one security checkpoint in MIA’s Concourse D, the new scanner has replaced the standard X-ray machine. By the end of the year, MIA should get 10 more, said MIA’s federal security director, Dan Ronan.

› The search continues for Sarasota Orchestra’s new home [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
The Sarasota Orchestra is still looking for a permanent home. A commission meeting Monday night resulted in a decision to consider other locations for the new Sarasota Orchestra music center, taking Payne Park off of the table. Now, the question is where that will be. The Sarasota Orchestra respects the commission’s decision, according to an orchestra official, although they’ve now been sent back to the drawing board.

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› Florida seniors engage in unhealthy behaviors, study finds [Naples Daily News]
More Florida seniors are smoking, drinking and experiencing depression, according to an annual health status report. Despite poor habits among a segment of the senior population 65 and older, the overall health of Florida seniors improved one spot from last year and ranks 29 among all states, the latest America’s Health Rankings report shows.

› Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas to get major overhaul for its 10th birthday [Orlando Sentinel]
The oldest of the world's largest cruise ships is set up for a $165 million spa day as Royal Caribbean announced upgrades coming to Oasis of the Seas. The first of the current fleet of four Oasis-class ships, the 225,288-gross-ton vessel had its maiden voyage Dec. 5, 2009, and for its 10-year anniversary, the ship is getting an array of new features.

› Overtown redo? Beckham paying $9M for old site, wants stadium permits there, mayor says [Miami Herald]
Could David Beckham reverse course again and revive plans for a soccer stadium in Overtown? Beckham’s lead local partner, MasTec chairman Jorge Mas, told county officials on Monday that the soccer group planned to pay $9 million to close on three acres of Miami-Dade land in the Overtown neighborhood and ask Miami for permits to build a stadium there.

› Ringling’s Circus Museum will close for summer facelift, reopen this fall [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
The Historic Circus Museum at the Ringling Museum of Art will close June 1 for a summer reinstallation before reopening this fall with updated galleries, expanded exhibits and a fresh coat of paint. Long-term plans include replacing parts of the circus museum, which opened in 1948, but that project will require fund-raising and several years of preparation.