Hurricane season and summer are back. Some Florida beach towns aren’t.

Travel along the stretch of coast between Panama City and Mexico Beach, where Michael made landfall, and the destruction is ever present. Recovery has come in only small doses. Residents say full restoration will take years and worry they have been forgotten even as the U.S. Senate this week revisits an oft-delayed disaster relief package. [Source: AJC]

See also:
» As hurricane season looms, Mexico Beach idles at a crossroads, still broken from Michael
» 'Forgotten coast': a Florida town fights to rebuild after Hurricane Michael

Gov. Ron DeSantis orders review of Florida election security

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday ordered a review of the security of the state’s elections systems. He said he was acting in response to confirmation from the FBI that hackers managed to gain access to two Florida counties’ election systems during the 2016 election. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Judy Genshaft gives $20 million to USF to build a new honors college

Outgoing University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft is giving the school $20 million to build a new honors college that will bear her name. The announcement came during a highly anticipated ceremony at USF Tampa on Wednesday. USF trustees chairman Jordan Zimmerman called the gift “transformational.” See the announcement here and read more at the Tampa Bay Times.

Trulieve in Florida's economy: Medical marijuana and money

Kim Rivers' dad was a Jacksonville Sheriff's deputy while she was growing up. For a time, he was working with an undercover narcotics unit. Today, Rivers leads the largest seller of legal marijuana in Florida, as the CEO of Trulieve. The company was the first to have medical marijuana dispensaries in the state, and now has the most. [Source: WJCT]

Florida Chamber of Commerce releases 2019 Legislative Report Card

Ninety-eight members of the Florida Legislature earned A’s or B’s on the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s 2019 Legislative Report Card, and helped lower the cost of living and cost of doing business on families and job creators, while also preparing for future growth and protecting Florida’s constitution, the state’s leading voice of business and largest federation of employers, chambers of commerce and business association partners announced today. [Source: Florida Trend]

Serving clients and community we call our own

When Tripp Scott opened its doors in 1969, Fort Lauderdale was a quiet tourist town with about 140,000 residents. Fifty years later, the county seat of 1.93 million Broward residents has evolved into a thriving metropolis that enjoys a rich civic and cultural tapestry. Tripp Scott has helped nurture that growth by serving the market one client — and community organization — at a time. [Sponsored report]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Cade Museum announces the 2019 Cade Prize winners [Florida Trend]
The Cade Museum for Creativity & Invention is proud to announce that Anchor Biologics has won the 2019 Cade Prize, receiving a $25,000 cash prize. Anchor Biologics (Gainesville, FL) has discovered enzymes that suppress inflammatory diseases.

› OUC supervisor resigns ‘under extreme duress’ after report on treatment of power-plant workers [Orlando Sentinel]
A 30-year Orlando Utilities Commission veteran who was central in an investigation of worker complaints about abuse at Stanton Energy Center resigned this week under what he called “extreme duress.” Jonathan Janis was described by investigators last year as having “crossed the line” in his supervision of workers at the OUC complex of power plants in east Orange County.

› 'Fly-in hotel' with conference center proposed at Orlando Melbourne International Airport [Florida Today]
A development team hopes to build a "fly-in hotel" featuring a conference center and rooftop restaurant-bar near the Orlando Melbourne International Airport passenger terminal. Pilots and passengers could land at the airport, taxi to an apron adjacent to the hotel, and walk directly inside. Also, a covered walkway would link the hotel with the terminal.

› St. Petersburg becomes home to the first AARP fitness park in the nation [Tampa Bay Times]
A new set of equipment has arrived near the playground at Booker Creek Park, but it’s not intended for kids. Instead, AARP opened the first fitness park of the 53 it plans to roll out across the country designed for older adults in an effort to create more intergenerational living spaces.

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› Lakeland dental pioneer Harry Bopp plans farewell after 43 years as a pediatric dentist [Lakeland Ledger]
Women who work in Dr. Harry Bopp’s dental office reverently describe him as “the children whisperer.” As a pediatric dentist, Bopp has spent his career among children who would often rather be anywhere else than in his office. His longtime staff members say he exhibits an uncanny gift for convincing even the most tremulous children to sit pliantly and let him examine their mouths.

› Winter Springs’ Red Cypress Brewery to shut down [Orlando Sentinel]
Red Cypress Brewery in Winter Springs will shut down at the end of the month, bringing an end to one of the first entrants into Central Florida’s craft beer boom. Red Cypress announced the closing on social media Monday. The news was confirmed by co-founder Ryan Parker, who declined to give further comment.

› With homicides on the rise, Jacksonville invests in high tech crime-fighting tools [Florida Politics]
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Acting Director Regina Lombardo was in Jacksonville Tuesday, as city leaders rolled out a “soft opening” for the new Crime Gun Intelligence Center. This is the latest investment in technology in Duval County, which has struggled to stem a spike in homicide rates, and has struggled with homicide clearance rates that are among the lowest in Florida.

› Sarasota waterfront redevelopment project receives ‘transformative gift’ [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
The Sarasota waterfront’s $300 million redevelopment project, which will create a more open and inviting space, secured a key contribution Tuesday to advance that goal. The Patterson Foundation will invest $5 million toward The Bay — $2 million toward the first phase of the project and an additional $1 million for every $5 million raised from private philanthropic organizations.