Florida may need to spend millions to remove seaweed invading beaches

Beds of smelly, rotting seaweed are washing up on the shore of South Florida in record amounts. It's decorating the sand with brown carpets, twisting and tangling around the ankles of beach visitors, and keeping a lot of folks at bay. The recent seaweed invasion is alarming local officials who are concerned that it could impact its lucrative tourism industry, which is largely reliant on its sunny, and pristine, beaches. [Source: WTVT]

See also:
» PHOTOS: Sargassum seaweed in Palm Beach County
» Beaches choked with stinky seaweed could be the new normal
» Mexico to Florida beaches drenched in seaweed

As Gulf Stream cools and weakens, what’s in store for Florida?

The Gulf Stream, the warm current that delivers the east coast of Florida the mixed blessings of abundant swordfish, mild winters and stronger hurricanes, may be weakening because of climate change. A weaker Gulf Stream would mean higher sea levels for Florida’s east coast. It could lead to colder winters in northern Europe (one reason many scientists prefer the term climate change to global warming). And it could mean that a lot of the heat that would have gone to Europe would stay along the U.S. east coast and in Florida. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Nearly $13 million in loans awarded to Florida agricultural producers

Governor Ron DeSantis announced nearly $13 million has been awarded through the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan for agricultural producers. More than 70 applications have been approved from farmers in Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Wakulla, Walton and Washington counties. See the announcement here and read more from Southeast AgNet.

The fight over shark fins in Florida

The fight for sharks is converging on Florida. With the new legislative session next in September, conservation groups are pushing for measures at both the state and federal level to ban one of the largest threats to the shark population – the fin trade. Between 100 million and 200 million sharks are killed every year. An estimated 73 million of those are killed for their fins. [Source: NBC Miami]

Florida gas drops to lowest summer prices in two years

Florida gas prices this week are the lowest summer prices in two years, according to AAA, the Auto Club Group. State gas prices averaged $2.51 a gallon Monday, down 6 cents over the week. "So far this summer, Florida drivers are paying nearly 20 cents per gallon less than last summer," said Mark Jenkins, AAA spokesman. "As we approach the end of summer driving season, gas price hikes should be few and far between." [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Virgin Trains celebrates millionth rider milestone [Miami's Community Newspapers]
One million residents and visitors have turned to Virgin Trains over the past year to access the best of South Florida — with stops in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach — with riders using the service for both business and leisure.

› Luxury movie theater to replace shuttered Sears in Naples [Business Observer]
An abandoned Sears in Naples is being torn down to make way for a new, luxury six-screen movie theater. The old Sears is at the Coastland Center Mall. In addition to the new movie theater, the project, a proposed CinéBistro theater that could open in 2020, includes adding space for 354 parking spaces.

› Study: JAXPORT supports 26,000 jobs in Jacksonville [WJAX]
A new study says JAXPORT supports more than 26,000 jobs in the Jacksonville area thanks to the harbor deepening project and growth in Asian container trade. "When the port is at peak time, I'm at peak time. There's no doubt there's a symbiotic relationship here," Jeff Farah said. Farah opened Portside Grille on Talleyrand in November 2017. He said he chose the spot because of JAXPORT's growth.

› iPic theater chain files for bankruptcy protection and seeks buyer [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Financially troubled IPIC Entertainment, the luxury theater chain based in Boca Raton, said Monday it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and will seek a buyer for the company as it overhauls its debts. In a statement, management said it intends to keep all of its theaters open and its employees on the job.

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› ‘Shifting into high gear’: Ashley Moody targets automotive fraud [Florida Politics]
In Jacksonville Monday morning, Attorney General Ashley Moody celebrated the resolution of an “automotive fraud” case. The former owners of Jacksonville’s Riverside Chevrolet were hit with over a million dollars in fines for phony warranties and failing to pay off clients’ liens. The #SteerClearOfFraudOAG initiative, launched in conjunction with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, is intended on ensuring events like the Riverside Chevrolet fraud don’t happen again.

› Post office creates postmark for Naval destroyer USS Paul Ignatius [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
The new U.S. Navy destroyer USS Paul Ignatius, which launched last month in Port Everglades, is getting its own pictorial postmark. The U.S Postal Service has created the postmark to salute the ship, which was commissioned July 27 in Fort Lauderdale. The ship is named after Paul Ignatius, 98, who was a lieutenant in World War II and Secretary of the U.S. Navy under President Lyndon Johnson.

› Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show Announces Torch and Beacon Award Recipients [Florida Trend]
The 2019 Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show will present their annual Torch and Beacon Awards to three inspirational leaders in the industry on Center Stage during this largest gathering in the Southeast for the food and beverage industry. The Beacon Award, recognizing an outstanding woman leader, will be presented to Heather McPherson, a former food editor, restaurant reviewer and multimedia journalist for the Orlando Sentinel.

› Home Goods will open another St. Petersburg location at end of month [Tampa Bay Times]
HomeGoods will open a new location in St. Petersburg at the end of the month. The 20,579-square-foot home furnishings store will be the chain's 10th location in Tampa Bay.