Florida importers brace for new tariffs as Chinese trade war escalates

Florida’s companies imported $10.7 billion in goods from China in 2018, an increase of 12.5 percent from the year before, according to Enterprise Florida. The state exported $1.5 billion in goods to China in 2018. The state’s top imports include electrical equipment, data-processing machines and furniture, according to Enterprise Florida. Its top exports are gold, copper scrap and aircraft parts. [Source: Miami Herald]

10 months after Hurricane Michael, Florida still doesn’t know why so many insurance claims are open

Under Florida law, residential property insurers are supposed to pay their claims within 90 days. Yet 10 months after Hurricane Michael wiped out a swath of the Panhandle, the state’s insurance regulators can’t say how many of the more than 20,000 open claims are in violation of the law. State officials now downplay the usefulness of knowing how many claims are older than three months, noting that the law is not exactly what it seems. But attorneys representing storm victims say it’s important for understanding how quickly insurance companies are getting money into the hands of their customers. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Battle lines form over biggest Florida highway expansion in decades

Battle lines are forming again over plans for Florida’s biggest highway expansion since the 1950s, which is slated for its first, in-depth review Tuesday at the Tampa Convention Center. Environmental groups and planning organizations which oppose the idea of building three major toll roads through rural stretches of Florida plan on reviving attacks they leveled unsuccessfully in spring as the plan powered through the Legislature with the backing of Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

New technology being introduced to crack down on robocalls in Florida

Unwanted robocalls may soon meet their match. Pushed by more than a dozen state attorneys general, including Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, landline and cellphone providers are about to employ a new technology designed to thwart the calls. Robocalls are annoying. But the people behind the calls may soon face difficulties getting through to your phone. In an agreement with attorneys general from around the country, providers have decided to crack down on robocallers. More from WFLA and WJHG.

Federal government eyeing Central Florida to house hundreds of undocumented immigrant children

The federal government plans to set up a permanent shelter for up to 500 undocumented migrant children in Central Florida. WESH 2 News looked into what the shelter would look like, and where the government wants to build it. The General Services Administration is looking for space in Central Florida to lease a new, permanent shelter for undocumented migrant children. According to an online listing, the facility would be 100,000 square feet and would be staffed by 500 employees; 500 children would stay at the shelter. More from WESH and WTVT.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Water district asked to drop plan to cut tax rate and use money to fight sea-level rise [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Two South Florida county mayors have made an unusual request to the agency responsible for keeping communities from flooding: Please don’t cut the property tax rate. Why would they ask another government agency to reach into their residents’ pockets? Sea level rise.

› Manatee doesn’t attract industrial growth. Officials say it’s time to change that [Bradenton Herald]
When it comes to attracting industrial business, Manatee County is being steadily outpaced by some neighboring counties. Catching up with the competition will require a new mindset and lots of cash. Last August, the Board of County Commissioners authorized staff to hire a consulting firm to analyze how officials could use about 6,700 acres spanning from Interstate 75 to Port Manatee to entice industry leaders.

› City Council on sidelines of JEA sale process [Florida Times-Union]
As JEA board members see it, their requirement that any sale of JEA must result in $400 million in one-time customer rebates would be a way to reward long-time ratepayers. To Jacksonville City Council member Garrett Dennis, that promise of rebates would just be a campaign tool to swing votes at the ballot box for selling JEA if a deal ends up going to a countywide referendum. “To take $400 million to buy votes, that’s just wrong,” Dennis said. “That’s unethical. That’s corrupt. This isn’t Chicago.”

› Tech company Pipedrive opens second U.S. office in St. Petersburg [Tampa Bay Times]
Customer relationship management tech company Pipedrive said Friday it has opened its second office in the United States in downtown St. Petersburg. Pipedrive’s platform is a sales management tool designed to help small sales teams manage lengthy or complex sales processes. Founded in 2010, Pipedrive has raised $90 million in funding and has 500-plus employees worldwide working with more than 90,000 companies.

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› Inter Miami ... or Inter Fort Lauderdale? The case for David Beckham rethinking soccer team’s home [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
If more problems plague David Beckham’s bid to plant a professional soccer team in Miami, is it far-fetched to conclude that his club might eventually kick the ball permanently to Fort Lauderdale? Beckham and his partners have been cultivating an international brand for the team, aiming to base the club in Miami — a city packed with international allure and diversity. But if Fort Lauderdale and its promoters were to play their cards right, observers say, it could convert a slim chance of becoming the team’s permanent home into reality.

› SeaWorld Orlando expands its craft-beer festival [Orlando Sentinel]
SeaWorld Orlando is supersizing its craft-beer festival. The 2019 edition of the event will run for eight weekends, an increase from the two weekends it ran last year, its inaugural edition. The event, which will feature more than 100 craft beers for sale, will be held on Saturdays and Sundays between Sept. 7 and Oct. 27. The SeaWorld Craft Beer Festival also will offer food items for sale across the theme park. Twenty-two of those choices are listed as “new” on the SeaWorld website.

› Petition To Make Recreational Marijuana Use Legal In Florida Filed [CBS Miami]
A question about legalizing recreational marijuana in Florida is a little closer to possibly being on next year’s ballot. The political action committee “Make It Legal Florida” has confirmed it filed a petition with the state’s division of elections. If that petition is approved, the group would need to gather more than 750-thousand signatures from registered voters before the question can appear.

› Big Art: Sarasota cultural groups have grand plans for new buildings [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
The most popular symbol for the arts in Sarasota remains a replica of Michelangelo’s “David,” standing in the Ringling Museum of Art courtyard. The 16-foot-tall statue towers over the yard, which makes it easy to forget he’s the little guy in the famous story of David versus Goliath. In Sarasota, cultural organizations form one of the wealthiest and most powerful lobbies on the Gulf Coast. A Goliath, to be sure. Nearly $1 billion worth of private art projects are planned for the next decade.