Florida searches for a new way to financially brace for hurricanes

A new way to financially brace for hurricanes will be part of budget talks among Florida lawmakers, who are looking at having a slowdown in tax dollars coming into the state the next couple of years. Members of the House Appropriations Committee said Monday they need to discuss changes to hurricane funding after getting an updated economic forecast from Amy Baker, who leads the Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research. [Source: Pensacola News Journal]

See also:
» Hurricane Michael: There are still 18,000 open claims. Florida lawmakers want answers.
» One year later, Florida county’s schools still reeling from Hurricane Michael

Florida Trend Exclusive
Florida Icon: Former chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court Fred Lewis

Fred Lewis talk about what shaped his life and what it means to be a judge: “A judge must not only be independent of politics, but the judge must be independent of himself or herself. None of us should stand and vote on a decision on a case based upon on what we want it to be. It needs to follow the law. The politics of the day are spoiling the institutions that protect our freedoms.” [Source: Florida Trend]

Hepatitis A hitting Florida harder than other states

Hepatitis A is striking Florida in a more deadly fashion than in other states, and the situation is getting so bad that Florida is offering free socks and bus passes to encourage homeless people to get vaccinated. Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees, who doubles as secretary of the state Department of Health, told a Senate health care committee Tuesday that 40 people in Florida have died from the virus, giving the state a 1.3 percent fatality rate, compared to the national average of 1 percent. [Source: CBS Miami]

Florida hemp cultivation permits to be issued by early 2020

Earlier in 2019, Florida lawmakers approved the state’s first industrial hemp program, and expectations were high. Branded as a savior for the slumping agricultural sector, the hope was crops could be planted this year, launching a multi-billion dollar industry. [Source: Florida Politics]

Small harvest leaves Florida stone crabbers in a pinch

There is one more victim of the red tide outbreak that plagued Florida’s Gulf Coast last year. This season’s stone crab harvest is among the state's lowest, according to seafood industry experts. Estimates show only 1.9 million pounds were collected during the season, reports NationalFisherman.com. The season ran from Oct. 15, 2018 to May 15, 2019. An average season ranges between 2.5 and 3.2 million pounds. [Source: WGCU]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Gainesville residents have least debt load in Florida, study finds [Gainesville Sun]
Gainesville ranks as the least debt-ridden city in Florida, according to data collected by online lender LendingTree. Gainesville, home of the University of Florida and Santa Fe College, showed lower median personal debt in almost every major debt category — except for student loans. The residents had median debt of $13,675. That means half of residents have more debt and half had less.

› Tampa Bay Lightning taps Cigar City Brewing as craft beer partner [Tampa Bay Times]
The Tampa Bay Lightning has tapped Cigar City Brewing to bring its Jai Alai, Guayabera and Florida Cracker beers to Amalie Arena as the team’s official craft beer partner. “An iconic Tampa brand," Lightning chief executive officer Steve Griggs said in an announcement of the multi-year partnership.

› OnePULSE Foundation announces $3.5 million land deal for museum [Orlando Sentinel]
The onePULSE Foundation, working to memorialize victims of the 2016 mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub, has bought a $3.5 million piece of land for a future museum, leaders announced this week. The 1.75-acre property at 438 West Kaley St. is several blocks from the former Pulse nightclub in a mostly industrial area near Interstate 4.

› MSC Cruises will move ship to Tampa in 2020, expanding its U.S. presence [Miami Herald]
MSC Cruises will be sailing out of Tampa starting next year. The cruise company with U.S. headquarters in South Florida will move its MSC Armonia ship to home port in Tampa in November 2020. The move further expands the company’s U.S. presence, currently limited to New York and Miami.

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› Ybor City Development Corporation's ‘More in Ybor' Campaign Wins Prestigious Award [Florida Trend]
The Ybor City Development Corporation (YCDC), in partnership with the City of Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency and HCP Associates, won the 2019 Florida Redevelopment Association (FRA) Award in the promotion category for the ‘More in Ybor’ campaign.

› Fort Lauderdale homeowners to pay higher tax bills, fire fee and water rates [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Pretty things cost money — especially when you’re talking about upgraded parks and a new high-tech police station. Fort Lauderdale voters said yes to both when they approved $300 million in bonds on March 12. That means homeowners in Broward County’s largest city will see their overall tax rate increase by $22.50 per $100,000 in assessed value for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1

› Study shows Central Florida is the most dangerous place to walk in the United States [Orlando Sentinel]
A new study from Smart Growth America has found that between 2008 and 2017, drivers struck and killed 49,340 people who were walking on streets across the United States. The study shows that 5,433 of those people died in the state of Florida, but an alarming 656 of those fatalities occurred in Central Florida.

› Repairing a home costs less in Miami than in most U.S. cities [Miami Herald]
Home repairs cost less in Miami than in 14 other major U.S. cities, according to a recent study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The Miami median cost was $1,053 — significantly lower than the national median of $1,450. The next lowest were Houston at $1,125 and Washington, D.C. at $1,139.