Florida’s election system is under ‘daily’ attack

Florida’s top elections officer insisted Tuesday that her state’s voting systems are adequately prepared for electronic attacks despite persistent concerns that hackers could again infiltrate the state’s voting systems. Earlier this year, the Mueller Report referenced at least one Florida county where election systems were infiltrated by Russian hackers. Gov. Ron DeSantis later confirmed that at least two counties were hacked, but no data was compromised. More from the AP, the Tampa Bay Times, and the Miami Herald.

Veggie Tales: Behind the scenes of the new Publix store prototype

There’s nothing like a Publix grand opening. Statewide and beyond, new Publix stores bring out a kind of rabid fandom in its customers. The company has been growing rapidly in recent years; it now operates more than 1,200 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. At times, the growth comes so fast that it can be hard to keep up with Publix’s expansion. [Source: Business Observer]

Ron DeSantis says teacher pay, e-Verify top priorities to pass in 2020

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that passing his proposal to gives teachers a raise as well as requiring employers to verify their hires’ immigration status are two of his top priorities for the 2020 state legislative session. It’s a pair of proposals that perhaps accurately symbolizes the governor’s approach to policy, which often includes red meat Republican issues as well as more moderate ideas that have pleasantly surprised some of his Democratic critics. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald.

Study shows 7 of the top 10 cities for Airbnb are in Florida

Despite strenuous efforts by local government officials to clamp down on short-term rentals, a new report shows Miami Beach is the per capita champion of Airbnb in the entire U.S. Florida cities took seven of the spots in the top 10 slots of the study, which ranked a total of 30 cities using statistics from the third quarter of 2019. [Source: Miami Herald]

Drunk driving deaths are down in Florida

While drunk driving deaths fell in the state of Florida last year, highway safety advocates are continuing to push for government funding for more prevention efforts. According to a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,133 people died in car accidents in Florida in 2018. 814 of those were caused by drunk driving. In 2017, 841 of the 3,116 deaths in vehicle accidents in the state involved alcohol. [Source: WJCT]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› FPL on the way to licensing Turkey Point nuclear plant for another 20 years [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Turkey Point nuclear power plant, which is located about 20 miles south of Miami and helps power Florida Power & Light’s electric grid, has gotten a green light on environmental impact for extending its license.

› Tampa cybersecurity firm expands to Europe [Business Observer]
A-LIGN, a Tampa-based cybersecurity and privacy compliance firm, has opened its first international office, in Sofia, Bulgaria. In a press release, A-LIGN — which helps companies deal with regulatory, business-driven security and compliance — says the expansion comes amid strong growth. From 2016 to 2018, revenue increased by 135%, to $39.6 million last year. In June, the company opened an office in Denver.

› Brightline headed toward train station at PortMiami [Orlando Sentinel]
The high-speed train system now called Brightline and soon to be rebranded Virgin Trains will be getting a stop at PortMiami by 2020 after an agreement between the company and Miami-Dade County Commission. The train system that will eventually have a stop at Orlando International Airport by 2022, and already runs between West Palm Beach and Miami with a stop in Fort Lauderdale.

› Ocala hotel project hopes to transform downtown [Ocala Star-Banner]
Developer Danny Gaekwad has never been shy about promoting his projects so when he calls the downtown Ocala hotel he’s building a “game-changer” you might take it with a grain of salt. Only, it’s already transformed the face of downtown, and the plans for the structure could fundamentally change the way people experience the area.

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› Sizing up the State of the Florida Blueberry Industry [Growing Produce]
While many in the agriculture community consider the new United States-Mexico-Canada-Agreement (USMCA) an improvement, there are no improvements for seasonal fruits and vegetables. And the Florida blueberry grower remains vulnerable and unprotected.

› Goodwill of Central Florida taps Edward Durkee for new CEO [Orlando Sentinel]
Goodwill Industries of Central Florida announced Monday it has hired veteran Goodwill executive Edward Durkee as its new president and CEO. Durkee, 52, will replace interim CEO Laurence Hames, who took the helm in April after the sudden resignation of former retail executive Nima Hodaei, who left after nine months.

› Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Announces $20 Million Available Through Rebuild Florida Workforce Recovery Training Program [Florida Trend]
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) announced the opening of the application period for the $20 million Rebuild Florida Workforce Recovery Training Program for local workforce development boards, educational institutions and technical centers in communities impacted by Hurricane Irma to train Floridians in the construction trades necessary to support disaster recovery efforts.

› Deal makes Gas South fourth-largest gas marketer in Florida [Atlanta Business Chronicle]
Gas South, one of the Southeast's leading natural gas providers, said Oct. 28 it will purchase the Florida assets of Peninsula Energy Services Co. (PESCO). PESCO is a subsidiary of Chesapeake Utilities Corp. (NYSE: CPK), a diversified energy company.