Sophisticated hackers targeting Florida cities, businesses with ransomware

As more cyberattacks target local governments around the country, including a recent high-profile case in Florida, an international software security company has declared the number of attacks is at a crisis level. Emsisoft, a New Zealand-based company, said the attacks against school districts, local governments and medical networks reached an "unprecedented" number this year and officials must do more to plan accordingly. More from Government Technology and WESH.

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» Ransomware can hold cities hostage. Will cyber insurance help?

Florida cities get smart with ‘The internet of things’

The Internet of Things has been quietly developing in Jacksonville for over a decade. Its future is much larger than a 3-mile stretch of Downtown roadway. Bay Street’s Innovation Corridor in Jacksonville is just a ‘petri dish’ for the state to test out the ‘Internet of Things’ in everyday life. But it’s also a good idea of what the Florida future could look like. More from Governing and the Palm Beach Post.

Florida Bankers Association targets tighter credit union controls

As the new year approaches, the Florida Bankers Association has prioritized curtailing what it considers too much leniency for credit unions. The association, which advocates for banks throughout the state in both Tallahassee and Washington, DC, is pushing for more regulation of credit unions, said Anthony DiMarco, the executive vice president of government affairs for the organization. [Source: Miami Today]

Mangroves on the run find a more northern home

Fleeing rising seas in South Florida, mangroves are establishing themselves farther north along Florida's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Some are thriving in southern Texas and are already approaching Mississippi and Alabama—places where they historically could not withstand the climate, according to a new study from Florida International University. [Source: Phys.org]

Orlando hotel taxes don’t pay for roads or housing like in other cities

From the Florida Keys to Portland, Oregon, cities are increasingly turning to tourist taxes as one way to solve problems that come with being a top travel destination. But in Orlando, home to the most iconic theme parks in the world and more than 129,000 hotel rooms, elected officials and industry leaders have preserved nearly all of the $300 million from a 6% levy on hotel rooms to aid the industry. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› After suffering 'extensive business losses,' Smart Pharmacy lays off most of its workforce [Biz Journals]
After “exhausting all possible restructuring options,” Jacksonville-based Smart Pharmacy is laying off 73 employees in response to financial pressures. “The company suffered extensive business losses over time and attempted to seek new capital through the sale of assets that would support continued operations,” the company said in a filing with the state.

› Florida workers urge officials to break contract impasse [AP]
Florida’s largest state workers union urged Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday to intervene to help break an impasse over a new contract. At a news conference outside the state Capitol on Wednesday, the AFSCME of Florida repeated its call for 5% raises and 2% cost of living increases for nearly 50,000 state employees, including clerks, administrative assistants, park rangers and other public service employees.

› Jacksonville Civic Council urges grand jury probe of JEA [Florida Times-Union]
A day after the JEA board cut ties with Aaron Zahn as utility CEO, the Jacksonville Civic Council said Wednesday a grand jury needs to examine all facets of JEA’s decision in July to put the city-owned utility up for sale. The Civic Council, which is a group of influential business executives, also said JEA should conduct a search for a new CEO by considering “only candidates from outside the organization” who have “proven records of success in the utility industry.

› Uber is about to provide a lot more gig opportunities in Miami-Dade [Miami Herald]
Miami is known as an events town — but finding the right worker, at the right time, to staff one, can be a challenge. Uber thinks it has the solution. Uber Works is the latest service from the ride-hail giant. It connects qualified, pre-screened temporary workers to employers who need a job done in a pinch.

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› Palm Beach County 2030: Retirees, young families moving north in search of less expensive homes [Palm Beach Post]
With new medical jobs, 45-minute commute times and homes six figures cheaper than Palm Beach County, young families and Baby Boomers prepping for retirement are looking north to St. Lucie County, with some even moving to Indian River and Martin counties.

› Orlando Fashion Square mall faces what could be its last holiday shopping season [Orlando Sentinel]
This could be the last holiday shopping season at the Colonial Drive mall as developers have acquired the land underneath the building with hopes to tear it down and replace it with a new open-air center. Chuck Whittall and Daryl Carter purchased the 46 acres northeast of downtown in September, with Whittall saying at the time he hoped to start redevelopment in a year.

› Frontier Airlines will start MIA hub in 2020 with 8 more flights and Miami-based crews [Miami Herald]
Frontier Airlines is making Miami International Airport one of its hubs in 2020. The low-fare airline announced Wednesday that it is adding eight direct flights from MIA and will base more than 100 flight attendants and 30 pilots in Miami starting in March. Frontier has similar hubs in Denver, Chicago, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and Orlando.

› South Florida's Fast-Changing Landscape Makes It Harder For Audubon To Count Birds [WUSF News]
As cranes continue to crowd South Florida’s skyline, birds of different feather are becoming increasingly hard to find. Birders and counters working with Tropical Audubon headed out for the first round of the annual Christmas Bird Count. The Audubon tradition launched in 1900 to turn the tide against hunting birds and tap into the burgeoning conservation movement. What participants found this year were fewer birds and a decline in good bird habitat.