Florida's state revenue forecast sees uptick

Florida legislators are getting a little more money than previously thought as they piece together a budget for next fiscal year. But with an expected slowdown still on the horizon, as housing and construction numbers are expected to further weaken, a revenue projection that state economists updated Wednesday remained below some earlier forecasts. More from the Tampa Bay Business Journal and the News Service of Florida.

Republican leaders oppose Gov. DeSantis plan to have businesses use E-Verify

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push for a politically charged immigration proposal has begun to expose a clash between Republicans as this year’s legislative session starts. The divide between the governor and Republican legislative leaders is likely to heat up debate about the issue, which DeSantis made a pillar of his 2018 gubernatorial campaign. [Source: WWSB]

Southwest Florida ranks second for metro areas in self-employment, according to new report

You might not think of Southwest Florida as a booming place for startups and small businesses. But the combined North Port, Sarasota, Bradenton area ranked as the second most entrepreneurial metro area for its size in the United States, according to a new report by CloudKitchens. The ranking, based on the percentage of self-employment in the area, found that 15.7% of the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton area workers are self-employed or business owners. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

Impeachment trial managers include representative from Florida

As the House prepares to vote to send articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced managers for the Senate trial. Of the seven managers representing Democrats in the trial, one is from Florida. The other managers are from California, New York, Colorado and Texas. [Source: WTSP]

Court wades into marijuana licensing dispute in Florida

A Tampa-based orchid grower seeking to enter Florida’s highly restricted medical-marijuana market tried to convince a state appeals court Tuesday that health officials erred in granting a handful of medical-marijuana licenses to competing firms last year. Louis Del Favero Orchids, Inc. is challenging a settlement agreement between the Florida Department of Health and what are known within the industry as “one-pointers.” [Source: CBS Miami]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Bradenton’s First Watch hires first ever chief transformation officer [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Bradenton-based breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant chain First Watch has added the role of chief transformation officer to its corporate team and hired a former PepsiCo executive to fill the position. Greg Barber, a nine-year veteran of PepsiCo who has also worked for Bain & Company and as president of TCBY for Famous Brands International, is the company’s first chief transformation officer, reporting directly to president and CEO Chris Tomasso.

› Miami Beach is dumping $16 million in fresh sand to push back against erosion [Times/Herald]
Miami Beach leaders can’t agree on what to do about climate change. But one way to keep the condos dry, at least for now, is to build a buffer between the condos and the rising seas. That means dumping fresh sand on the beach — $16 million worth.

› Orlando airport leaders to consider deferring $15 an hour living wage [Orlando Sentinel]
Orlando airport leaders are poised to delay a decision Wednesday on whether to enact a requirement that service workers get paid at least $15 an hour. Airport director Phil Brown cited “competing impacts on businesses and the fragmented implementation” that would arise from imposing a $15 per hour living wage as key reasons for holding off on a board vote.

› One of the world’s biggest yachts is docked in St. Petersburg [Tampa Bay Times]
A luxury yacht so extravagant words can barely do its Goliath size justice has docked at Port St. Pete. The Bella Vita is nearly 250 feet long and costs about $650,000 to charter for a week in the winter, according to broker Moran Yacht and Ship

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› Super Bowl LIV guests will find $767 hotel rooms in Miami [Miami Today]
Area visitor entities were primed and ready when it was announced that Super Bowl LIV would be held here. Now, they’ve put their plans in motion. “We’re an event town,” said Bill Talbert, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. “This is our 11th Super Bowl, and we have Art Basel and other internationally famous events. So it’s hard to pick a favorite; we love all our children.”

› AAA sues tiny Pompano Beach auto shop for trademark infringement [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Remember the phone book? Once upon a time, that’s how most consumers found local businesses. Today, a strategy some businesses used to get noticed in the phone book can bring them nothing but trouble. Just ask AAA Wholesale Transmissions, a four-employee auto repair shop on North Dixie Highway in Pompano Beach.

› Amway Center concerts cost more as major tours see price spike [Orlando Sentinel]
Concert prices have gone up nearly $20 at Orlando’s Amway Center in the years since Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne and Tim McGraw christened the stage during its first full year in business. The average ticket price for concerts at the venue was $72.18 in 2011, according to data provided by the city of Orlando, a number that excluded sporting events like Orlando Magic games as well as family shows.

› Shake Shack coming to Midtown Tampa [Tampa Bay Times]
About a year from now, crowds could start queuing up for burgers, crinkle-cut fries and frozen custard at the Tampa Bay area’s first Shake Shack, which is coming to the Midtown Tampa development. “Shake Shack is an iconic brand with worldwide recognition, and is yet another first-to-market restaurant that we’re thrilled to bring to Tampa,” Bromley Companies chief executive officer Nicholas Haines said in an announcement Wednesday.