Tropical Storm Elsa weakens before Florida impact; slight chance of 3rd hurricane formation

Returning to a tropical storm status once again, the National Hurricane Center said there’s a chance Elsa could become a hurricane for a third time before making landfall in Florida sometime Wednesday morning or afternoon. Tropical Storm Elsa has maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and is 50 miles south-southwest of Cedar Key and 70 miles west-northwest of Tampa while moving north at 14 mph, the NHC said in its 5 a.m. update. Tropical-storm-force winds extended 90 miles from Elsa’s center. More from the  Orlando Sentineland the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Slew of lawsuits aim to get to bottom of Florida building collapse

The quest to learn why a Florida condo building collapsed has already moved to the legal system, even before rescuers finish searching for victims and possible survivors. Authorities have opened criminal and civil investigations into the collapse of the oceanfront Champlain Towers South, which killed at least 32 people and left more than 110 missing. At least five lawsuits have been filed by Champlain Towers families. [Source: AP]

Florida cruise business expands as Carnival, Royal Caribbean make 1st sailings

Both Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean set sail from Florida this past weekend for the first time with paying customers in nearly 16 months to join Celebrity Cruises as brands that have restarted from the Sunshine State. Celebrity Edge became the first ship to sail from the U.S. since the COVID-19 shutdown in March 2020 when it sailed from Port Everglades on June 26 on a seven-night voyage. That ship was just finishing up when Royal Caribbean departed PortMiami with 1,000 passengers on Friday, July 3 for its first U.S.-based revenue sailing. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

The 'Amazon of North America' could be Florida's best-kept secret

The Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, though small in comparison with federally managed wilderness areas in South Florida, seems to have a knack for flying under the radar, then suddenly making big, out-of-the-blue headlines. It is part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, which just received recognition in the form of legislation that allocates around $400 million to protect millions of acres of the state's precious green space. [Source: CNN]

Florida’s teacher bonus plan may violate COVID-19 relief money rules

Florida’s plan to use federal COVID-19 relief money to give classroom teachers and school principals $1,000 bonuses may have hit a snag. The U.S. Department of Education, in a letter this week, told Florida education leaders their bonus plan looks likely to conflict with federal requirements that the money help address student “learning loss” brought on by the pandemic. More from the Orlando Sentinel and the Tampa Bay Times.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Miami-Dade looks at adding Broward and Monroe businesses to its local preference pool [Florida Politics]
Miami-Dade County officials could take a more regional approach to its local hiring preferences for publicly funded work, but staff must first look into whether doing so is in the county’s best interest. County Commissioners Thursday are set to vote on a resolution by Rene Garcia that would direct Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s office to examine the potential effects of local business preference reciprocity arrangements between Miami-Dade and Broward and Monroe counties.

› Cable group seeks to weigh in on FPL rates [News Service of Florida]
In a somewhat-unusual move, a cable-television industry group is seeking to intervene in a case about whether Florida Power & Light should be able to raise base electric rates over the next four years. The industry group Florida Internet & Television Association, Inc. filed a petition last week at the state Public Service Commission, which is expected to decide whether to approve FPL’s rate proposal this fall.

› FlixBus service starts in Jacksonville [Florida Times-Union]
There's a new bus service in town, departing twice a day, one going north to Atlanta, and the other south to Orlando. FlixBus is running its bright-green bus service out of a St. Johns Town Center stop at 4624 Town Crossing Drive. FlixBus prices will start as low as $9.99 and can be booked via its website or mobile app.

› Tampa Bay coin and card grading company sells for top dollar [Tampa Bay Times]
In another bellwether of the red-hot grading industry for coins, comics and sports cards, Sarasota’s Certified Collectibles Group is selling a majority stake in its company to private equity firm Blackstone in a deal that puts the company’s value at more than $500 million.

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› Judge to hear arguments on ex-lawmaker’s bid to shield evidence in Miami ‘ghost’ candidate case [Orlando Sentinel]
Attorneys for the Orlando Sentinel and other news outlets will be in a Miami courtroom this morning to argue for the public release of evidence against former State Sen. Frank Artiles, who is accused of paying a friend more than $45,000 to run as a ‘ghost’ candidate in a South Florida state Senate race.

› Miami, UCF getting team-wide name, image and likeness deals [Tampa Bay Times]
College sports’ name, image and likeness era has quickly entered a new phase: entire teams landing endorsement deals together. The state has already landed at least two such deals in the six days since legislation took effect allowing college athletes to make money off their name, image and likeness.

› Wolfson's Arts & Antiques Show fundraiser returns this year with a new format, expanded showcase [Florida Times-Union]
A longtime Wolfson Children's Hospital benefit — the Art & Antiques Show — will be "reimagined" this year to showcase the First Coast's best art and design, natural beauty and diverse neighborhoods. The 45th annual incarnation will be the "2021 Winter Design Show: Flaunting the First Coast," which will be Dec. 3-5 at the Prime Osborn Convention Center in Jacksonville. The host, the Wolfson Women's Board, hopes to raise $1 million for the hospital.

› One of Miami’s oldest primary care medical groups has just been sold [Miami Herald]
Doctor’s Medical Centers (DMC), one of Miami’s longest continually serving primary care groups, has been sold to Miami-based Cano Health. The $300 million acquisition, announced Tuesday, will see DMC’s 18 centers operating under the Cano umbrella going forward.