Florida Trend Exclusive

Florida's business relocation boom

The pandemic has sparked a boom in business relocations to South Florida and other parts of the state. Economic developers don't see a letup any time soon. Among the big-name relocations are Elliott Management, Paul Singer’s $42-billion hedge fund, which moved its headquarters from Manhattan to West Palm Beach earlier this year, and Point72 Asset Management, a hedge fund owned by billionaire Steve Cohen, which decamped 45 employees from Connecticut to West Palm Beach over the summer. [Source: Florida Trend]

South Florida condo market unfazed by Surfside collapse: Sales have been stronger than ever, early data shows

The deadly collapse of a 12-story condo tower in Surfside left urgent questions about the safety of similar buildings — and also the future of South Florida’s condo market, especially in older buildings. New data shows the market only heated up, with record sales and price growth across South Florida in the third quarter of this year, according to a preliminary report on the impact of the collapse on the condo market by Analytics, a Miami-based real estate research firm. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Snake hunters catch 95% of pythons they see. Help sought to kill the ones that are hiding

Building a better python trap is less about mechanics and more about locating the harmful invasive species that effortlessly camouflages in the toothy sawgrass and tea-colored waters of the Everglades. In the more than four years since the South Florida Water Management District put a bounty on the large constrictors, hunters have so honed their skills that they catch between 95% and 99% of the pythons they see, according to a University of Florida review. It’s the 100 to 1,000 snakes that go unseen for each one caught that the district is after now. [Source: Gainesville Sun]

Florida is the original home of national restaurant chains

Hooters to Home of the Whopper: A look at popular restaurant chains that began in Florida The Whopper was born here. So was the Bloomin’ Onion. A state known for its famous cartoon mouse, pristine beaches and wild animal stories also served as the birthplace of some of the more popular restaurant and fast-food chains in the U.S. and beyond. Here are stories behind the more popular restaurants that originated in Florida. [Source: AP News]

Here’s why Florida drivers are paying more at the pump

Florida drivers are feeling even more pain at the pump as the ripple effects from the pandemic continue to play out in the crude oil market, according to the American Automobile Association. AAA said Florida gas prices surged 12 cents last week, rising from $3.05 to $3.17 per gallon. The price of crude surged last week on concerns that what was already a tight global fuel market could get even tighter this winter. [Source: WFTV]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Monkey Island attraction in Florida getting a major makeover [AP]
The primate residents of Monkey Island at the Florida Cracker Riverside Resort in Homosassa are getting an extreme makeover of their home that’s in need of repair. Thanks to the partnership between the nonprofit group Historic Monkey Island (HMI), Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative (WREC) and the community, the monkeys’ new home will include air conditioning and heat, a new playground to keep them entertained and in tip-top shape and barriers around the island to protect them from overzealous kayakers and boaters.

› Disney World at 50: A look at attendance, price surges over 5 decades [Orlando Sentinel]
Over 50 years Walt Disney World has seen massive changes in size and scale. One of the most noticeable differences is the price for admission, which was $3.50 on opening day Oct. 1, 1971. Though this price granted you access to Magic Kingdom, there were additional costs for each of the rides through the purchase of a ticket booklet. The ticket booklet system wound down in the late ‘70s in favor of today’s unlimited access. Adjusted for inflation, the $5.75 for a booklet and $3.50 for admission would be about $63.58 today.

› State sends $9 million to Winter Haven for road improvements [WKMG]
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that more than $9 million will go to improving access to the Central Florida Intermodal Logistics Center in Winter Haven. “By making these road improvements, it’s really going to provide important linkages. We’re going to be improving access to more than 1,200 acres of industrial area that will attract new businesses and generate new jobs for the community,” DeSantis said during an appearance at Winter Haven City Hall.

› What's causing a lifeguard shortage in Palm Beach County? [WFLA]
Palm Beach County is facing a lifeguard shortage. There has been a 10 percent reduction in available lifeguard staff this year, as nearly seven million people have visited guarded beaches and aquatic centers. The county's Director of Aquatics says the pandemic has played a role, because of a lack of classes and in-person training. That led to a reduction in certifications being offered.

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› Sarasota Contemporary Dance displays ‘GRIT’ in 16th season [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Performers in the Sarasota Contemporary Dance company showed off a lot more flexibility than expected during their Quinceanera-themed 15th anniversary season, which required frequent adjustments to what was presented and how due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions. Even so, the company survived 2020-21 and “we are moving forward and being reminded why we do what we do,” said Artistic Director and co-founder Leymis Bolaños Wilmott.

› Migration changes face of Broward, bringing new ideas — and fresh flavors [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
The enticing aromas of a bakery that specializes in Cuban treats did more than make Michael Garcia’s mouth water. It was the moment he realized that major changes were happening in Broward, with so many Hispanic families moving north. “That confirms it,” Garcia remembers thinking in 2006 when Broward’s first Vicky Bakery opened in Cooper City. And the county is now making plans to reflect the tidal shift in its diversity, with Black and Hispanic people combined outnumbering the white population.

› Young entrepreneur makes his dreams come true opening his own car dealership [WCTV]
Tallahassee’s Kyle Footman hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for his car dealership May 2nd and is doing so at only 23 years old. Kyle Footman is now a business owner but he didn’t take the normal route out of high school. The Lincoln High graduate saw other opportunities for himself and decided to get into real estate. “The reason I got into real estate that early is because I didn’t want to go to college at all, because no male in my family has ever went to college so I just kind of figured that it just wasn’t for me,” said Footman Motorsports CEO Kyle Footman. And even though he found success in real estate, Footman still felt he was meant for something greater.

› Museum, urban park reveal diverse heritage of Ybor City [Orlando Sentinel]
In contrast to Massachusetts or Virginia, Florida’s oldest families don’t have names like Winthrop or Randolph. Here, folks with names such as Solana and Sanchez walked the streets of St. Augustine hundreds of years ago. Later, in Tampa’s Ybor City, people from Cuba, Spain, Sicily and other locations arrived to form what Florida historian Gary Mormino has called “one of the great immigrant communities in America” in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.