Florida, Texas see largest population increases

Florida grew by 211,196 residents from July 1, 2020, to July 1, 2021, to a population of 21,781,128, the census estimates show. Texas grew by an estimated 310,288 residents to a population of 29,527,941. California continued to have the nation’s largest population at 39,237,836, though it lost a net 261,902 residents from July 1, 2020, to July 1, 2021. New York saw the largest decline of 319,020 residents, with its population dropping below 20 million, according to the census bureau. More from the News Service of Florida.

Attorney General warns Floridians about scam texts during holidays

“With Christmas just days away, tracking last-minute deliveries is becoming increasingly important. Many Floridians are anxiously awaiting the delivery of multiple online purchases, and scammers may capitalize on the glut of deliveries in an effort to steal personal or financial information,” Attorney General Ashley Moody said. “Beware of text messages instructing recipients to click a link to track a package—it may be linked to malware or a scam designed to steal personal information.” More from the Florida Attorney General.

Tampa Bay’s rent increased by a record 24% in 2021, the highest in nation

It was clear by the summer that Tampa Bay’s rent increases were shattering records. But as 2021 comes to a close, the verdict is that the price changes were stratospheric. Rent prices in Tampa Bay increased by a record 24 percent in 2021, according to an analysis by CoStar Group, a commercial real estate data firm, which included Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando counties. Tampa Bay had the highest rent spike in the nation for markets with at least 100,000 apartments, CoStar found. To understand how troublesome this is for renters: The second-highest annual rent growth in the past two decades was 2015, which saw a 6.2 percent increase. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Miami jury trials paused for two weeks as COVID surge hits legal system

“While we always suspend jury pool during the holidays, with the exception of specially set court proceedings, in an abundance of caution we have called off all jurors until after the holidays,” court spokeswoman Eunice Sigler said in a statement. The pause, which took effect on Monday, comes as Miami-Dade’s criminal justice system is dealing with outbreaks amid the surge in the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus. More from the Denver Gazette.

Manatee’s mighty clam industry points way to a more sustainable, cleaner world

Several days a week, D.J. Strott and Ryan Brown head out early morning in a 27-foot Carolina skiff to a clam lease a few miles from Port Manatee. Within an hour or two, the bottom of the skiff is covered in baskets of clams, and the men return to shore with their harvest. Altogether, Joe Island Clams has about 3,000 bags of clams laid out in grids over a six-acre parcel. More from the Bradenton Herald.