What climate change means for Florida strawberry farmers

Vance Whitaker grows strawberries for a living, but he’s not a farmer. He’s an associate professor of plant breeding at the University of Florida IFAS extension service in Wimauma. When it comes to temperature changes, he says strawberries are resilient. Whitaker says the real climate threat to strawberries is more rain. A wetter growing season means the crop will be more vulnerable to fungal diseases. So, he’s working to create strawberries that will thrive in a wetter climate. [Source: WUSF]

Legislation would allow businesses to sue local governments for losses

Business owners may soon have a new tool to fight city hall. Legislation being pushed for the coming legislative session would allow businesses to sue if a city or county ordinance causes their profits to drop. But the legislation has local governments calling foul. Senate Bill 620 would allow businesses to sue local governments if the government’s actions — like changing the hours a restaurant or bar can be open — causes a 15% drop in the business’s income or profit. Cities and counties hate the idea. [Source: WJXT]

DeSantis says Florida expects up to 40,000 more monoclonal antibody treatments. New treatment locations will open soon.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that the federal government has agreed to send more monoclonal antibody treatments to Florida, with new sites ready to open in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. DeSantis said he expects Florida to receive 30,000 to 40,000 doses. The new treatment sites are ready to go up immediately, as soon as the new doses arrive, he said. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

The CDC's ominous warning for the Florida cruise ship industry

In a potentially ominous message for Florida’s cruise-ship industry, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that people should avoid cruise travel “regardless of vaccination status” because of the spread of COVID-19. The health agency said outbreaks have been reported aboard cruise ships as the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus has helped drive up infections. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Florida gas prices averaged $2.93 in 2021, the highest annual average in 7 years, AAA says

Florida gas prices averaged $2.93 in 2021, the highest annual average in seven years, according to AAA.  “Since it began, the pandemic has caused a roller coaster ride for prices at the pump,” said Mark Jenkins, an AAA spokesman. “Gas prices plummeted in 2020 when lockdowns led to lower fuel demand, causing a glut in global fuel supplies." The year ended with prices slowly lowering. Florida’s averaged declined 2 cents in the past two weeks, averaging $3.21 per gallon over the weekend. [Source: WFTV]

Start. Grow. Stay. High-tech business takes off at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

In 2022, the United States will send humans back to the Moon for the first time since 1969, when the Apollo 11 mission made its historic touchdown on the lunar surface. Florida ingenuity will be there. Not far from where the Apollo 11 launched 53 years ago, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University researchers this year created a miniature satellite camera system to capture the first-ever third-person images of a Moon landing. While it takes the ultimate `selfie,’ the EagleCam will also test an electrostatic dust removal system, making it safer for astronauts to return to the Moon and beyond. [Sponsored report]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› South Florida retailers face new realities in the post-COVID-19 world [Florida Politics]
The American Dream mega-mall in Miami-Dade County is far from becoming a reality — its construction is well behind schedule. The spaces left when Sears closed some of its South Florida locations are still hollowed-out shells. And the Vice President of administration for the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County says he knows of malls in his county that are struggling.

› Tampa Bay lawmakers are pushing these bills. What do they do? [Tampa Bay Times]
Florida’s lawmakers leave their hometowns this month and migrate up to Tallahassee where they have the potential to reshape the laws, regulations and reality for millions of Floridians. Tampa Bay’s delegation of representatives and senators have filed dozens of bills for the two-month legislative session, which starts Tuesday.

› After skyrocketing in 2021, Orlando rents expected to increase more slowly in new year [Orlando Sentinel]
Rents in metro Orlando reached unheard-of heights in 2021, but the new year is likely to bring a slower rate of increases, an expert says. “The pace of growth in rent is likely to decelerate but it will continue to grow,” said Lisa McNatt, director of market analytics for real estate analysts CoStar Group.

› Hertz reaffirms commitment to Estero as it focuses on innovation in 2022 [Business Observer]
Almost exactly six months after exiting bankruptcy, The Hertz Corp. is in the process of making changes executives believe will make it more competitive in the marketplace and help it return to the top of the heap in the rental car industry. The changes include a big push into electric vehicles with an investment in both inventory from Tesla and the infrastructure to sustain it alongside partnerships with Uber and Carvana.

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› Block One Ventures paid $33 million for Bartram Commons property [Jacksonville Daily Record]
Eastland, the master developer for Bartram Park in South Jacksonville, said Jan. 3 it sold 38.93 acres at Bartram Commons to Block One Ventures for $33 million. The property is near Interstate 95 and Florida 9B on the north side of Race Track Road. Bobby Gatling with Walker & Dunlop represented Eastland.

› Mistaken identity: Graffiti on Gainesville signs likely meant for company with similar name [Gainesville Sun]
Graffiti is being painted on Colliers' real estate signs around Gainesville by people who company officials believe are venting their rage at another company in town with a similar name. Colliers officials say it is clearly a case of mistaken identity, and they are trying to get the word out that they are not associated with The Collier Companies, which owns numerous rental properties in town where residents have recently vented their anger about rising rents and its refusal to accept vouchers.

› Is Tampa’s tree canopy shrinking because of a change in state law? [Tampa Bay Times]
Tree advocates and builders reached what was called a historic compromise on protecting the city’s award-winning tree canopy in the spring of 2019. A week later, a new state law gutted much of Tampa’s and other local governments’ power to set rules about tree removals. At the time, exasperated city officials and advocates raised concerns about the law’s provisions allowing grand trees to be cut down as long as a certified arborist or landscape architect signed off, cutting city inspectors out of the process.

› Universal wins multiple Theme Park Insider Awards [Orlando Sentinel]
Central Florida theme parks won nine of the 10 categories in the Theme Park Insider Awards, including seven nods for Universal Orlando Resort. Universal’s Islands of Adventure earned best theme park honors for the third year in a row, according to the Theme Park Insider website. That park also was recognized as best new attraction and for best roller coaster with Jurassic World VelociCoaster, which debuted last summer.