Friday's Daily Pulse
Hurricane experts still expect more storms than normal as peak of season approaches
Although tropical storms have been off to slower start this year than anticipated, experts are still calling for the 2022 season to be an above-average year. Both Colorado State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration called for above-average seasons in their updated August forecasts of what the rest of the season may look like, which ends Nov. 30. So far, 2022 is producing the norm in storm production, three storms by Aug. 4. But meteorologists expect the tropics to start picking up steam as the peak of season approaches, or the time where the most tropical storms are typically observed. More from the Orlando Sentinel and the Miami Herald
Business Beat - Week of August 5th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Will fight over property insurance roil Florida governor’s race?
Florida’s long-simmering property insurance crisis is reaching a boiling point ahead of a closely watched gubernatorial race that could test the mettle of Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Republican with presidential aspirations. DeSantis is the frontrunner in Florida’s gubernatorial race, but in recent weeks has faced attacks from Democratic challengers, who have sought to persuade primary voters that the incumbent is responsible for the state’s failing property insurance market. [Source: Roll Call]
Florida’s CFO warns of ‘pig butchering’ cryptocurrency scam
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis on Wednesday warned of a cryptocurrency scam known as “pig butchering” or ”pig slaughtering.” As part of the scam, according to Patronis, people are enticed to put more and more money into a fake cryptocurrency investment scheme only to “fatten them up” before a scammer disappears with vast sums of their cryptocurrency. Patronis said this scam is reportedly most often carried out on dating sites and on social media as a new form of a romance scam. [Source: WJXT]
Pythons are eating alligators and everything else in Florida. Snake hunters stand poised to help.
The Florida Python Challenge, an annual statewide competition that kicks off Friday, will bring hundreds of snake-hunting professionals and novices to South Florida to hunt what wildlife officials are calling the state’s most concerning invasive species: the Burmese python. Among those preparing for the 10-day hunt: Amy Siewe. Standing 5’4” and weighing 120 pounds, Siewe may appear small. But when it comes to hunting Florida’s Burmese pythons, Siewe is mighty. [Source: NBC News]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› President Biden nominates former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown to NTSB [Florida Times-Union]
Former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown has been picked to fill a seat on the National Transportation Safety Board, the federal panel that reviews transportation disasters for ways to improve safety. President Joe Biden nominated Brown on Wednesday, but the choice will still need confirmation by the U.S. Senate before he’s sworn into a term expiring Dec. 31, 2026.
› Florida won't pursue 4 proposed routes for possible northern turnpike extension [Gainesville Sun]
The state Department of Transportation has told elected officials in northern Central Florida that the agency is no longer pursuing four proposed routes for a possible northern extension of Florida's Turnpike. Instead, the state will concentrate on improving Interstate 75.
› Orange County’s hotel taxes receipts continue roll with record-high June [Orlando Sentinel]
Hotel taxes, viewed as a gauge of the tourism industry’s health in Orange County, continued a historic roll with June collections the highest ever for the month. The record-high June receipts totaled $32.3 million, the third highest one-month haul in the history of the tax, said Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond, who released the figures Thursday. The new figures bested collections in a record-setting May by $4.3 million.
› New report shows how unaffordable it is to live in Florida, specifically South Florida [WSVN]
It seems that more and more people are getting priced out of living in South Florida. Now, more proof of just how unaffordable it is to live in the Sunshine State. The National Low Income Housing Coalition released its “Out of Reach” report. It breaks down how many hours someone would need to work in order to afford a place to live in their area.
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› New Sarasota Park District could change the entrance to downtown [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Drivers headed into Sarasota for the first time might not realize they're approaching downtown until they hit Osprey Avenue. But when the new Park District development is fully built out at U.S. 301 and Fruitville Road, the gateway into the city's urban core will move from Osprey to as far east as Lime Avenue, according to a real estate agent involved in the sale.
› Cocoa Beach developers proposing 70-foot buildings, exceeding the city's 45-foot limit [Florida Today]
Within a one-month span, three developers have proposed projects that would exceed Cocoa Beach's 45-foot height limit — including a downtown mixed-use complex that generated "strong" public opposition.
› Hillsborough staff shortages limit libraries [Tampa Bay Times]
Hillsborough County’s library system is looking for a new ending to what has become its summer of ‘22 story: Help wanted. “I think it’s time we talked about the elephant in the room — or maybe something that’s not in the room — and that’s the fact that we just don’t have the staff at all levels to get things done,” Andrew Breidenbaugh, director of library services, told his staff in a July 26 email.
› UF 2nd among public universities for students’ economic return [UF News]
The University of Florida ranks No. 2 nationally among public universities and No. 4 among publics and privates for the economic return students get from attending college and leading students to greater financial security, according to a new analysis highlighted by Forbes magazine.