Atlantic hurricane season’s dry spell could end soon. Why has it been so quiet?

With a number of systems whirling in the Atlantic, including one that could become a named storm in the next few days, the tropics are definitely heating up. But hurricane season 2022 may also go down in history for the opposite reason: Unnatural quiet. If a storm doesn’t earn a name by the weekend, it could mark a record — two whole months without a named storm forming in the Atlantic. Despite NOAA’s initial prediction of an above-average season (and a mid-season follow-up insisting on it), it’s been an unusually quiet summer to date. [Source: Miami Herald]

Federal mortgage providers "surprised" by Florida reinsurance plan

The Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) has flagged possible communications issues and concerns around a backstop drafted in a bid to keep Florida homeowners from defaulting on their mortgages in the wake of an insurance crisis. In late July, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation announced a reinsurance plan run through Citizens earlier this month, with multiple Demotech rated carriers said to be on the brink of downgrades by ratings agency Demotech. [Source: Insurance Business]

Florida Trend Exclusive
West Palm Beach-based SYN Ventures raises $465 million to invest in cyber-security companies

Jay Leek and Patrick Heim bring impressive resumes to their West Palm Beach-based SYN Ventures, which has raised $465 million in two funds to invest in cyber-security companies. Leek, former chief security information officer at Blackstone, cofounded ClearSky Security. Heim, who led security at Dropbox and Salesforce.com, also came out of ClearSky, where he was chief information security officer and a partner. [Source: Florida Trend]

Changes to Florida's climate threaten oyster reefs, USF researchers warn

With temperatures rising globally, cold weather extremes and freezes in Florida are diminishing – an indicator that Florida’s climate is shifting from subtropical to tropical. Tropicalization has had a cascading effect on Florida ecosystems. In Tampa Bay and along the Gulf Coast, University of South Florida researchers found evidence of homogenization of estuarine ecosystems. [Source: USF News]

Are Florida’s universities too liberal? Here’s what new state survey said.

In the first ever “intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity” survey taken at Florida’s 12 public universities, 61% of students agreed that their campuses provided an environment for free expression of ideas, opinions and beliefs. Asked to share their political leanings, the 36% of employees who identified as moderates made up the largest single group. And a plurality of students — 45% — said they did not feel intimidated about sharing opinions in front of their professors, compared to 28% who said they did. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Employer investment in educator partnerships fuels employee success

Fierce competition for talent has employers turning inward to solve their hiring dilemmas. Healthcare in particular is re-evaluating how it recruits and retains employees. One way is through employer-educator partnerships. This strategy enables employers to engage in employee success — success that translates into improved outcomes for individuals and communities. [Sponsored report]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› 340,000 gallons of sewage escape into Whitaker Bayou after Sarasota utility line bursts [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
A utility pipe ruptured in Sarasota's Park East neighborhood, releasing approximately 340,000 gallons of untreated sewage into the city of Sarasota's storm drainage system, which flows into Whitaker Bayou. City officials said utility workers responded immediately to stop the leak and repair the failed section of pipe. The city is advising the public to avoid contact with water in the Whitaker Bayou until further notice.

› National Cinema Day brings $3 movie tickets to Central Florida [Orlando Sentinel]
Film fans looking for a deal, it doesn’t get much better than this: On Sept. 3 theaters around the country are offering tickets for just $3, as part of the first-ever National Cinema Day. The discount price applies to all film showings during the day, even large-format screenings, including IMAX, 4DX and XD. Most theaters around Central Florida are participating, including all AMC, Cinemark and Regal locations, the local EPIC chain and more.

› At 110 years old, Jacksonville Southbank building being restored, renovated for next century of business [Florida Times-Union]
A historic 110-year-old San Marco building is getting a new lease on life in a joint venture by a Jacksonville developer and an online furniture retailer. The three-story brick building at 1001 Kings Ave. is designated as a historic landmark because it dates back to 1912 in the heart of what was then the city of South Jacksonville.

› Gainesville Latino Film Festival returns to in-person attendance at five venues across town [Gainesville Sun]
The Gainesville Latino Film Festival will return to in-person attendance this year after moving to online the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now in its 18th year, the Gainesville Latino Film Festival, hosted by the Latina Women's League, will run from Sept. 8 to 18 at various venues around Gainesville. The festival is free and open to the public, and includes film screenings, speakers, music and dance performances.

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› Rent growth slowing in two Florida metros [FAU News]
Two Florida markets hampered by dramatic rent increases over the past year finally appear to be getting relief, but much of the nation remains in the cross hairs of a crisis, according to the latest monthly analysis by researchers at Florida Atlantic University and two other schools.

› Jacksonville-based IQ Fiber begins providing internet service in San Marco area [Jacksonville Daily Record]
IQ Fiber rolled out service to the San Jose Forest area of San Marco on Aug. 22 providing high-speed fiber optic internet directly to subscribers’ homes. The Jacksonville-based company began in August 2021 and is funded to initially service 60,000 homes in Northeast Florida.

› St. Petersburg mayor issues RFP for Tropicana Field site, requires acreage set aside for new Rays stadium [Business Observer]
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has issued a much-anticipated new request for proposal for the redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site and is asking prospective developers to keep 17.3 acres available for a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays. The new RFP follows Welch’s decision in late June to discard the nearly two-year-long process to choose a developer for the 86-acre property on the eve of an anticipated announcement.

› Halloween Horror Nights won’t have plastic barriers this year [Orlando Sentinel]
Guests will not be separated from the monsters at Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights this year. Universal is not installing flexible plastic dividers between the performers and guests in its haunted houses in 2022, a safety measure introduced during 2020′s limited event and used again last year to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, spokeswoman Alyson Sologaistoa said. The dividers are gone because Halloween Horror Nights is returning to normal operations, she said.