What a potential "super El Niño" could mean for Florida this winter

It was shy at first, unsure of its footing in the tepidly warm waters of the equatorial Pacific Ocean, but El Niño has matured since its June awakening and could rival the strongest events on record through winter. Researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research are even more bullish on their forecast, predicting a “super” El Niño akin to the recent 2015-2016 event dubbed Godzilla for its power. [Source: Palm Beach Post]

DeSantis vows to lower gas prices, but opposes offshore oil drilling in Florida

Gov. Ron DeSantis is promising to return America to the days of $2-a-gallon gasoline if he becomes president by unleashing domestic energy production, even though he’s opposed offshore drilling and fracking in his own state. DeSantis’ energy record has come under scrutiny as presidential rival Nikki Haley accuses him of not matching his campaign rhetoric with action. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Florida toll relief program saves over $300 million for drivers

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Transportation announced that Floridians have saved more than $300 million through the Toll Relief Program since January. In August, 1.2 million customers saved nearly $40 million. In the one-year Florida Department of Transportation program, travelers with at least 35 monthly toll transactions receive a 50% toll credit to their account. [Source: WFTV]

New study finds it costs more than $200,000 to raise a child in Florida

Having and raising kids has never been cheap, and like everything else, it’s only getting more expensive. But a new LendingTree study found that the average essential cost to raise a small child – and we’re talking the bare essentials like food, clothes, transportation and child care—rose nearly 20% between 2016 and 2021. According to the study, it can cost about $200,390 to raise a kid over 18 years in Florida. [Source: NBC Miami]

Proposed conservation area could help protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor

The federal government is proposing a wildlife conservation area to include parts of twelve counties, ranging from Polk and Manatee south to Hendry and Collier. It includes the watersheds of the Peace River, Myakka River, Fisheating Creek and Caloosahatchee River. It would use federal dollars to leverage existing projects, including a wildlife corridor that allows Florida panthers to migrate north from the Everglades. [Source: WLEN]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Watch out, New York. Miami makes debut as a major finance hub in key ranking [Miami Herald]
Miami’s pandemic-driven rise as a major tech and finance hub just got another boost after the Magic City made its debut in a key ranking of the world’s top financial centers. Miami came in at No. 24 worldwide and No. 7 nationally in the 34th edition of the Global Financial Centres Index. The index, compiled every March and September by London-based think tank Z/Yen and the China Development Institute, is followed by policymakers and key investors.

› Film Florida seeks Orange County money to bring back big-budget movie making [Orlando Business Journal]
Film Florida, the Kissimmee-based advocate for Florida's TV, film and digital media industry, is seeking to tap into Orange County hotel tax collections to bring big-budget movie productions back to the region — a move it says would boost tourism as well as the economy.

› Recording captured private conversation in between Fort Lauderdale meetings. Did it violate people’s privacy? [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
They don’t remember what they were talking about. But they do remember being surprised to see a recording device about the size of a TV remote still playing after the Fort Lauderdale commission meeting had ended. They thought their conversation was off-limits. Private, for their ears only. So Brian Donaldson, Bill Brown and Jacquelyn Scott — three residents who were in the middle of a private chat when they noticed the recording device — complained to the city manager, who in turn alerted the police chief.

› Disney World donating $1.5 million to Florida nonprofits [Orlando Sentinel]
Walt Disney World announced new donations of $1.5 million to 19 nonprofit organizations in Florida on Monday. The company’s 2023 grants are going to groups that work with homelessness, poverty, environmental protection, education, arts, science, youth issues and other causes. “Florida has been our home for more than half a century and each organization receiving a grant is doing amazing work for our community,” Rena Langley, senior vice president of communications & public affairs at Disney World, said.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Are golfers behind surprising Southwest Florida surge in home sales? And who's buying country clubs? [Naples Daily News]
Home sales surprisingly surged in the newest data for Southwest Florida's three larger real estate associations after a lot of dipping the past two years. The trio saw a better August, which historically is slow, than July, following a statewide trend. But there's at least one factor in play, said Florida Realtors Chief Economist Brad O'Connor, who spoke at this past week's economic summit by the Naples Area Board of Realtors known as NABOR.

› Daniel Bean elected JaxPort chair [Jacksonville Daily Record]
The Jacksonville Port Authority board of directors unanimously elected attorney Daniel Bean as chair and voted on additional officers effective Oct. 1, JaxPort announced Sept. 28. Bean is a founding partner at ABL Law and previously was executive partner in the Jacksonville office of Holland & Knight.

› First Q&A with new CEO of Virgin Voyages: PortMiami a key to booming cruise business [Miami Herald]
Virgin Voyages, the fledgling cruise company started by Richard Branson, initially faced rough seas. Its first two ships were to start sailing during the pandemic. Construction of a new terminal at the PortMiami hit delays. The company changed its name. But today, business is surging amid what may be a record year for the cruise industry.

› See how the cost of parking in Orlando compares to other large American cities [Orlando Business Journal]
Orlando ranked No. 8 for cheapest hourly parking ($3.27), but didn't place in the top 10 for daily garage parking rates among the 50 most popular U.S. cities on the ParkMe.com platform, according to a report by Assurance IQ. Orlando drivers spend an average of $165 on parking monthly, or about 5.41% of the average local monthly income, making it the No. 18 city where drivers spend the most of their monthly paycheck on parking — the highest percentage in Florida.