State budget proposals start taking shape

Lawmakers could boost spending on the state prison system, but Gov. Ron DeSantis’ requests to increase funding for tourism marketing and economic development weren’t included Wednesday as the Legislature started releasing initial budget proposals. Committees and subcommittees that oversee various parts of the budget began detailing spending plans, with the Senate and the House expected to release overall proposals Friday. That will be a step toward the House and Senate negotiating a final budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, which will start July 1. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Who’s funding your lawsuit? Florida bills would require disclosure

As legal fees grow larger, more and more plaintiffs are forced to borrow money to fund lawsuits against parties they contend caused their injuries. But there’s no requirement to inform defendants — including large corporations and insurance companies — when a plaintiff’s lawsuit is funded by a third party. Nor is there a way for the state to know whether those financiers include foreign interests with anti-American goals. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Number of home sales down in Florida, local markets in 2023 from 2022

Overall in 2023, Florida’s inventory of existing for-sale homes grew from 2022, but actual sales of single-family homes decreased 10.3% in 2023 compared to data from 2022, a press release from Florida Realtors said. Florida Realtors Chief Economist Dr. Brad O'Connor said 2023 was a rough year for residential real estate because of the increase to interest rates. In Florida, the state’s economy created many new jobs, causing families move to the state “in droves,” the press release said. [Source: Observer]

New tires every 7,000 miles? Electric cars save gas but tire wear shocks Florida drivers

For many drivers of EVs in Florida — the nation’s second largest market for electrical vehicles — premature tire wear has become an unexpected black mark on vehicles promoted as a green climate-friendly option to gas-gulping cars. There are a number of explanations for the fast wear — from the way EVs work to the composition of the rubber to individual driving habits and maintenance practices — but vehicle and tire makers and industry experts acknowledge the issue. [Source: Miami Herald]

Farmworker housing could get boost

Local governments would face some limits on regulating the construction of farmworker housing, as state lawmakers seek to attract more seasonal agricultural workers amid rising housing costs. The Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday unanimously approved a bill (SB 1082) that seeks to prevent cities and counties from “inhibiting” construction or installation of housing for workers on agricultural land. [Source: News Service of Florida]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› New branding campaign touts Space Coast as place where 'Tomorrow Launches Here' [Florida Today]
The Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast has unveiled what it says is its first "regional brand" for Brevard County — a familiar name, with a new twist. The brand and slogan combination will be “Florida’s Space Coast: Tomorrow Launches Here,” EDC officials announced during their 2024 annual meeting Wednesday evening.

› Miami-Dade visitor numbers taking off [Miami Today]
Miami-Dade’s domestic and international travel is ramping up. Conventions, sporting events, hotel demand, plus airline and cruise travel are key cogs in this year’s expected growth. The county enjoyed soaring visitor numbers to kick off the year, said Rolando Aedo, chief operating officer at the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.

› These industries will add the most Orlando jobs in the next few years [Orlando Business Journal]
Central Florida is projected to see a 9.7% job growth rate, with 155,729 positions added across all industries between 2023-2031, say experts. And the industries expected to see the most job growth in Orlando in the next few years include business services and hospitality, while the job with the fastest-growing demand here will be nurse practitioners.

› Why are Pasco ‘luxury’ apartments getting affordable housing tax break? [Tampa Bay Times]
Pasco County commissioners have found a new reason to dislike the state’s Live Local law, which was passed last year to boost the amount of affordable housing in Florida with tax breaks and other incentives. Not only can developers put apartments on land earmarked for industry and get a big property tax break, owners of existing apartment complexes can qualify as well. While the law was sold as a solution to Florida’s housing affordability crisis, apartment owners can claim tax rebates even if they don’t offer particularly low rents.

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› Melbourne airport records second-highest passenger count in history in 2023, topping 740,000 [Florida Today]
Melbourne Orlando International Airport hosted 747,691 total passengers last year, including inbound and outbound flights. That's the second-highest total since Melbourne's original airport debuted in 1928. MLB's all-time record: 755,723 total passengers in 1990.

› A Tampa Bay bar is among James Beard Award semifinalists, but no restaurants [Tampa Bay Times]
The 2024 James Beard Awards semifinalists were announced today, and just one Tampa Bay spot is among them. Webb’s City Cellar, a tasting room at Green Bench Brewery in downtown St. Petersburg, is a nominee for Outstanding Bar. The spot serves craft beer, cider and wine in a cellar-like space right next to Green Bench’s main brewery in the city’s Edge District.

› ‘Demolition by neglect’ fells historic Miami building long designated for protection [Miami Herald]
One of the oldest standing commercial historic landmarks in Miami-Dade County, the 122-year-old DuPuis Medical Office and Drugstore in Little Haiti, has been demolished after partially collapsing. Though the long-vacant 1902 building, best recognized for its sidewalk arcade, has been a protected historic site since 1985, the city of Miami’s building official ordered what remained of the structure torn down on an emergency basis for safety reasons after two sections of the roof fell in on January 8.

› Construction costs as part of plan to save live oak in downtown Gainesville exceed $600,000 [Gainesville Sun]
The cost for work on Southeast First Avenue in downtown Gainesville as part of a plan to save a 40-year-old heritage live oak came in at more than double a number floated last April. A work order signed Dec. 13 by City Manager Cynthia Curry with Watson Construction Co. lists a total construction price not to exceed roughly $608,000.