Florida businesses urge a stay in permitting fight

Warning of “devastating” effects, some of Florida’s most-powerful business groups and major companies are urging a federal judge to approve a stay of a ruling in a battle about permitting authority for projects that affect wetlands. The groups and companies Saturday filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting a request by the state for a partial stay of a Feb. 15 ruling by U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss. The Washington, D.C.-based judge found that federal officials did not follow required steps in 2020 before transferring wetlands-related permitting authority from the federal government to the state. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Why Florida doesn’t have wind energy, but lawmakers want to curb it anyway

If you drive through parts of Texas, California, the Midwest — or look off the coast of several northeastern states — you can see enormous wind turbines, their rotations powering millions of homes as part of a push to make wind part of our country’s energy future. But not so in Florida, a state whose lower wind speeds have kept it from becoming a wind energy hotspot. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Bill aims to curb ‘predatory behavior’ in controversial Florida improvement loan program

Florida is on the verge of passing the strongest consumer protections in state history for a problem-plagued home loan program touted to help homeowners pay for energy efficiency projects like solar panels and hurricane protection like impact windows or new roofs. The Property Assessed Clean Energy program — commonly known as the PACE — provides a funding option for people who don’t qualify for or want a bank loan. [Source: Miami Herald]

Meat Institute argues cellular agriculture ban will hurt Florida’s food economy

As Florida’s beef farmers treat lab-grown meat as a threat, the nation’s largest meat packing association sees things otherwise. The North American Meat Association sent a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis and legislative leaders saying a ban on cellular agriculture violates the free market principles the state normally touts. Mark Dopp, CEO and General Council for the Meat Institute, said consumers should have a choice whether to add cultivated meat to their diet. More from Florida Politics and the Independent Florida Alligator.

Here's what lawmakers are doing about Florida's prison crisis

Florida lawmakers are poised to allocate millions of dollars for state prison maintenance that's been put off for decades, but it's just a fraction of what consultants say is needed to fix the crumbling system. If the Florida Department of Corrections doesn't get a serious influx of cash, "the state will face increasing risks that jeopardize public safety," according to a report by the auditing firm KPMG. [Source: Axios]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Four months after a crash, Orlando’s self-driving shuttle restarts [Orlando Sentinel]
Sidelined for four months following a crash, Orlando’s self-driving bus downtown is expected to restart its test runs Tuesday. The bus has been off the roads in Creative Village awaiting a review of the Nov. 4 accident. It turned out that an attendant aboard the SWAN Shuttle triggered the vehicle to go while at a stop signal, and guided it into the path of a Lynx bus turning east on Amelia Street, according to a police crash report. “Unfortunately, it was human error that caused this,” said Joe Moye, the CEO of Beep Inc., which operates the autonomous bus.

› Move over, rooftop solar: South Florida startup is launching solar-powered carports and pergolas [Refresh Miami]
In Florida, more than 100,000 homeowners have installed rooftop solar, which makes up about 1 percent of all electric customers in the state. However, despite Florida being one of the best states for solar panel energy, what many Floridians do not know is that their home may not be equipped for rooftop solar installation, according to Florida’s Department of Energy.

› Tampa Bay homebuyers must earn double the income to buy a home in 2024 [Tampa Bay Business Journal]
A new Zillow report reveals that Tampa Bay homeowners must earn nearly double what they made four years ago to afford a home. According to the report, a $58,577 income was enough to comfortably own a Tampa home in 2020. But in 2024, buyers will need nearly 100% more income to afford a home in Tampa Bay, pushing the minimum required income to $116,329.

› Lake Okeechobee waters turning coastal Lee brown during season [Naples Daily News]
Lake Okeechobee waters continue to blast out of the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam, and coastal Southwest Florida waters are starting to look like chocolate milk. Aerial images from volunteers with Calusa Waterkeeper show a stark contrast between the Gulf of Mexico waters and the billions of gallons of tainted freshwater coming from the lake.

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› Florida Department of Law Enforcement creates first-ever mental health seminar to address trauma [Actin News Jax]
Officers experience trauma on the job constantly. Now, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is creating its first-ever mental health seminar to help address this problem. A local sheriff says this is a much-need program for officers across the state and even right here at home. Last year in July, JSO announced they had one of them commit suicide while on duty.

› Florida passes bill to compensate victims of decades-old reform school abuse [Click Orlando]
Restitution for decades of abuse at two now-shuttered reform schools where boys were beaten, raped and killed is now in the hands of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis after the Senate unanimously passed a bill Monday to set aside $20 million for victims. The bill creates a process for former inmates at the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna and the Florida School for Boys at Okeechobee to make claims over physical, mental or sexual abuse between 1940 and 1975. It's estimated that victims will receive about $50,000 each.

› Lakewood Ranch will expand in 2024 and beyond. Here's what to expect. [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Lakewood Ranch, the largest multi-generational master-planned community in the U.S., has spent its 30 years in the Manatee-Sarasota region tailoring its development to what home-buyers want. Proximity to nature has been a constant, senior Vice President Laura Cole said, but trends have come and gone since the master-planned community first broke ground.

› Halloween Horror Nights stage show wins IAAPA award [Orlando Sentinel]
“Nightmare Fuel Wildfire,” a bombastic stage show at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights event, was awarded an IAAPA Brass Ring Award during a ceremony in Las Vegas on Sunday. “Nightmare Fuel” was named the winner in the category of most creative Halloween production.