Disney, Florida settle lawsuits over tourism district

A Gov. Ron DeSantis-backed board and Disney settled lawsuits Wednesday over who controls the governing district of Disney World’s theme parks and resorts. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District’s board voted to accept the deal, which ends much of the litigation between Disney and Florida officials. The agreement says development agreements and covenants approved by a Disney-friendly board shortly before a state takeover in February 2023 would be null and void. Disney also agreed to drop a lawsuit seeking public records and withdraw its requests. More from the AP, Reuters, the Tallahassee Democrat, and the Orlando Sentinel.

Florida Retail Federation pushes for local spending during robust Easter shopping season

Florida Retail Federation (FRF) officials are projecting that the Easter season will be a prosperous one for retailers, as the annual holiday approaches Sunday. The National Retail Federation (NRF) published a report based on a survey this month that stated 81% of consumers will celebrate Easter in some fashion this year and they plan on being customers of retailers to help celebrate the occasion. [Source: Florida Politics]

AccuWeather forecasts near-record storms this Atlantic hurricane season

U.S. private forecaster AccuWeather expects an above-average 2024 Atlantic hurricane season with a near-record number of storms and a greater than usual risk of direct impacts in parts of Florida, Texas and the Carolinas, it said on Wednesday. This year's hurricane season, potentially one of the most active in history, begins on June 1, but there are signs that the first named system could swirl even before that, AccuWeather noted in its forecast. [Source: Reuters]

State University System records $2.94 billion research spending

research expenditures for the State University System of Florida reached $2.94 billion for the 2022-23 academic year, which is an increase of more than $400 million over the prior year. Today’s announcement beats the projection of $2.68 billion set by the System in 2019 and puts Florida’s universities on a course to far exceed the goal of $3 billion by 2025. [Source: State University System of Florida]

Broker reflects on the conservation conversation that changed Florida

Dean Saunders' work on conservation easements has preserved hundreds of thousands of acres across Florida by bringing businesses and environmentalists together. The effort to bring his idea to life took years to bring to fruition. Saunders continues to broker conservation easement deals. [Source: Business Observer]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Melbourne defense contractor wins another $23M for high-tech Navy project [Orlando Inno]
Melbourne-based DRS Systems Inc. has won another $23 million from the U.S. Navy to make an anti-missile defense product designed to keep military rotorcraft such as helicopters safe during high-stakes missions. While the contract came from the Navy, it is funded by, and benefits, multiple military branches, according to a March 18 Department of Defense (DoD) announcement.

› Companies linked to firm that designed FIU bridge that collapsed facing debarment [NBC Miami]
Six years after the deadly collapse of a Florida International University pedestrian bridge, Tallahassee-based companies affiliated with a bridge-engineering firm are fighting a proposal that could prevent them from working on federally funded projects. Nine companies and their owner filed a federal lawsuit last week seeking to block the proposal by the Federal Highway Administration.

› How Tampa Bay’s share of EVs compares to Florida, the nation [Tampa Bay Times]
Thousands of Tampa Bay residents have gone electric in the past five years, a period that saw EVs explode in popularity here. While Florida didn’t embrace EVs as quickly as some early adopters like California, its registrations of electric vehicles have ramped up, with some of the state’s metro areas leading the charge.

› Kroger will stop grocery deliveries in the Miami area. Here’s what you need to know [Miami Herald]
In a terse announcement to its membership group, Kroger told its customers it was closing three of the company’s delivery facilities, including the delivery fulfillment center in Opa-locka that opened in June 2022 amid much fanfare. The move ends the grocery giant’s initial foray into the South Florida market as a competitor to Florida’s market leader Publix, Walmart, Amazon, membership programs like Costco and BJ’s, and discount grocer Aldi — which recently absorbed Jacksonville’s Winn-Dixie.

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› Here to stay? Rays non-relocation document for new stadium not public yet [Tampa Bay Times]
The St. Petersburg City Council has approved more than $1 million on outside attorneys to negotiate agreements with Pinellas County and the team. The council and County Commission will vote on the plan, which includes 12 separate agreements reviewed by the Tampa Bay Times. But the document that would keep the team committed to St. Petersburg — a prenuptial agreement of sorts — isn’t in the publicly available pile yet.

› How Brevard residents built their own zoo 30 years ago [Florida Today]
Three decades ago, Brevardians built a zoo of their own, in a volunteer effort similar to an Amish barn raising. It was the largest community zoo build in history. And it all started three decades earlier as a makeshift wooden rabbit hutch that citrus farmer Floyd Houser built for his grandkids at his West Melbourne fruit stand. Kids loved it, so did parents.

› South Florida homebuyers face higher prices, while also finding more options [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Prospective homeowners in South Florida face a market rife with high price tags and mortgage interest rates. But with a rise in available listings, they’re also likely to find more choices when buying a home. The region’s inventory, which is measured by the number of active listings, increased in both Broward and Palm Beach counties from February 2023 to February of this year, according to market reports by the Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors.

› JEA customers will see a bump in the base rate for electricity in April because of Plant Vogtle nuclear costs [Florida Times-Union]
JEA residential and business customers will pay more in April for the base rate part of their electric bills, marking the third time since 2021 the utility has bumped up the base rate so JEA can cover the cost of buying electricity from the Plant Vogtle nuclear plant and other expenses. JEA has been planning the increase for several months and expects it will continue increasing rates in future years.