Property insurance experts cautiously optimistic ahead of storm season

Heading into the Atlantic storm season that begins June 1, insurance experts said legislative reforms in 2022 and 2023 targeting “frivolous” lawsuits, along with a year without any storm hits, have allowed some “softening” in homeowners insurance prices, growth in new carriers into the state, and a fall in the policy count by state-backed Citizens Property Insurance from 1.41 million policies in October 2023 to 336,000. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Florida Trend Exclusive
Taiwan seeks Florida trade

Taiwan's economy boomed in 2025, with 8% GDP growth, even as China continues to assert territorial claims over the self-governing democracy. Florida and Taiwan signed a memorandum of understanding pledging to facilitate trade in semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and more. Dubbed "Silicon Island," Taiwan is considered dominant in the global semiconductor industry. [Source: Florida Trend]

DeSantis plan would eliminate property taxes for 92% of homestead homes

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ property tax plan for the November ballot would raise the homestead exemption to $250,000 and require the Legislature to enact a plan to eliminate property taxes entirely for the vast majority of Floridians who own the homes they live in, he announced Wednesday. DeSantis said he was calling the Legislature back to Tallahassee on Monday to add an amendment to the ballot that would eventually raise the homestead exemption to $500,000, eliminating property taxes for 92% of those Floridians. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Business group helps save a flagship Florida climate program

Florida’s flagship climate-resilience program has been spared from deep cuts by state lawmakers after a leading business group embraced it as “one of the state’s greatest long-term economic opportunities.” Resilient Florida has distributed $1.8 billion since its inception in 2021 for local projects that protect some of the most flood-prone parts of the U.S. [Source: E&E News]

Paid family leave would benefit Florida’s workers, advocates say

America is the only developed country without national paid family leave. While some states have adopted statewide policies, Florida has not. As a result, mothers in the Sunshine State often return to work within months, or even weeks, after delivery. Some, viewing a short leave as undoable, drop out of the workforce altogether. About 76% of Florida workers currently do not have access to paid family leave, according to the Florida Policy Institute. A new report from the institute makes the case that the state should mandate a paid leave policy for all workers. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Need a place to stay for Brazil or Colombia in World Cup? Miami rentals in demand [Miami Herald]
Short-term rental reservations in South Florida are surging ahead of the World Cup in a welcome development for homeowners looking for extra cash and a local tourism industry that has otherwise struggled with meeting lofty expectations for the tournament. Three of four group stage games to be held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens are seeing significantly greater demand compared to the same dates a year ago.

› Bucs seek $1 billion Raymond James Stadium renovation with sun shade [Tampa Bay Times]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are seeking a $1 billion renovation to Raymond James Stadium, according to two officials with the Tampa Sports Authority. With a January deadline approaching to negotiate the lease agreement, Bucs brass has held private talks about a five-year extension. Sports Authority officials told the Tampa Bay Times that half of that renovation amount would go toward sun coverage over the team’s home stadium.

› Dubai company plans $50M investment at Orlando airport [Orlando Business Journal]
Dnata, a Dubai-based global air and travel services firm, plans to invest at least $50 million in building a new cargo facility at Orlando International Airport. The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) board recently approved a lease agreement with dnata to build a new air cargo facility and a private aircraft terminal on roughly 15 acres of land at MCO. Jay Cassens, GOAA’s senior vice president of aviation real estate, said the project is critical for the airport.

› Speros, Moffitt push into emerging cancer drug sector [Tampa Bay Business & Wealth]
Tampa Bay health care and research leaders are making a push to position the region as a center for one of the fastest-growing areas in cancer treatment, betting that demand for specialized manufacturing, workforce training and precision medicine could generate thousands of jobs and reshape part of the region’s life sciences economy.

More stories ...

› Where Florida beach towns ranked in Southern Living's list of top 50 [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
The summer season is on the horizon, with many Floridians ready to soak up the sun at the beach. But are some beaches better than others along Florida's roughly 1,350 miles of coastline? Yes, according to Southern Living. Some are even the best in the entire South.

› Mayor: City of Tampa closes in on building 10,000 affordable homes [Business Observer]
The City of Tampa is nearing Mayor Jane Castor’s goal of creating 10,000 affordable homes during her time in office — and she is taking something of a victory lap. To date, approximately 4,100 affordable units have been completed, with another 4,000 units in active development stages, say city officials.

› SpaceX, ULA doubleheader rocket launch from Florida possible for Friday [Florida Today]
A rare Florida doubleheader launch day is approaching, as both SpaceX and United Launch Alliance have rockets scheduled for liftoff Friday, May 29, as long as weather doesn't become an issue. First up is SpaceX with the Starlink 10-53 mission. The Falcon 9 rocket will target launch no earlier than 7:52 a.m. May 29 from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Less than 12 hours later, ULA aims to send off a batch of Amazon Leo internet satellites, an upcoming competitor to Starlink.

› Disney World springs into summer with updates, upgrades [Orlando Sentinel]
Heading into this summer’s busy season, the key word for Walt Disney World theme parks is “updated.” Several attractions have undergone major changes that rewrite their storylines drastically, while others fall into the needed-enhancements category. A couple of mantras may have guided the creative side here. At a recent Disney media event, the term “rerideability” came up multiple times, as well as the user-friendly notion of listening to visitor feedback.

More students choosing technical colleges as employers seek workers