Florida farmers continue to raise alarms as NAFTA rewrite nears passage

Democrats and Republicans came together last month to push an overhaul of the North American Free Trade Agreement through the U.S. House, a rare instance of bipartisan agreement on major legislation. The new trade deal — known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement or USMCA — was approved by 193 Democrats and 192 Republicans. Florida fruit and vegetable farmers worry they will continue to lose market share to their Mexican counterparts under the new trade deal. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

Florida gas prices up because of higher crude oil prices

Gas prices are uncharacteristically high for the season. According to AAA, the Auto Club Group, Florida gas prices averaged $2.50 per gallon Friday, up 4 cents over the week. That’s about 30 cents more per gallon statewide than last year, AAA said. The increases come courtesy of hikes in crude oil prices, which spiked following an unexpectedly large drop in U.S. crude oil supplies. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

‘Flyover Florida’ faces economic struggles, supports Trump

Okeechobee County, the rural slice of Florida known for farming, fishing and voting Republican, has one of the state’s weakest economies. Its economic output contracted by 9.6% in 2018, ranking dead last among Florida’s 67 counties, according to statistics released in December by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Even so, no one expects voters in Okeechobee County or other reliably red rural areas to vote for anyone other than President Donald Trump in November. [Source: St. Augustine Record]

Investors sue Florida’s biggest marijuana company claiming stock fraud

Florida’s largest medical marijuana company is being sued by investors, who claim the company overstated corporate profits and misled them about the company’s plant-growing practices. The report, published Dec. 17, claims that after researching Trulieve’s manufacturing facilities using drones, it was found that the “vast majority” of the company’s cultivation facilities were “low-quality hoop houses” that were “prone to infestations and weather damage.” [Source: Miami Herald]

Number of homeless drops by almost 9 percent in Florida

About 28,300 people in Florida experienced homelessness on a single night in 2019, down 8.7 percent from the previous year, says a Dec. 20 report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The decline extends a trend that has seen homelessness across the state fall by 40 percent since 2013. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Okaloosa plans to consider possible golf cart district [Northwest Florida Daily News]
A large section of the unincorporated area of Wright soon might become golf cart-friendly. The Okaloosa County Commission on Tuesday could schedule a public hearing on Jan. 21 to consider an ordinance that would establish a new golf cart district.

› National headquarters eyes move to Boca Raton [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
A national headquarters company is considering a Boca Raton site for relocation, according to a Jan. 7 agenda item before the Palm Beach County Commission. The company, which was not disclosed for competitive reasons, would create 75 jobs with annual wages of $60,657.

› Naples nonprofit begins construction on $3 million restaurant, training facility [Business Observer]
St. Matthews House, a homeless and substance abuse advocacy and support organization, is building a $3 million state-of-the-art restaurant, training facility and catering kitchen in Naples. Naples-based Connor & Gaskins Unlimited recently broke ground and started the foundations of the 8,000-square-foot facility, named LuLu’s Kitchen

› Golden parachutes for JEA executives under legal review [Florida Times-Union]
Contracts for dismissed JEA executives have an unusual benefit that entitles them to draw as much as one year of consulting fees, a golden parachute that other independent authorities don’t offer to their top leaders.

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› Seeing Purple: 50 years of the Van Wezel [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Aside from the construction of the Ringling Museum and Ca’ d’Zan, it’s likely that no building has transformed Sarasota as much as the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Beyond making purple both the most popular and the most hated color in this arts-focused community, the Van Wezel opened up a world of entertainment such as the Sarasota had never seen.

› More arrivals and departures for Brightline in major South Florida cities [Miami Herald]
With a new year underway, the Brightline is making changes to its schedule in major South Florida cities. In a letter sent to Brightline passholders, the high-speed train company said that additional arrival and departure times will be added in the new year.

› Jacksonville’s biggest restaurant news of 2019 [Florida Times-Union]
In 2019, Jacksonville welcomed a number of high-profile restaurants to its dining scene. And more are planned for 2020. Here’s a look at what’s new and what’s coming — along with some of the notable restaurant closings of the last year.

› Rusty’s becomes first business fined under Cape Coral noise update [Wink News]
A popular bar chain in Southwest Florida became the first business fined after a new rule was passed in the region’s largest city, cracking down on nighttime noise levels. Rusty’s Raw Bar & Grill was issued citation for noise at night by Cape Coral Police Department Friday, marking the first reported fine of a business due to noise under the new city code.