Officials no longer accepting My Safe Florida Home hardening applications
The Department of Financial Services said online that funding has been “exhausted” for initial inspections in the My Safe Florida Home program. The program offers inspections and grants up to $10,000 to help residents upgrade homes and qualify for property-insurance discounts for residences valued up to $700,000. Devin Galetta, spokesperson for state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, said Wednesday the program is still “up and running” for people who have already been approved for inspections. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Florida Trend Exclusive
Legislative update: Vacation rentals
A bill vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis would have allowed local governments to require vacation rental property owners to register and charge a reasonable fee, but the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation would be responsible for maintaining a statewide database of vacation rental properties. Legislators took a “one-size-fits-all” approach to the issue “even though the vacation rental markets are far from uniform” statewide, DeSantis wrote in his veto letter. The bill also would preempt local government “from enforcing existing ordinances or passing any new local measure” specific to vacation rentals. [Source: Florida Trend]
Florida among top 20 most financially distressed states. Here's what that means
J“Measuring the share of residents in financial distress is a good way to take the pulse of a state and see whether people are generally thriving or having trouble making ends meet. When you combine data about people delaying payments with other metrics like bankruptcy filings and credit score changes, it paints a good picture of the overall economic trends of a state," WalletHub Analyst Cassandra Happe said. Florida ranked towards the top of WalletHub's list of states where residents have been facing financial distress the most [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Boeing delivers rocket for moon mission to NASA
The core stage of the SLS rocket was shipped from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Standing at 212 feet tall, the core stage includes massive tanks holding over 733,000 gallons of liquid propellant. [Source: Boeing and Newsweek]
Florida county's issues with tourist taxes have been addressed
The office of Sherrill F. Norman reviewed the Board of Commissioners and clerk of the Circuit Court. At issue were use of tourist development taxes. According to the audit, state law allows counties to levy and impose the taxes made up of five separate local tax options. Counties are able to charge up to 6% on every dollar collected for rents of living quarters or accommodations for a maximum of six months, and funds can only be used for specified purposes in state law [Source: The Center Square]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Higher-ed law challenge moves forward
A Leon County circuit judge has rejected requests by the New College of Florida Board of Trustees and the state university system’s Board of Governors to dismiss a challenge to a 2023 law that did away with arbitration in university employment disputes.
› New technology is cleaning waterways in Southwest Florida
Michael Arens created Clean Earth Rovers while attending Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. “I had heard about the ocean plastics crisis for the first time in 2017. That really kickstarted a passion for me about healthy waterways and keeping our waterways clean,” said Arens.
› Jacksonville visitors' bureau director Henry elected to lead tourism association
Jacksonville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Brittany Henry has been elected chairman of the Illinois Destinations Association’s 2024 board of directors, according to the association.
› St. Pete company buys trio of Manatee beachfront restaurants
Longtime Manatee County restaurant owner Ed Chiles has sold his three beachfront restaurants and some other components of Chiles Hospitality, a company he founded 45 years ago.
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› These startups raised the most from venture capital investors last quarter
Venture capital investors are directing fewer dollars to South Florida. Startups located in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties raised $360 million in venture capital over 71 deals during the second quarter of 2024, according to the Q2 2024 Pitchbook-NVCA Venture Monitor Report. That's down about 40% from the first quarter of the year.
› Miami-based clothing company has a mission that goes beyond fashion
During his 2018 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Dr. Denis Mukwege described some of his first days at Panzi Hospital in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic Congo.
› As South Florida heats up, ice immersion cools the body — fast
Whether for wellness or emergency response, ice immersion has become a go-to for improving health as the heat index soars to record highs in Florida
› Orlando Magic founder Pat Williams passes away at 84
“Pat Williams simply brought magic to Orlando,” said Orlando Magic Chairman Dan DeVos and CEO Alex Martins in a joint statement. “His accomplishments will always be remembered.”