Obesity is weighing down Florida’s economy. How to shrink the numbers
A new report by Global Data shows that obesity cost Florida $30.1 billion in 2022 â"? impacting $2.15 billion of the state budget or 4% of fiscal year revenue. Randall Croom, associate professor of management at Stetson University, said that’s a significant amount of money that every Floridian should pay attention to. More from Health News Florida.
Hurricane center ups odds for Caribbean-bound system to develop
A tropical depression could form by early next week as a disturbance moves west across the Atlantic, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center. It's not totally unexpected. Forecasters have been warning tropical activity is expected to increase as Saharan dust in the atmosphere dissipates. More from Florida Today and the Orlando Sentinel.
CSX reaches union deals ahead of deadline
Before becoming CEO of Jacksonville-based CSX Corp., Joe Hinrichs had a reputation of working well with unions in his previous career in the auto industry. Now he may be gaining the same reputation in the railroad industry after CSX announced a string of labor agreements between Aug. 21 and Aug. 23. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Red Lobster to pay its bankruptcy lawyers millions of dollars
Invoices from Orlando-based Red Lobster’s attorneys and other advisers are piling up, now totaling over $15.5 million. The invoices are for work beginning May 19 — the date the seafood restaurant chain filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida. More from the Orlando Business Journal.
See also:
» Red Lobster to be led by former P.F. Chang’s CEO after bankruptcy, investment group says
St. Pete Beach considers commercial development moratorium
St. Pete Beach is considering a yearlong moratorium on commercial development. The move comes after a series of development approvals sparked backlash in the historically quaint city. Mayor Adrian Petrila pitched the city commission on a yearlong pause from commercial development Tuesday. More from the Real Deal and WTSP.
Sports Business
Motorsports park at 20-Mile Bend gets new pitch. Will developers bid?
Palm Beach County is back in the market for a partner to build and operate a motorsports park at 20-Mile Bend. It might be next year before it knows if it has one. The county commission on Aug. 20 voted to seek new proposals from developers to create a 161-acre complex that could either be an off-highway-vehicle park, a raceway for drag racing, or a facility for both.
» More from the Palm Beach Post.
Florida Trend Exclusive
Florida health care: Viva ex vivo
A “very simple idea” could bring new hope to pediatric cancer patients whose cancers return after completing standard treatment, researchers at Florida International University and Miami’s Nicklaus Children’s Hospital say. Doctors extract cancer cells from “relapsed refractory” Nicklaus patients and send them to an FIU laboratory, where their DNA is sequenced and cells are exposed to dozens of combinations of drugs to see which may be most effective and least toxic. The result is a treatment plan tailor-made for each patient.
» Read more from Florida Trend.