Milton to hit Florida as ‘life-threatening’ Category 3 hurricane
Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall somewhere near Florida’s central Gulf Coast on Wednesday evening as a possible Category 3 storm that could be the worst Tampa Bay has seen in a lifetime. Millions of Floridians along the Gulf Coast could be told to leave, and officials in Tampa Bay are warning the storm could be far worse than Helene. Sewage systems and power could be out for weeks. More from the Tampa Bay Times, the AP, and and the Orlando Sentinel.
Florida gas prices rose from last week: See how much
State gas prices rose for the second consecutive week and reached an average of $3.12 per gallon of regular fuel on Monday, up from last week's price of $3.06 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The average fuel price in state has fallen about 10 cents since last month. According to the EIA, gas prices across the state in the last year have been as low as $2.81 on Dec. 18, 2023, and as high as $3.76 on Aug. 7, 2023. [Source: Lakeland Ledger]
Report warns Florida could face budget deficits by 2028 if spending isn't cut
According to a newly-released report, Florida could be facing substantial financial headwinds in the form of budget deficits in next few years barring spending cuts. The report from the nonprofit Florida Taxwatch says that while the revenues are strong now, rising costs for K-12 education and Medicaid could lead to a $6.9 billion deficit by fiscal 2027-28. The group says that if lawmakers continue to spend as they have in recent budget cycles, a $2.1 billion budget surplus this cycle will turn to a $2.8 billion deficit in fiscal 2026-27. [Source: The Center Square]
The case of the armadillo: Is it spreading leprosy in Florida?
Leprosy remains rare in the United States. But Florida, which often reports the most cases of any state, has seen an uptick in patients. The epicenter is east of Orlando. Brevard County reported a staggering 13% of the nation’s 159 leprosy cases in 2020, according to a Tampa Bay Times analysis of state and federal data. [Source: States Newsroom]
Trees' own beneficial microbiome could lead to discovery of new treatments to fight citrus greening disease
Citrus trees showing natural tolerance to citrus greening disease host bacteria that produce novel antimicrobials that can be used to fight off the disease, recent study shows. Citrus greening disease—known more formally as Huanglongbing, or HLB, is caused by the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. It is spread by an insect called the Asian citrus psyllid. There is no known cure for the disease. [Source: Phys.org]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› FAU awarded $10M to train people with disabilities for high tech jobs
Florida Atlantic University’s College of Education and the College of Engineering and Computer Science have received a $9,961,460 grant from the United States Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to increase the capacity and participation of transition-age youths and working-age adults with disabilities in high demand technology jobs locally and nationally.
› FIFA Club World Cup brings potential for more sports business in Central Florida
Jason Siegel said that networking with organizations can lead to success in the future, even if you don't get a win at the start. The president and CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission said that through the efforts to draw the FIFA World Cup 2026, it helped build up to its latest win. Orlando was named by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association as one of the 11 cities that will host matches during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which will start in June 2025.
› Financial company seeks $21 million in city incentives for $216 million Jacksonville expansion
A code-named financial services company is planning a new $216 million headquarters division in Jacksonville and is seeking $21 million in city incentives, according to an Office of Economic Development project summary. The code-named Project Paper Company already has a presence in Jacksonville.
› Royal Caribbean’s Port Canaveral-bound Star of the Seas gets 1st taste of water
The world’s next largest cruise ship can float. Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas, which will debut out of Port Canaveral next summer, managed the feat during a construction milestone last weekend. The sister ship to the current titleholder Icon of the Seas, which debuted out of Miami this past January, was in dry dock until shipbuilders at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, flooded the holding area with 92 million gallons of water during a nine-hour endeavor.
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› New Overtown Square Park honors Sarasota’s historic Black neighborhood
A new Sarasota park is open in the city's original Black community of Overtown. The new park was unveiled recently on Central Avenue, between 5th Way and Boulevard of the Arts, and was named Overtown Square, a nod to the rich history of Black residents and workers who first lived in what is now called the Rosemary Arts District.
› Melbourne, Brevard look to limit people living on ramshackle boats
Living on a boat. For some people, it's a dream life. For others, a last resort. Some liveaboards pick marinas where they can pump out their waste and get potable water. Those slips are increasingly scarce these days and require insurance. Others, though, choose to drop anchor in the Indian River Lagoon, where rules seldom apply.
› Here’s what is next for Boca Raton’s planned Center for Arts and Innovation
Boca Raton is eager to welcome a new Center for Arts and Innovation — a planned arts-oriented destination that would feature an amphitheater, main theater and concert hall to host thousands of eventgoers downtown. But the city, as the landlord, is considering enlisting the help of a consultant to ensure the project is vetted.
› Opened in time of silent movies, PBC playhouse celebrates 100th birthday with public party
Get ready to party like it’s 1924! The Lake Worth Playhouse is celebrating the 100th birthday of its art deco home with a modest makeover aimed at restoring some of the building’s original glory. The two-story building on Lake Avenue in downtown Lake Worth Beach will host a public birthday Nov. 2, nearly 100 years to the day that it first opened as the Oakley Theater.