‘Everybody is getting sick.’ Florida's most intense flu season in 15 years
We’re feeling it in Florida. Feeling the fever. The chills. The fatigue. People with flu-like symptoms are pouring into urgent care and ERs as infections across the country reach levels not seen in a decade. And for the first time since the start of the pandemic in 2020, flu-related hospitalizations and deaths have outpaced COVID. More from the Miami Herald and Florida Today.
Business Beat - Week of February 21st
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Florida ports to evolve with changing policy, technology and environment
Port leaders in Florida say technology will continue to change logistics in the state, but that doesn’t mean jobs will be lost. Hydi Webb, Port Director for PortMiami, said her docks would actively resist a degree of automation that would result in sidelining longtime employees. “We’re a strong union port and we don’t believe in replacing jobs through AI,” she said. [Source: Florida Politics]
Four Florida cities among the ‘most financially distressed’ in U.S.
Have recent financial challenges, such as inflation and unemployment, impacted your day-to-day life? You're not alone, especially those in the Sunshine State. To highlight where financial struggles are most prevalent in our country, personal finance company WalletHub released its 2025 report for "Cities with the Most People in Financial Distress." And Florida has the most cities within the top 10. [Source: Florida Times-Union]
Florida utility companies would make less profit, reveal executive pay under new bill
The profits utility companies make by raising electricity rates have a new opponent: state Sen. Don Gaetz. The Republican senator from the Panhandle filed a bill that could drastically hamper utility companies’ abilities to earn high rates of return. The proposal, Senate Bill 354, would require regulators to “work to keep” each utility’s shareholder profit close to the rate that a 10-year Treasury note earns. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Flooding, old meters and running toilets caused St. Pete high water bills?
City officials have deduced this much: St. Petersburg water bills definitely increased following last year’s hurricanes, and areas that flooded during those storms had the most accounts with higher-than-usual water usage. There is still no sweeping explanation for why so many water bills skyrocketed in the months following hurricanes Helene and Milton. Customers citywide have reported receiving bills totaling thousands of dollars when the average should be around $150.
› Pensacola Tech Park draws interest from 3 groups after decade of disuse
Pensacola’s long-empty Technology Park is drawing interest from three new entities, according to FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance. The news comes as Pensacola's mayor urges local leaders to take action on the Tech Park with input from the city, as well as other properties like the Pensacola Bay Center and Grand Hotel.
› Manatee County considers re-imposing a ban on the retail sale of cats and dogs
Manatee County could soon implement a ban on the retail sale of dogs and cats once again, but the County Commission is split on the issue despite heavy support from much of the local animal advocacy community. Manatee County has flip-flopped on support for a retail pet sales ban for years. In 2021 commissioners narrowly approved a ban on retail pet sales, but, bolstered by an influx of new board members that policy was overturned in 2023.
› Food distribution company to cut Florida jobs, shutter Orlando warehouse
A Detroit-based food distributor is closing two locations in Florida and laying off employees, including in Orlando. Harvest Sherwood Food Distributors LLC in a Feb. 18 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) letter said it would be shutting down operations at its 150,000-square-foot center in Opa-locka and its 45,000-square-foot space in Orlando.
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› Increased visitation, demand outweighs dip in Collier’s average room rate
Collier County tourist tax collections for the first three months of the fiscal year totaled $5.6 million, lagging 4.5% behind 2023. “Total number of visitors increased by 5.1% compared to December of 2023, with 259,900 visitors for the first quarter,” Tourism Director Jay Tusa told the county Tourist Development Council on Feb. 18, adding direct spending by visitors rose 6.3% and the total economic impact of tourism increased 5.8%.
› Tunnel vs. bridge debate: Fort Lauderdale hopes truce is on way for commuter rail
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis claims the county appears to be warming to the idea of building a tunnel instead of a bridge to get commuter trains across the New River. “Now it seems they’re not so much against the tunnel as they are now trying to seek what sources of funding are available,” he said during a recent commission meeting. “I do think it’s a step forward.”
› Chinese company's subsidiary adds Kissimmee training center
A subsidiary of a Fortune 500 company has opened a new training center and showroom in Central Florida. Midea America Corp. — part of China-based appliance company Midea Group — partnered with its Orlando-based distributor AAA AC Supplies Inc. to open a 31,000-square-foot facility in Kissimmee. The site will train hundreds of new local contractors tied to the company's heat pump technology.
› For Sarasota renters, more choices. More affordable? Not so much
The Sarasota metro area's rents have come off their dizzying highs from just a couple of years ago, when they reached a high of $2,305, to a new median of near $1,900 a month today. But despite a softening market, new luxury units are coming online in downtown Sarasota with rent as high as $11,000, or even $2,250 for a small studio unit.