March 19, 2024

Monday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 3/18/2024

Farmers say Florida bill could help bring in more foreign workers

Florida’s agriculture industry hopes a newly passed bill that would limit local regulations on farmworker housing will bolster efforts to bring in more non-immigrant foreign workers. The industry says some growers have cut back on planting this year, and might again next year, in part because of a labor shortage related to the state’s crackdown on undocumented migrants. The bill could help with bringing in temporary, non-immigrant foreign workers through what is known as the federal H-2A visa program. The program places housing requirements on employers. More from the News Service of Florida.

Florida gas prices just jumped by double digits. Will they go higher?

Gas in Florida is up again. Florida saw a 10-cent jump at the pump over last week. Prices in Miami are higher as well. Palm Beach County continues to be the most expensive in South Florida. And North Florida has the cheapest gas. The average price for a gallon of gas in Florida on Monday, according to AAA, was $3.46. More from the Miami Herald.

Osceola County lines up $8.3 million for free college tuition

Osceola County is lining up its third year of a program that provides free college tuition to all high school or GED graduates there. County commissioners will vote March 18 on more than $8.3 million in funds for the Osceola Prosper program. Started in 2022, the program provides high school graduates from public, charter, private and homeschools in the county the option to attend Valencia College for a degree or accelerated skills training program, or for students to attend Osceola Technical College. More from WFTV.

Satellite startup from Sirius XM founder joins Tampa incubator

A University of South Florida incubator program has added satellite startup GuardianSat to its team. The Tampa Bay Technology Incubator is hosted through the university’s business development initiative, USF Connect, which provides resources and networking to member startups. GuardianSat will utilize the incubator access to expand its satellite technologies, which seek to protect the devices from aerospace threats. More from Tampa Bay Inno.

What’s happening with some of Jacksonville's biggest developments

Jacksonville’s Downtown revitalization effort started 2024 with an estimated $8 billion of projects in the pipeline, as reported by Downtown Vision Inc. The new year brought setbacks, including a fire that destroyed the nearly completed Rise Doro apartment complex, but work continued on a list of projects stretching across Downtown from Brooklyn to the Sports and Entertainment District. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.

Transportation Trends
Air taxis still primed for Orlando, despite vertiport bill's death

The death of a bill in the Florida Legislature that would have made the Orlando region a hub for air taxis has not compromised the technology's future in the region. The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority — whose conceptual plans include a vertiport and a research and development center on Orlando International Airport property — still will take steps toward having the technology on its property even though the bill did not pass this time.

» More from the Orlando Business Journaland WFTV.

 

Business Profile
Magic City magic

Proto, a hologram tech firm, has opened its first Florida studio and office in the Waterford Business District near Miami International Airport. Proto describes itself as “the original, patented inventor of hologram devices” and touts its ability “to beam anywhere in the world for fully interactive experiences in real time enabling them to save time, money, carbon impact and more versus physical travel.”

» Read more from Florida Trend.

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