Florida Legislature won’t draft new redistricting map, deferring to DeSantis

Florida’s Republican legislative leaders announced on Monday that they are not crafting a new congressional map but will rather defer to Gov. Ron DeSantis to draft new maps that will be to his liking. The unusual move comes a week before state lawmakers are scheduled to head back to Tallahassee to address the state’s redistricting maps after DeSantis vetoed congressional maps approved by the GOP-dominated Legislature last month. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Florida Trend Exclusive

Florida start-ups: Shrimp cocktail

Chris Daniels' Shrimp Society is supporting more than 100 young entrepreneurs in just one year. "An underlying problem were are trying to solve is it's inherently lonely being an early-stage founder," he says. Daniels initially reached out to a few founders on LinkedIn and assembled a group of about 10. Within a year, the Shrimp Society was supporting 100 early-stage founders. In November, the Shrimp Society launched a non-fungible token (NFT) project to evolve the community into a “society.” About 1,700 people joined; purchasing an NFT was their membership. [Source: Florida Trend]

Opinion: DeSantis should keep cybersecurity funding in the state budget

Florida’s budget for fiscal year 2022-23 makes historic investments in protecting and defending our state, our citizens and our personal data from potentially devastating cyberattacks. In total, the adopted budget includes over $154 million in cybersecurity education, training, certification and grants toward workforce development. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Florida gas prices drop 10 cents in one week

The average U.S. price of a gallon of regular-grade gasoline dropped 10 cents per gallon in the last week here in the Sunshine State. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Florida was priced at $3.50 per gallon while the most expensive was $5.49 per gallon, a difference of $1.99. Meanwhile, the national average price of gasoline has fallen 7.5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.10 per gallon today. The national average is down 23.3 cents per gallon from a month ago. [Source: WFLA]

Moving to Florida? New Florida residents rack up complaints against moving companies

In December, the state was investigating hundreds of complaints against movers in Florida. Months later, one of the companies had its license revoked, but consumer complaints continue to pile up. Senator Ed Hooper met with state regulators and the Attorney General's office. He then crafted Senate Bill 1928. It aimed to crack down on rogue movers that move people within Florida and are regulated by the state. But the bill died in committee. [Source: WFTS]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Publix on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work for list [WTXL]
For the 25th consecutive year, Publix has been recognized on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list. Publix is 1 of only 4 companies to have made the list every year since its inception in 1998. “Our founder, George Jenkins, once said people are the key to Publix’s success,” said Publix CEO Todd Jones. “He explained that if we took care of our associates, they’d take care of our customers."

› JAX Chamber president: Downtown parks good for development, property values [Jacksonville Daily Record]
JAX Chamber President Daniel Davis, a likely 2023 Jacksonville mayoral candidate, added his voice to a growing group of city officials and advocates pushing for an interconnected park system on the Downtown riverfront. On April 1, Davis told a meeting of the JAX Chamber Downtown Council that parks are important to private development along the river and will increase Downtown property values.

› Edgewater employers face hiring woes as residents exit pricey Miami neighborhood [Miami Herald]
Today, the median home rental prices in Edgewater outpace Miami’s popular financial district Brickell, ranking as the second most expensive rental market in Miami-Dade County. That’s because the neighborhood has an influx of new wealthy people, following the migration of finance and technology firms expanding to Miami during the pandemic. Hernandez sees newcomers from across the country, including Chicago and New York.

› As more old buildings vanish from Boca Raton, will the downtown lose its charm? [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Gone is a nearly 100-year-old Boca Raton home that was recently toppled to make way for redevelopment. And many more buildings may be next. It all has left some community members worried that the area’s historical charm could be lost forever. The demand for new buildings has pitted competing interests against each other: The constant growth of Boca Raton, which has seen thousands of residences added in recent years, against the desire to preserve decades-old buildings tied to the city’s character.

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› Winter Park seeks partner to repurpose its former library building [Orlando Business Journal]
The city of Winter Park wants to partner on a new use of its old library building. Winter Park City Commissioners on April 13 will consider seeking proposals on how to "reimagine" the 43-year-old, 33,000-square-foot, three-story former library on nearly 2 acres at 460 E. New England Ave. The city opened a new $42 million library and events center in December.

› Tampa’s readies launch for ‘cornerstone’ infrastructure projects [Tampa Bay Times]
Mayor Jane Castor provided a progress report Monday on a nearly $2.9 billion infrastructure effort that will unfold over the next two decades designed to replace aging water and sewage pipes and modernize streets. The PIPES project, approved by the City Council in 2019, includes more than 70 individual projects, but the mayor focused on four areas in different corners of the city that will receive comprehensive, coordinated work beginning this summer.

› CSX testing Florida-Northeast perishables market with premium intermodal service [Trains]
If you buy a Florida-grown watermelon in the New York City area, there’s a good chance that it rode a CSX Transportation intermodal train from the Sunshine State to the Northeast. CSX has become the largest hauler of Florida watermelons to the Northeast thanks to a year-old experiment dubbed CSX Greenway, a premium door-to-door trailer-on-flatcar service.

› Tampa pharma maker owed Florida and Puerto Rico workers $1.9 million in pay, feds say [Miami Herald]
A Tampa-based international pharmaceutical company “missed several payrolls” in 2021, and eventually paid $1,943,241 in back pay after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation, the agency announced last week. That money should have been paid to 139 workers of Romark Laboratories, an average of $13,980.15 per employee. Labor said the Wage and Hour Division investigation concerned Romark’s home base in Tampa and its Manati, Puerto Rico, facility.