Born to die: Florida’s infant mortality crisis

More than 1,300 babies a year, about four a day, die in Florida. In the early 2000s, the infant mortality rate was higher, but dropped slightly and then plateaued about a decade ago. Despite a declining birth rate, and millions of dollars spent by the state in the past 10 years on maternity programs, research, outreach and reports, the rate of infant mortality remains unchanged. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Florida Trend Exclusive
Cultivating insurance industry talent

Fraud is one of the most significant problems facing insurers in Florida and the nation. Each year, according to the FBI, more than $40 billion is lost to fraudulent non-health insurance claims. The estimated cost to the average family is between $400 and $700 in increased premiums. It isn’t an easy problem to solve, but the University of Central Florida hopes to make a dent starting this fall with the introduction of a new MBA program with an emphasis on risk management. [Source: Florida Trend]

Opinion: If we invest in them now, there are innovative solutions for damage done to coral reefs

In Southeast Florida alone, corals provide, on average, over $600 million in coastal protection every year. That number skyrockets with a big storm. But our reefs are rapidly disappearing due to warming oceans, disease, pollution and irresponsible coastal construction like the PortMiami dredging. The urgent need to prioritize coral preservation and restoration efforts cannot be overstated. Our reefs are a shadow of their former majesty — and trending downward every year. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Florida’s citrus industry is welcoming new spending for the crop

From natural disasters to the threat of disease, Florida’s citrus industry has taken a hit over the last few years but some new spending by the state is looking to give the industry a boost. Florida Citrus Mutual shows the state has allotted $18 million for research and development and $9 million for the state’s department of citrus. That money will help promotion among consumers as well as influencers. [Source: RFD TV]

DeSantis signs bill banning homeless people from parks, public spaces

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed into law a ban on homeless people sleeping in parks, sidewalks and other public spaces, calling it a solution to communities “plagued” with homelessness. During a news conference in Miami Beach, which recently started arresting homeless people who refuse to go to a shelter, DeSantis touted the legislation as furthering his “law and order” agenda. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

See also:
» Florida cities, counties prepare for homeless camp bill to become law

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Post-Basquiat, new Orlando Museum of Art chief curator has high hopes [Orlando Sentinel]
The new chief curator of Orlando Museum of Art is a six-year employee who repeatedly issued warnings about the purported Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibition that ultimately sent the institution spiraling. Coralie Claeysen-Gleyzon has been promoted into the chief curator position, the 100-year-old museum announced this week; she had essentially been filling the role for the past year since the retirement of her former boss, Hansen Mulford, who had joined the museum’s senior management team in 1988.

› Jacksonville tops Florida cities where renters' income goes furthest [Jacksonville Business Journal]
Jacksonville tops the list of Florida cities where renters can stretch their dollars the most, according to nationwide apartment search website Rent Cafe. The study used average monthly rent, median renter income and average price per month for basic expenses on a national level. For individual cities, it used prices sourced from the Cost of Living Index published by the Council for Community and Economic Research.

› JetBlue drops flights from South Florida cities after losing more than $2 billion since 2019 [NBC Miami]
JetBlue Airways will end service at several cities in a move to retrench and focus on stronger markets after years of losing money. The changes will also help the airline cope with the grounding of some of its planes for inspections of their Pratt & Whitney engines, an executive told employees Tuesday.

› Tampa projected to add millionaires over the next decade [Tampa Bay Business Journal]
As of now, Tampa does not rank among America’s wealthiest cities in a new report from Henley & Partners. However, it was listed among the cities projected to attract a large number of high-net-worth individuals in the near future. The report projects that Salt Lake City, Tampa and Naples will attract rising numbers of wealthy individuals over the next decade. Tampa was cited as a key business center and an emerging tech hub, while Naples is expected to attract more wealthy retirees.

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› Look at all the new stores opening in Largo, including Sprouts market [Tampa Bay Times]
As thousands of new residents flock to Florida daily, new businesses continue to sprout up. In Largo, a new pickleball training facility, a Chipotle fast-casual eatery, a drive-thru Wawa and a Korean boba tea/donut shop have opened recently or are in the process of opening, while the new Horizon West Bay project and its surrounding commercial, retail, and residential elements is quickly taking shape.

› Seasonal lifeguard coverage in Cocoa Beach threatened in city-county funding dispute [Florida Today]
The Spring Break holiday season is in full swing, and Cocoa Beach is awash with the sunburned faces of visitors. But there might be fewer lifeguards than had been expected looking out for those tourists, many of whom have little experience with the ocean and its power.

› Subsidies push stalls for long-awaited American Dream Mall [Miami Today]
A legislative bid to potentially offer Miami-Dade County subsidies to get a long-stalled, multi-billion mega-project, the American Dream Mall, under way in Northwest Miami-Dade was swiftly sidetracked by a county committee last week. The legislation aims to remove the county’s self-imposed prohibition on subsidies for design or construction of the project, whose movement has been invisible to the public for several years.

› The feds were interested in a Tampa City Council computer. Why? [Tampa Bay Times]
When FBI agents arrived early one morning last May to the pink, single-story home of Tampa City Council member Lynn Hurtak, they searched for phones, laptops and more. The agents sought devices used by her husband, Tim Burke, a nationally recognized media consultant subsequently indicted last month on charges related to alleged computer hacks of Fox News videos.