FloridaCommerce has announced the availability of $20 million in funding for rural communities in Florida through the Rural Infrastructure Fund (RIF). The initiative aims to support infrastructure projects that encourage job creation, capital investment, and economic strengthening in these areas. Since 2019, the RIF has awarded over $87 million for 121 projects.
Youth angler Krieger Brasseale had a memorable visit to the Sunshine State earlier this year. Brasseale spent his spring break chasing saltwater fishing records and achieved five approved youth Florida Saltwater Fishing Records.
On July 24, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Division of Law Enforcement announced charges against four individuals involved in a scheme to defraud hunters seeking Osceola turkey hunts. Larry William Collins, David Preston Mills, Paul Neil Beckham, and Vernon Robert Flowers were charged with multiple felonies, including organized fraud, conspiracy to commit organized fraud, cheating, and the unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
During Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez’s international mission to the Farnborough Air Show, aviation company AURA AERO Inc. announced the opening of its first US facility within Embry-Riddle and the decision to locate a 500,000-square-foot manufacturing and assembly plant in Florida. AURA AERO is a French designer and manufacturer of aircraft headquartered in Toulouse, France. This decision follows the company’s move last year to create a partnership with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at the University’s Research Park in Daytona Beach, which is now open. The new...
More than 5.7 million Floridians, or 26.2 percent of the state's population, are highly vulnerable to extreme heat, according to a new report by the non-partisan Florida Policy Institute (FPI). The think tank found that 13 of the 20 counties with the highest shares of highly vulnerable residents are in North Florida. These counties include Calhoun, Citrus, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Highlands, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Okeechobee, Putnam and Sumter.
Ocean carrier Ocean Network Express’s (ONE) new West India North America (WIN) container service has commenced operations at Jacksonville with the arrival of the container ship ONE Modern. This marks the Jacksonville Port Authority’s (JAXPORT) first direct container service with the Indian subcontinent.
Tallahassee, Fla. – Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) announced that 29 long-term care employees across Florida have been awarded $69,500 in scholarships to advance their careers in healthcare. FHCA will award four caregivers each a $5,000 Bruce Taylor Scholarship to advance their nursing careers; 12 long-term care employees will each receive a $2,500 Career Climb Scholarship, and 13 nursing home Administrators in Training (AIT) have earned a $1,500 Rising Long Term Care Leader Scholarship to support their goals of becoming licensed Nursing Home Administrators (NHA).
The recreational harvest of snowy grouper and red porgy in state waters of the Atlantic will close on July 1, with the last day of harvest for both species being June 30. Recreational harvest of snowy grouper will also close in all state waters of Monroe County. Harvest will reopen for both snowy grouper and red porgy in Atlantic state waters on May 1, 2025.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) invites the public to attend the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area 10-year Land Management Plan public hearing on Wednesday, July 24. The hearing will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Palm Beach County Vista Chambers, located at 2300 N Jog Road, West Palm Beach, FL, 33411.
ORLANDO, Fla. — FloridaCommerce announced today that the Orlando area private sector employment increased by 1.2 percent (+16,300 jobs) over the year in May 2024. The total nonagricultural employment in the Orlando area rose by 19,200 jobs (+1.3 percent) since May 2023.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 21.9 percent from the first quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2024, nearly double the national growth rate of 11.1 percent during the same period. Florida's annual GDP stands at nearly $1.3 trillion, and the state continues to lead in new business formations with over 3 million since 2019 and more than 266,000 formed already in 2024.
Scientists at the University of Chicago at Urbana-Champaign are employing a novel method to study insect populations. Utilizing suction traps, researchers aim to gather data on various insect species for agricultural research.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution has secured an 18-year prison sentence for Ricardo Villarroel Duerto, the owner of a pool company found guilty of defrauding nearly 100 Florida homeowners. Villarroel, who operated Villa Pavers and Pools, was sentenced by Judge William S. Orth on charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is organizing regional workshops to inform local governments about opportunities to conserve gopher tortoises and other state-listed species in Florida. The aim of these workshops is to encourage local-level participation in gopher tortoise conservation by providing information that could help establish local protection policies. Additionally, the FWC will discuss how local policies can assist in conserving other state-listed species and will provide details on financial incentives available for habitat management.
FloridaCommerce has released the employment data for the Pensacola area for May 2024. The detailed statistics can be accessed on their official website.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Blair Bradley, Shawn Hindle, and Belinda Kirkegard and the reappointment of John Davis to the Valencia College District Board of Trustees.
FloridaCommerce has released the employment data for the Fort Lauderdale area for May 2024. The detailed information can be accessed at www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases.
Today, Governor Ron DeSantis received 37 bills from the Florida Legislature. The bills cover a wide range of topics including victim compensation, public records, transportation, cybersecurity, healthcare, and veterans' affairs.