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Pinellas County closes the door on large-scale data centers [Business Observer] -Pinellas County commissioners want to make one thing clear to technology companies eyeing the county’s industrial corridors: Large-scale, standalone data centers are not welcome in unincorporated Pinellas. Commissioners agreed to have county staff prepare a resolution stating that the controversial, massive facilities are not allowed under the county’s existing development code — and that the board has no intention of permitting them.
Florida mailing out ballots as planned despite latest court rulings - Florida voters who prefer to cast ballots by mail should experience no disruptions for the November election despite President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to limit the popular voting method, elections officials and experts say. Mail ballots for the Nov. 3 general election are being prepared as usual in all 67 counties, according to the state Division of Elections. There’s an Oct. 22 deadline to request a mail ballot for Florida voters who haven’t already done so for this election cycle. [Source: Gainesville Sun]
Hurricane Center says Dolly remnants could move into Gulf, threaten Florida - The National Hurricane Center on Sunday upped the odds that two systems, one in the Gulf, and the remnants of what had been Tropical Storm Dolly, could develop. The hurricane center said conditions may become more conducive for redevelopment by the middle of the week, as the system moves near Florida and into the Gulf. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Rays stadium deal dims Orlando MLB hopes [Orlando Business Journal] - Hillsborough County’s Board of County Commissioners approved the Tampa Bay Rays’ $2.36 billion baseball stadium proposal Aug. 28. The approval is the latest blow to efforts by the Orlando Dreamers to bring Major League Baseball to Central Florida. The group's pursuit has never explicitly named the potential relocation of the Rays as its best bet for success and its leaders have been adamant that it is pursuing both relocation and expansion.
Florida’s sales tax holiday on guns, outdoor goods starts soon - An upcoming four-month sales tax “holiday” on certain camping and hunting gear, including guns and ammunition, is back to round out the year. The retail industry is hoping people are becoming more conscious of the discount period that begins Tuesday and ends Dec. 31. “It’s certainly not the same as the back-to-school or disaster relief (sales tax holidays) because all the holidays come down to awareness,” said Scott Shalley, president and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Florida Poly degrees match nation’s highest-paying majors [West Orlando News] - Engineering and technology fields dominate the nation’s highest-paying college majors, according to a recent analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. At Florida Polytechnic University, students are preparing for careers at the forefront of those high-demand, high-wage fields. The analysis shows that many of the country’s top-paying undergraduate degrees are concentrated in engineering and computing disciplines, including computer science and computer, aerospace, industrial, electrical and mechanical engineering – all programs offered at Florida Poly.
Many Florida kids aren’t ‘ready’ for kindergarten, businesses should help, chamber says - Less than half of Florida’s kindergartners tested “ready” for school last year on the state’s early literacy exam, a worrisome statistic that the Florida Chamber of Commerce says needs business leaders’ attention. The percentage of kindergartners testing ready for school varies by county and community, with younger students in higher-income areas faring far better, in part because they attended quality preschools, the Florida Chamber Foundation noted in a new report [Source: South Florida Sun Sentinel]
Tampa-based real estate lender acquired in $3.2 billion transaction [Tampa Bay Business & Wealth] - Tampa-based Toorak Capital will become part of publicly traded Velocity Financial in a series of transactions valued at about $3.2 billion, including the separate sale of Toorak’s roughly $3 billion loan portfolio to an unidentified investment firm. Velocity Financial, a California-based real estate finance company, agreed to buy Toorak’s operating platform in an all-cash transaction, while the third-party investor will retain Velocity to manage the loan portfolio.
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