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The dream of a Florida retirement is fading for the middle class -Wealthy individuals make up a growing share of people at or near retirement age arriving in Florida from other states, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, while many working-class and middle-class older people who feel priced out are moving elsewhere. The new patterns of migration are helping reshape Florida’s identity, swapping its long-held reputation as a paradise for retirees of all stripes for one that primarily caters to the well-heeled. The decades-old promise of an affordable sun-drenched sanctuary is fading in the face of high home prices, insurance premiums and property taxes, among other costs.
Florida lawmakers brace for affordability showdown this session - With Floridians facing soaring home insurance premiums, rent hikes and rising property tax bills, state lawmakers heading to Tallahassee for this year’s legislative session agree on one thing: Affordability will dominate the agenda. With the session set to begin Tuesday, the question is not whether lawmakers will talk about affordability — but whether they can agree on solutions that survive inter-chamber negotiations, gubernatorial scrutiny and, potentially, voter approval.
Florida gas prices plunge by double digits - Gas prices are down by double digits in Florida this week, and many areas in the state have dipped under $2.70 a gallon, according to an AAA report. Last week, as drivers got back to their routine commutes after the holiday stretch, prices jumped. But this week’s decreases have wiped out those increases, and more. North Florida remains the cheapest to get gas in the state. Naples and Palm Beach County are among the most expensive areas.
Florida deregulated nursing schools. Scam colleges and failing students followed - Alarmed by a growing shortage of nurses, Florida lawmakers in 2009 eased regulations on the schools tasked with training them, inviting new institutions to enter the market. The results were swift: Within five years, the number of Florida nursing programs more than doubled. But many were for-profit institutions that churned out students whose pricey degrees left them ill-prepared to enter the field.
Life after Winter the dolphin in Clearwater, an Aquarium tale - The Clearwater Marine Aquarium was riding expansion plans coming into the new decade, buoyed by rising attendance and revenue. And then came the death of its star attraction — a world-famous dolphin named Winter with a prosthetic tail and movie credits. A string of other dolphin deaths, a voyeurism scandal and 2024’s hurricanes further hurt the aquarium’s reputation and ticket sales. Four years after her death, the aquarium is still figuring out how to reinvent itself and survive after the loss of Winter.
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