Wednesday’s Daily Pulse

Citizens policy count plummets

With private insurers scooping up customers, the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. shed nearly 200,000 policies last week — and was at its lowest total since 2021, according to newly released numbers.

Citizens had 569,495 policies as of Friday, down from 768,643 policies a week earlier, the numbers show. Citizens had 552,340 policies on Feb. 28, 2021, before steady increases that peaked at 1.4 million policies in September 2023. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Controversial SW Florida mega development will convert agricultural ruins to 10,000 homes

When a developer announces they are building a community with up to 10,000 homes, some people envision severe environmental damage, while others see it as a way to improve water quality, bring back native vegetation and restore natural flowways.

Cameratta Companies recently started construction on the new Kingston community that will span 6,702 acres. The developer says Kingston will transform a distressed and overgrown farmland into a unique community blending environmental preserves with residential neighborhoods and commercial amenities. While there will be homes, roads and buildings, more than half of the land will be restored and designated as preserves. [Source: Naples Daily News]

St. Petersburg to open brief window for Trop redevelopment pitches

For the third time in five years, St. Petersburg is seeking a developer for its most prized tract of land: Tropicana Field, also known as the Historic Gas Plant District.

But this latest run at landing a makeover for some or all of the 86 acres breaks from past norms.

The city has not put out a written list of criteria to guide prospective bidders. And instead of giving months to sharpen pitches, the city is opening a 30-day window to apply in mid-November, right before Thanksgiving. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

UNF poll finds Floridians oppose removing child vaccine mandates, split on property tax changes

The poll found 49% of respondents supported getting rid of property taxes. Governor Ron DeSantis has been pushing to put the issue before voters in 2026. But the poll shows support well below the 60% threshold needed to pass a ballot initiative required to make the change. And the people sampled in the poll overrepresent the number of homeowners in the state, with the issue performing even worse among renters. [Source: WFSU]

Jacksonville City Council approves Five Points business improvement district

The Five Points neighborhood will soon have a new pot of money to address its security problem.

With a 14-5 vote Oct. 28, Jacksonville City Council approved legislation to create a business improvement district in Five Points.

Under Ordinance 2025-0539, commercial property owners in the district will be assessed a fee to provide funding for landscaping, security and promotion.

[Source: Jacksonville Daily Record]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Tampa-based Melting Pot brings fondue to grocery stores nationwide [Tampa Bay Business & Wealth]
Tampa-based fondue brand Melting Pot is taking its signature dining experience from the table to the supermarket aisle.

The company announced a national retail expansion that brings its Melting Pot at Home line to more than 2,500 grocery stores including Publix, Harris Teeter, Amazon Fresh and Safeway.

It is the largest distribution push since the line’s 2023 debut.

› Centralized care: Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s newest expansion houses a slew of breast cancer care services under one roof [Florida Trend]
Breast cancer ranks among Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s top five diagnoses. From 2020 to 2024, the facility’s analytic breast cancer caseload — or the number of breast cancer patients diagnosed and treated there, as opposed to those who started their treatments elsewhere — increased by 50%. Its breast cancer patients are also growing younger.

› Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show touts $1.8 billion of economic impact [WLRN]
The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is kicking off its 66th year and runs from Oct 29- Nov 2.

The show will have around three million square feet of exhibit space across seven locations, the Bahia Mar Yachting Center, Las Olas Marina, Hall of Fame Marina, Superyacht Village at Pier 66 South, Pier 66 Marina, the Broward County Convention Center and the 17th Street Yacht Basin.

› Orange County teachers approve new union contract offering small raise amid budget shortfall [Orlando Weekly]
Teachers, school psychologists, and other instructional staff in Orange County Public Schools overwhelmingly approved a new union contract last week delivering 4 percent raises for most teachers, with $2 million in additional funds set aside for paying longtime teachers and educators with advanced degrees.

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