FLORIDA’S POPULATION The recently released Florida Population Report by Cushman & Wakefield predicts the state’s population may reach 20.7 million by the end of 2016. Additionally, they report that Forth Myers experienced 3.3 percent growth, the largest percentage in the state with an estimated 701,900 residents. Numbers released earlier this year by the U.S. Census showed Read more about Issues of Interest[…]
INSURANCE SCAM The Office of Insurance Regulation warned Floridians that scammers were sending out emails notifying the recipient that their insurance policies have been cancelled. The emails appear to be from OIR Commissioner David Almaier, but are fake messages. Please notify OIR if you receive such an email by calling the Department’s hotline at 877-693-5236. HURRICANE Read more about Issues of Interest[…]
WHITE FLIES A rare strain of white fly, called the Q-biotype, poses a threat to the $500 million tomato industry in Florida. The fly, which researchers say is resistant to the insecticides that farmers have used to kill the common whiteflies for decades, has been showing up in nurseries and greenhouses. The Florida Department of Agriculture Read more about Issues of Interest[…]
BLACK BEARS The U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Tennessee studied data collected by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in 2015 and estimated there are 4,030 bears in Florida, which is lower than the estimate of 4,350 originally reported in March. FWC Executive Director Nick Wiley says that the black bears have rebounded Read more about Issues of Interest[…]
ZIKA VIRUS With 1,051 cases of the Zika virus in Florida as of October 24th, 82 percent of which are attributed to travel, Florida is aggressively working to manage the outbreak. Zika can cause microcephaly and other severe birth defects. Governor Scott has allocated over $61 million of state funding for mosquito control, research for a Read more about Issues of Interest[…]