Politics

Florida in the top 20 for interstate safety and spending in the U.S.

Published

8 hours ago

March 16, 2025

Florida’s urban and rural highway systems are fairly decent compared to the rest of the county, but their conditions fell a bit in the past year, at least that’s the finding in a new study.

The Sunshine State’s interstate roadways are not quite at the top, but they’re in the top 20, according to the Reason Foundation’s “Annual Highway Report.” The analysis found Florida was 14th in the country when it comes to safe interstate conditions. However, the study found that’s a six-spot decline for Florida, which was ranked eighth overall in the previous report.

The Reason Foundation 28th annual report examines the urban and rural pavement conditions, rural pavement, deficient bridges, traffic congestion, and spending on roads and bridges in all 50 states.

In terms of safety, the analysis found Florida still ranks highly for general safety of its roadways.

“In safety and condition categories, Florida’s highways rank ninth in urban interstate pavement condition, fourth in rural interstate pavement condition, fifth in urban arterial pavement condition, fifth in rural arterial pavement condition, 10th in structurally deficient bridges, 48th in urban fatality rate, and 38th in rural fatality rate,” the study concluded.

However, Florida faulters when it comes to funding for interstate projects.

“In spending and cost-effectiveness, Florida ranks 40th in capital and bridge disbursements, which are the costs of building new roads and bridges and widening existing ones. Florida ranks 25th in maintenance spending, such as the costs of repaving roads and filling in potholes. Florida’s administrative disbursements, including office spending that doesn’t make its way to roads, ranks 23rd nationwide,” researchers said.

Florida improved the most in its rural fatality rate which increased from 45th to 38th and administrative financial disbursements, going from 28th to 23th.

Florida got worse in congestion with the urban traffic backup ranking going from 18th to 39th in the country. The urban fatality ranking is still pretty low as Florida ranks 48th in the nation.

The Carolinas apparently have the knack for handling highways. North Carolina was ranked first in the country for interstate wellbeing followed in second by South Carolina. North Dakota was ranked third followed by Virginia in fourth and Tennessee in fifth.

Alaska ranked 50th in the country for road safety and spending with California in 49th which was preceded by Hawaii, Washington, Louisiana and New York respectively.

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Politics

AOC raises a ruckus over two Florida Democrats in Congressional races use her material without permission

Published

34 minutes ago

March 16, 2025

May Greene

Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee, David Hogg, warned Democratic candidates to back off using unauthorized material.

Two Florida Democrats with long-shot campaigns for U.S. Congressional seats are taking heat from a national leader of the party for the unauthorized use of material in their advertisements.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC in political pop culture, is the U.S. Representative for New York’s 14th Congressional District, is taking Gay Valimont and Josh Weil to task. Valimont is seeking Florida’s 1st Congressional District seat that was held by Matt Gaetz in the Panhandle until he resigned in November after President Donald Trump nominated Gaetz for U.S. Attorney General. Gaetz resigned his Congressional seat but then withdrew his name from the nomination after he had resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives.

Weil is running for Florida’s 6th U.S. Congressional District in and surrounding the Space Coast and as recent as Friday his Republican competitor Randy Fine called for his arrest because one of his campaign workers was distributing campaign flyers on a stolen bicycle. That congressional seat is up for a special election April 1 after Republican Michael Waltz vacated it to become National Security Advisor for Trump.

Ocasio-Cortez in a social media post on the X platform this weekend said neither Valimont or Weil had permission to take excerpts from the New York Democrat’s Instagram speech that lasted 92 minutes recorded in February. The two Florida Democrats were using Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagram address to raise funds for their campaigns in the Sunshine State.

“Fyi this is being run as an ad without my consent. I’m not personally involved in any races right now,” Ocasio-Cortez said in an X post dated Saturday.

David Hogg, the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee has gotten involved in the inner-party flap. Hogg, who is from Florida and one of the survivors of the school shooting in Parkland in 2018, said he has advised the Florida Democrats to back off.

“The campaign hasn’t been approving this type of content – it’s this consultant who’s running this without anyone’s consent,” Hogg said in an X post, adding he has sent a cease-and-desist order to the political fundraising consultants on the campaign.

Hogg singled out fundraising advisor Jackson McMillan for the unauthorized use of the the Ocasio-Cortez material.

“I’m done dealing with these a**holes and it’s time they start being called out. Everyone says f*** the consultants but won’t name names. Jackson is one of many,” Hogg said in his X post.

While Valimont is the up for the special election in April 1 for the vacant Gaetz seat, the favorite to win the seat is current Florida Chief Executive Officer Jimmy Patronis.

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Politics

Hospitality and culinary competition results in more than $1M in scholarships for Florida students

Published

2 hours ago

March 16, 2025

May Greene

Some 400 students from about 40 high schools from all over Florida this month competed in the ProStart Culinary Team Competition and the Hospitality & Tourism Management (HTM) competition that was organized by The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) Education Foundation.

While the competition was intense in the 24th annual event, it ended with the distribution in more than $1.6 million in scholarships to the students who received recognition for their efforts. The scholarships were offered from several institutions including the Culinary Institute of America, Culinary Institute of Virginia, Florida International University, Keiser University, Nicholls State University, University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality and Hillsborough Culinary Academies at Erwin Technical College.

“We are incredibly proud of the talent and dedication shown by these students during the 24th annual ProStart and HTM events,” said Laura Rumer, director of the FRLA Educational Foundation. “These competitions highlight their skills and passion for the industry. It’s inspiring to see so many receive scholarships and recognition for their hard work. Congratulations to all the winners, and we look forward to seeing them represent Florida at the national ProStart Invitational in Washington, D.C. this May.”

The overall winners for culinary competitions were Martin County High School from Stuart finishing first. Strawberry Crest High School from Dover came in second with Wekiva High School from Apopka coming in third. South Lake High School from Groveland and Fort Pierce Central High School tied for fourth and there was a tie for fifth between George Jenkins High School from Lakeland and Lyman High School from Longwood.

There were also awards issued for culinary, hospitality management, edible centerpiece, waiters relay competitions.

The overall winners for hospitality included Stoneman Douglas High School from Parkland finishing first, Colonial High School from Orlando in second and Osceola High School from Kissimmee.

Other honors for hospitality also included hotel operations, hospitality project and a knowledge bowl.

“As the state’s top industry, hospitality is at the heart of Florida’s economy, and these high school students are its future,” said Carol Dover, president and CEO of the FRLA. “We are thrilled to support their growth through programs like ProStart and HTM, which provide them with the skills and opportunities needed to succeed in this dynamic field. With the largest ProStart program nationwide and the unique distinction of being the only state to host a statewide HTM contest, we remain committed to nurturing the next generation of industry leaders.”

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Politics

Florida land purchase trends showed uptick in large tract transactions in 2024

Published

4 hours ago

March 16, 2025

May Greene

While Florida’s land market may be in a state of transition, large-acreage and institutional land transactions are rising to the fore.

Sanders Real Estate brokerage firm conducted its “Lay of the Land 2024 Florida Market Report” and found more than 72,000 acres of agricultural land was sold and transitioned into residential, solar and commercial development in 2024. The analysis found there were some concerning issues in the trend last year.

“This transformation highlights both the state’s economic growth and rising land values, but it also raises concerns about the pressures on agricultural land. Farmers are facing challenges from rising costs and diminishing land availability, further complicated by the decline of industries such as citrus,” the report concluded.

“As Florida’s land market continues to evolve, the need for effective conservation strategies, including investment in conservation easements, has never been more urgent to ensure the preservation of the state’s agricultural heritage.”

The report followed land values in the Sunshine State since 2013 and found the continuing population growth keeps Florida as one of the nation’s top destinations for land purchases as 2025 plays out.

“Despite a slight dip in overall transaction volume, Florida’s land market remains competitive, driven by large-acreage deals and institutional investments,” said Dean Saunders, founder, managing director, and senior advisor of Saunders Real Estate. “While smaller investors pulled back due to rising interest rates and uncertainty, major players have leaned in, consolidating land and focusing on large-scale acquisitions. However, Florida’s economic growth and rising land values have placed additional pressure on agricultural operations, with higher costs and shrinking land availability.”

According to the report, ranch and recreational land continues to be purchased in the state but the market for tracts in the 50-to-500-acre range cooled. However, tracts in excess of 500 acres ramped up more interest from buyers.

Farmland purchases remain solid as well, with the average size of farmland transaction last year was 397.64 acres. The average price per acre was $10,403.56.

The amount of transactions on citrus land doubled in 2024 over 2023. There were 128 citrus land purchases in 2023 with most of those taking place in Polk and Hardee counties with 34 in Polk and 27 in Hardee. “These numbers indicate the growing interest for citrus acreage in these areas, likely driven by shifting land use trends and demand for agricultural properties,” the report stated.

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