BOATING SAFETY There were 628 boating accidents reported in Florida’s waters last year, resulting in 59 deaths. People falling overboard continues to be the leading cause of fatality. Information about boating safety and regulations may be found here.
ORANGE AND GRAPEFRUIT PROJECTIONS Still struggling from 2017’s Hurricane Irma, the citrus industry is suffering further declines in production. Due to the citrus-greening disease, expansion of development into rural areas and changes in national juice drinking habits, the U.S. Department of Agriculture projects overall production of oranges, grapefruit and other specialty crops is off more than 10 percent from an initial forecast in October 2018.
NASCAR NASCAR announced a $2 billion merger agreement with the International Speedway Corporation in an effort to gain control of key racetracks, including the Daytona International Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. They expect to finalize their arrangement by year’s end.
ST. AUGUSTINE Southern Living Magazine has ranked St. Augustine as the number 1 “foodie” town in the south, according to their “The South’s Best Food Town 2019” issue.
STONE CRAB SEASON Stone crab season officially kicks off in October but there is concern that this year’s harvest may not be plentiful due to lingering effects from red tide in the Gulf. Last year’s season ended in February with low numbers.