Good Morning! On this day in 1997, the last original Florida Marlins baseball player, Jeff Conine, was traded to the Kansas City Royals. The franchise began play as an expansion team in the 1993 season.
Florida cities dominate U.S. News’ annual Best Places to Retire list, now based on factors including happiness. Read more in our third Top Story.
Later today, we’ll be sending you a special message featuring our sponsor, American Hartford Gold, and their strategies to help safeguard your savings. We hope you’ll find their insights valuable and timely.
Today’s edition is sponsored by Mode Mobile, last year’s fastest-growing software company. Don’t miss their investing opportunity!
Daytona Beach 🌦️ 77/54° | Ft. Myers ⚡ 79/62° | Jacksonville 🌦️ 76/50° | Key West 🌦️ 82/74° | Miami 🌥️ 83/68° | Ocala 🌤️ 80/49° | Orlando 🌦️ 78/56° | Pensacola 🌤️ 76/45° | Port St. Lucie 🌦️ 79/63° | Tallahassee 🌤️ 77/45° | Tampa 🌦️ 80/57°
DeSantis To Pick Rubio Replacement in January
Gov. Ron DeSantis, freshly returned from a trade mission to Italy, said he is weeks away from choosing who will fill the U.S. Senate vacancy left by Sen. Marco Rubio. Rubio was tapped to serve as President-elect Donald Trump’s Secretary of State.
Influential Trump supporters are urging DeSantis to appoint the President-elect’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to the position. The governor, though, said, “More extensive vetting and candidate interviews will be conducted over the next few weeks,” with a selection likely made by the beginning of January.
Gov. DeSantis described some of the qualities and policy priorities he is looking for in a replacement, including someone who is “strong on immigration and border security, will take on the entrenched bureaucracy and administrative state, and reverse the nation’s fiscal decline.”
Report: Consumer Prices to Remain High
According to a new study by Florida Atlantic University, prices for general goods are expected to remain high despite the overall inflation rate consistently dropping over the past year.
The Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCE), the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, was at 2.1% in September, signaling stabilization. However, researchers caution that price tags on goods are unlikely to drop.
Experts from the study note that while the Federal Reserve’s decreasing interest rates could slow future price increases and help ease inflation, prices have been permanently elevated by the “unexpected burst of inflation.”
Florida Cities Dominate ‘Best Places to Retire’ List
Three Florida cities were named in the top 10 of U.S. News & World Report’s “2025 Best Places to Retire” list, with seven earning spots in the top 20. Indiana and North Carolina were the only other states with more than one top-20 city.
Naples claimed the No. 1 spot, boasting a range of activities in a laid-back setting. Jacksonville (No. 7) was chosen for its culturally and aesthetically diverse neighborhoods. You can see the full list here.
Sarasota, which ranked No. 1 in 2020 and 2021, returned to the top five this year, placing fourth behind Naples, Virginia Beach, and New York City.
A new methodology emphasizing “happiness” over “affordability” led to significant changes in the rankings, displacing Pennsylvania towns that had dominated the list for the past three years.
Mode’s disruptive $martphone, has already helped consumers earn and save $325M+ through simple, everyday use. That led to 32,481% revenue growth between 2019 and 2022 and presence in 170+ countries. But with a market worth over $1 trillion and partnerships with Walmart and Best Buy, Mode’s not stopping there. In fact, they’re quickly proving that award-winning growth was anything but a flash in the pan.
Mode’s most recent financials showed further revenue growth of 62% and a 91% increase in gross profits compared to last year. This is a company that’s disrupting an industry led by giants, and they’ve just secured the perfect Nasdaq ticker for their growing brand: $MODE.1
➤Miami-Dade County: Commissioners will vote on a resolution to eliminate single-use plastics and Styrofoam at county-owned venues, including Miami International Airport, PortMiami, county office buildings, and public parks. (See Details)
➤ Pasco County: Wesley Chapel’s Veterans Elementary School has revoked its support agreement with the Parent-Teacher Association, which faces dissolution over unspent funds. (More)
➤Port Charlotte: The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Border Patrol arrested eight undocumented immigrants after raiding a home in search of Jorge Pineda, wanted for assaulting a Border Patrol agent. (More)
➤Vero Beach:Kelley’s Irish Pub, a staple in the community for 34 years, is set to close this week. Owner Donna Cronin estimates she has invested over $300,000 since she purchased the restaurant in 2019. (See Photos)
➤West Palm Beach: Construction will begin in March on several new businesses coming to CityPlace in 2025, including a new hospital, the Alo clothing story, Moxie’s Restaurant, Crate and Barrel, and Equinox fitness club. (See Video)
➤Polk County: $21 million in federal funding will help conserve land in Peace River Valley through easements, preventing its conversion into subdivisions or shopping centers. (See Photo)
➤ Miami moved up one spot to No. 8 in this week’s College Football Playoff Rankings in spite of having a bye week. (See Rankings)
➤ The Tampa Bay Rays are trading their starting center fielder, Jose Siri, to the New York Mets in exchange for reliever Eric Orze. (More)
➤The Orlando Magic defeated the Phoenix Suns 109-99 on Monday night, extending their winning streak to six games by holding their opponent under 100 points for the seventh time this season. (More)
➤ The Miami Marlins officially introduced Clayton McCullough as the team’s new manager on Monday. (More)
➤ Want to kill 99% of airborne germs in any room? Purifair acts like an invisible barrier that quickly eliminates dangerous pathogens from your air. (Watch it Work)
➤ Boeing’s consideration of whether to sell its space business, including the Vulcan rocket and Starliner spacecraft, is fueling speculation about the future of NASA and the Space Coast. (See Details)
➤ Fort Myers-based Hoffmann Media Group, owned by Naples businessman and philanthropist David Hoffmann, recently acquired $14 million in shares of two publicly traded newspaper companies. (More)
➤ Tampa-based Metro Development Group, the master developer of the Seaire community, broke ground on Florida’s fifth manmade lagoon last week in Manatee County. (See Photos)
Today’s fastest-growing software company might surprise you
🚨Heads up! It’s not the publicly traded tech giant you might expect… Meet $MODE, the disruptor turning phones into potential income generators. Investors are buzzing about the company’s pre-IPO offering.1
Their flagship product, EarnPhone has already helped consumers earn and save 325M+.
Disclaimers 1 Mode Mobile recently received their ticker reservation with Nasdaq ($MODE), indicating an intent to IPO in the next 24 months. An intent to IPO is no guarantee that an actual IPO will occur. 2 The rankings are based on submitted applications and public company database research, with winners selected based on their fiscal-year revenue growth percentage over a three-year period. 3 A minimum investment of $1,950 is required to receive bonus shares. 100% bonus shares are offered on investments of $9,950+.
➤ Florida festival season has officially begun, with local businesses and organizations taking advantage of the cooler weather to attract new and returning customers. (More)
➤ A new studyby Florida Atlantic University researchers reveals that alcohol-related deaths nationwide more than doubled between 1999 to 2020. The largest increase—a 400% rise over two decades—was among individuals aged 25-34, though deaths rose across all demographics. (See Study)
➤ The Tampa Bay Rays released images late Monday showing extensive damage to Tropicana Field caused by Hurricane Milton, just hours ahead of a Tuesday night commission meeting to discuss the stadium’s future. (See Photos)
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Do you have a favorite Florida festival you attend?
