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The Point, May 3, 2022: For a city its size, Gainesville has a large number of minority-owned businesses

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The stories near you

• WUFT News: Gainesville’s number of minority businesses ranks high nationally, study suggests. "Gainesville ranks No. 2 in the state and No. 14 in the nation for the most minority businesses in a small metropolitan area, according to a new study by Smartest Dollar, a California-based consumer advocacy organization. Ocala ranked No. 9 among midsize cities in the study, with Tampa and Orlando coming in sixth and seventh, respectively, among large metropolitan areas. The study calculated the ratio of the minority businesses to the minority population in each city or area to rank them."

• WCJB: Alachua County Commissioners will consider four finalists to design the west lawn statue. "The Alachua County Arts Council got to work in January and have now narrowed down the 21 applicants to design the statue to four that county commissioners will vote on during their May 24 meeting."

• WUFT News: Two Gainesville fifth graders qualify for the Robotics World Championship. "In just six months, two fifth graders from Glen Springs Elementary Schooljoined their school’s robotics club and earned the right to compete at the VEX Robotics World Championship from May 10 to 12. Ivan 'Aki' Kory, 10, and Sophia von Meding, 10, joined their school’s robotics club last fall. Since joining, the duo has won awards for robot competitions at district and state level competitions, most recently qualifying in a couple categories to send them to Dallas, Texas, for the world competition."


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Around the state

• WJCT: DeSantis comes to Jacksonville to promise $30 million for struggling manatees. "The money would come through the state's proposed $112.1 billion budget for next year. The Legislature has not officially sent DeSantis the budget, but he expressed support for budget items aimed at helping manatees."

• WUSF: A new study shows the Piney Point spill likely made red tide worse. "The study published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin shows that about 180 metric tons of nitrogen poured into the bay from a leak at the phosphate plant. Those nutrients fueled the growth of algae called cyanobacteria. It essentially 'fed' red tide when it entered Tampa Bay from the Gulf several weeks later — killing millions of fish and marine life."

• Tallahassee Democrat ($): With North Florida congressional district gone, Black voters wonder: 'What happens to us?' "The congressional district, embroiled in 30 years of political and legal battles, has gone through as many twists and turns as the lines of its boundaries. The district containing Jacksonville was one of three minority-access districts drawn in 1992 that paved the way for Florida sending its first Black representatives to Congress in 117 years."

• Politico: ‘DeSantis seems unstoppable’: Florida Dems worry they can’t beat the governor. "The Democratic primary between Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.), Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, and state Sen. Annette Taddeo (D-Miami) is just four months away, but some operatives and the party faithful say they don’t believe any can realistically take on DeSantis. The perceived weak slate of candidates, combined with DeSantis’ brand of bully politics, has even led national donors to shy away from the state."

• WMFE: ‘Married to the Mouse’ author says DeSantis-Disney dispute likely to end in ‘therapy,’ not ‘divorce.’ "Retired Rollins College professor Richard Foglesong, author of 'Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando,' discussed the situation with WMFE."

• WFSU: Buying a house without having to buy the land makes makes home ownership more affordable. "The first house built as part of the Community Land Trust program in Tallahassee is nearly complete. All it needs now is a bit of landscaping. The program aims to help lower housing costs by building homes on land owned by the trust and selling them to low-income buyers."

• Bradenton Herald ($): ‘Dream house’ for sale in Florida captivates Zillow Gone Wild. Come see why. "A home for sale in Sarasota, Florida, for $899,000 is a little bit of a technicolor throwback on the inside, and a popular social media real estate page has taken a huge interest. The three-bedroom, one-bathroom residence has retro decor throughout its 1,268 square feet and was modeled after another building not far from it."


From NPR News

• Politics: Governors swiftly react to reports of leaked draft opinion of Roe v. Wade

• Science: Google honors the Black inventor who likely inspired the phrase 'the real McCoy'

• Politics: Preparing the election system for poll workers who think it's rigged

• Business: 4 things to know as the Fed embarks on its biggest fight against inflation in years

• Business: You can now ask Google to take your personal data out of its search results

About today's curator

I'm Ethan Magoc, a news editor at WUFT. Originally from Pennsylvania, I've found a home telling Florida stories. I’m part of a team searching each morning for local and state stories that are important to you; please send feedback about today's edition or ideas for stories we may have missed to emagoc@wuft.org.

Contact WUFT News by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news @wuft.org