What was Thomas Edison's Nick name?
The answer will be on Friday.
What was Thomas Edison's Nick name?
The answer will be on Friday.
It's the law: Build a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee to curb disastrous discharges to the St. Lucie River.
Last week Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday signed Senate Bill 10, the legislation authorizing a significant increase in water stored south of Lake Okeechobee to further the goal of reducing and eventually eliminating harmful discharges from the lake.
The reservoir was Senate President Joe Negron's top priority during the Florida Legislature's session that ended Monday.
"After 20 years of talking, southern storage is finally becoming a reality," Negron, a Republican from Stuart, said Tuesday in a news release. "We are well on our way to putting the harmful discharges from Lake Okeechobee into the pages of history, instead of the front pages of daily newspapers."
The shovels aren't coming out right away: The legislation calls for the state and the Army Corps of Engineers to each pitch in $800 million to build the 78.2 billion-gallon reservoir. So Congress has to authorize it, and President Donald Trump has to add his signature, as well.
Smaller, deeper
The reservoir is two-thirds the size of the 117.3 billion-gallon project Negron originally sought, but farmers south of the lake and members of the state House of Representatives recoiled at his plan to buy 60,000 acres of farmland south of the lake.
The larger reservoir, combined with other water control projects already in the pipeline, was estimated to reduce annual average Lake O discharges east and west by about 90 percent. The smaller, deeper reservoir to be built on state-owned land, along with the other projects, is estimated to reduce discharges by up to 60 percent.
The project's size can be increased by possible land swaps and purchases. SB 10 prohibits the use of eminent domain. It also provides grants to establish training programs for agricultural workers.
"I look forward to the work ahead as we continue to work with Governor Scott and our federal partners to expedite the planning and construction of this critical project," Negron said in his statement. "Together, we will end the plague of toxic blue-green algae that harms the health of our citizens and destroys our environment and our economy, once and for all."
Timetable
After years of stops and starts, the bill puts the reservoir project on a speedy pace. By July 1, the South Florida Water Management District is supposed to ask the Corps to jointly develop what's known as a "post-authorization change report" to revise plans on the A-2 site where the reservoir is to be built.
If the Corps agrees, work on the report is supposed to start by Aug. 1. Congress has to approve the report by Dec. 1, 2019, or the A-2 parcel will revert to its earlier use and the state will have to look for another place to build the reservoir.
U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, a Palm City Republican, has said he'll introduce legislation Thursday he's calling the Everglades FIRST Act – it stands for Flow Increases Rely on Storage and Treatment – directing the to expedite work on reports needed for the reservoir and other projects to increase water storage around Lake O.
This article is from the Florida Association of Realtors.
Most Millennials plan to buy first home in next five years
More than four in five (80 percent) Millennials in the United States who don’t own a home intend to buy in the next five years, according to recent HSBC Group research.
HSBC Group’s Beyond the Bricks — an independent consumer research survey of 9,000 people in nine countries worldwide including 1,009 respondents in the U.S. — found that homeownership is a dream deferred but not dead for many Millennials around the world who name slow wage growth and housing price inflation as the greatest barriers to purchasing a home.
The report also reveals the need for better financial planning as another significant hurdle for Millennials.
According to David Gates, U.S. head of mortgage origination and sales for HSBC: “This study highlights that young people strongly value homeownership, yet there are significant challenges to making the dream a reality for Millennials around the world. The perfect storm of stagnating salaries and rising house prices, paired with the need for improved financial planning can make buying a home a deferred reality.”
Nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of Millennials are saving more money for a deposit and waiting to earn a higher salary before buying a property, the report finds.
Millennials face significant challenges when it comes to housing affordability. With an expected 1.9 percent increase in salary growth expected in 2017 and average property prices climbing by 4.8 percent last year, the dream of owning a home remains a challenge for many.
Of the 71 percent of Millennials who seek to both save and earn more money, 49 percent feel they are being held back because they cannot afford to buy the type of property that they would like.
More than half (57 percent) of Millennials who bought a home in the last two years ended up spending beyond their initial budget.
The report also finds that many Millennials do not have their house in order when it comes to financial planning for a home purchase. Among non-owners intending to buy a home in the next two years, nearly one in three (32 percent) have no overall budget in mind and a further 54 percent have only set an approximate budget. As a result, 57 percent of Millennials who bought a home in the last two years ended up overspending their budget.
On the other hand, the millennial generation is willing to consider making big sacrifices to afford a home. Among non-owners intending to buy, 55 percent would consider spending less on leisure and going out, 41 percent would consider buying a smaller than ideal place, and 27 percent would even be prepared to delay having children.
Financial support from parents can make a big difference when saving for a home, and 28 percent of Millennials who bought their own home turned to the “bank of Mom and Dad” as a source of funding.
HSBC research identifies four actions that Millennials can take to help make their homeownership dream a reality:
• Plan early and don’t underestimate the deposit.
• Budget beyond the purchase price to account for extra costs other than the home purchase.
• Consider what sacrifices you can make to save more and faster.
• Get a full view of your finances and find a home loan that suits your needs.
Millennials are defined as those born between 1981 and 1998. The findings are based on a survey of homeowners and non-owners aged 18 or older from a nationally representative online sample in eight countries and a nationally representative face-to-face sample in the UAE. The research was conducted by Kantar TNS in October and November 2016. ¦
Pack up your lawn chairs, coolers and blankets to enjoy Ice Age: Collision Course under the stars with your family and friends!
Manny the mammoth starts to worry when his daughter Peaches announces her engagement. Still unlucky in love, Sid the sloth volunteers to plan the couple’s wedding. To Manny’s dismay, nothing can stop the upcoming nuptials, except maybe the end of the world. When Scrat accidentally launches himself into outer space, he sets off a chain reaction that sends an asteroid hurtling toward Earth. Now, the entire herd must leave home to explore new lands and save itself from Scrat’s cosmic blunder.
The Outdoor Family Movie Night series concludes on March 10 with How To Train Your Dragon 2. Attendance is free, but a suggested $10 family donation helps the Alliance continue offering affordable family programming. Riverside Realty Group and Staging Matters our proud to be a sponsor of Family Movie Night