Florida
Inside a new disaster-proof neighborhood in Florida, where million-dollar off-grid homes already survived two hurricanes and residents pay no electric bills
One solution, said real-estate developer Marshall Gobuty, is to build more resilient homes.
“People say they build to code, and my answer is ‘Great,’” he told Business Insider. “Building over code and doing things that haven’t been done — that’s something to be proud of.”
Enter Hunters Point. An 86-unit community in Cortez, Florida, a hour south of Tampa, created by Gobuty’s company, Pearl Homes. Residents first moved into the net-zero single-family homes in 2022, and they have withstood two hurricanes so far while also producing more energy than they consume.
Recently, the carrier Hunters Point used for builders insurance said they weren’t writing any new policies, but Gobuty and his team were able to find coverage by showing details of the homes’ construction— like ground-floor flood vents that drain water and full-home metal strappings that tie the property together as one unit — that Gobuty believes made them change their mind.
“They’re covering us because the way we built our homes,” he told BI.
That’s significant as major insurers have recently fled Florida over the increased risk. Since 2022, a dozen insurance companies have claimed insolvency, stopped issuing new policies, or withdrawn from the state entirely. The state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is now the top underwriter as private companies leave.
Take a look at the ground-breaking Hunters Point development.
Florida
Florida-Tulane free livestream: How to watch Gasparilla Bowl, TV, schedule
The Florida Gators play against the Tulane Green Wave in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. The matchup will begin at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN 2. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.
The Gators enter this matchup with a 7-5 record, and they have played well recently. The team has won three consecutive games, including two victories against ranked opponents.
In their most recent game, the Gators defeated Florida State 31-11. During the victory, Florida accrued 368 total yards. The team rushed for 235 yards and averaged more than six yards per carry.
The Florida defense also played well against Florida State, forcing five turnovers.
The Green Wave enter this matchup with a 9-4 record, but they have lost back-to-back games. In their most recent game, the Green Wave lost 35-14 against Army.
During the loss, Tulane struggled defensively. The team allowed 335 rushing yards and conceded nearly six yards per carry.
Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.
Florida
How to Watch: Louisville Cardinals at Florida State Seminoles
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A week removed from falling to Kentucky in the Battle of the Bluegrass, the Louisville men’s basketball program is back in action, traveling to Florida State for their first road game in ACC play.
While the Cardinals might have lost to their most hated rival in their last time out, they certainly gave the Wildcats a run for their money. Despite having only eight healthy scholarship players, Louisville kept within striking distance of Kentucky for the majority of the game before ultimately falling 93-85 in Rupp Arena.
As for the Seminoles, year 23 under head coach Leonard Hamilton is off to a solid start. While FSU is currently six games over .500 and heading into their matchup with Louisville on a two-game win streak, they’re 0-3 against teams ranked in KenPom’s top-100, including an 84-74 overtime loss at NC State.
This will be the 54th all-time meeting between Louisville and Florida State, with the Cardinals owning a 35-18 advantage. UofL won 101-92 back on Feb. 3, 2024 in the last matchup, snapping a seven-game losing streak to the Seminoles.
(Photo of Terrence Edwards Jr.: Jordan Prather – Imagn Images)
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Florida
More South Florida school zones will be getting speed cameras – how it's been going
If you don’t look carefully, you could easily miss the cameras set up outside schools. They, however, are watching you, and if you’re going at least 10 miles over the speed limit, you will receive a $100 surprise in the mail.
“If you don’t want to get one of those violations just stay within the speed limit, very simple,” said Village of Pinecrest Police Chief Jason Cohen.
Pinecrest and South Miami were the first cities in South Florida to take advantage of a new state law allowing automated cameras to catch speeders in school zones. Since their systems went online in October, they’ve sent out about 7,400 citations in South Miami and about 5,800 in Pinecrest.
“It’s too early to say from the data on the overall impact it’s going to have around the schools, but we believe it’s going to change peoples’ driving patterns, that they’re going to be cognizant that they’re near a school and they’re going to automatically slow down, that’s the goal,” Cohen said.
Diane Gilmore has been a security monitor for decades at Palmetto Senior High School. She said she sees speeders fly past the school all the time as students are trying to cross the street, and she’s glad the cameras have been installed.
“I think they did a good idea because a lot of times, they be going across the street, these cars don’t respect us at all, they come fast and I say it ain’t careful, somebody gonna end up getting killed,” Gilmore said.
Students spilling out of school seem to appreciate the cameras.
“I think it’s good, ‘cause it controls the drivers so the drivers don’t speed and especially in a school zone,” said Nicholas Henriquez, a senior at Palmetto who drives to school.
Not everyone agrees. Christian Gutierrez picks up a student regularly and he’s not impressed with the cameras’ impact.
“Even speedbumps, I feel like, stops speeding,” Gutierrez said. “More than the cameras, yeah, for sure.”
The school zone cameras operate only on school days, starting a half hour before school starts and ending a half hour after school ends, no matter what the speed limit is during those hours. The police departments make $39 for each citation issued.
“But I think it’s important to highlight that the funds coming in have to be used for public safety,” Chief Cohen said. “Anything that can help make our city safer, especially around the children and the schools, we looked at it as a win.”
Soon, police departments in Miami Gardens, West Miami, Davie and Plantation will be starting up their own school zone camera systems. Miami-Dade Police have also installed cameras outside eleven schools with many more to follow. Cohen predicts almost all South Florida police departments will join the trend.
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