The University of Florida would get about $2.5 million to study the effectiveness of medical marijuana under a bill that cleared the House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee Tuesday.
HB 3159 by Cape Coral Republican Rep. Dane Eagle is aimed at the compassionate use bill lawmakers approved in 2014, which legalized low-THC, high-cannabidiol marijuana for the treatment of some diseases, such as epilepsy in children.
A similar, $1 million UF study was approved by the legislature back in 2015, with that money heading to a pediatric neurology lab.
Eagle’s budget request form for the bill lists UF Pharmacy professor Almut Winterstein as the

After three months of positive gains, consumer sentiment among Floridians fell 3.3 points in February to 94.0, according to the latest University of Florida consumer survey.
The pattern in Florida is similar to consumer sentiment at the national level, which also dropped 2.2 points in February to 96.3 from January’s record 98.5 according to the University of Michigan’s survey of consumers.
“While readings about current economic conditions increased slightly, expectations for the future decreased sharply among Floridians in February,” said Hector Sandoval, director of the Economic Analysis Program at UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research.
Floridians’ perceptions of their personal financial

The House Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee OK’d eight member requests for state funds Wednesday, including programs boosting technical training for people not headed to college and a veterinary lab at the University of Florida.
As did chairmen of other budget panels reviewing member projects (see here and here), Larry Ahern of the higher ed panel warned members that their votes merely rendered the projects eligible for inclusion in the House version of the appropriations act.
It did not guarantee them a place in that bill.
“Let me be clear that a vote for a project today does not mean that project will

The black-robed justices who filed solemnly into a courtroom at the University of Florida law school Thursday morning were not the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, but they were announced as if they were.
“All persons having business before the Honorable, the Supreme Court of the United States, are admonished to draw near and give their attention, for the court is now sitting,” a bailiff boomed out as students, law professors and attorneys with Holland & Knight — the law firm that sponsored the event — stood respectfully.
But when Florida’s chief justice, Jorge Labarga, took a seat behind the

Consumer sentiment among Floridians in January ticked up another one-half point to 97.8 — the highest reading since March 2002 — from December’s record-breaking revised figure of 97.3, according to the latest University of Florida consumer survey.
Florida’s upward trend also tracks the national figures released last week by the University of Michigan, with the national consumer sentiment index at the highest level since February 2004.
Of the five components that make up the Florida index, three increased and two decreased.
Perceptions of one’s personal financial situation now compared with a year ago showed the greatest increase, rising 5.4 points from 82.8

Consumer sentiment among Floridians surged up 6.9 points in December to 97.2, according to the latest University of Florida consumer survey. This is the highest reading since March 2015 and the second-highest since February 2004—before the Great Recession of 2008.
All five of the components that make up the index increased.
Perceptions of one’s personal financial situation now compared with a year ago rose 1.4 points, from 81.5 to 82.9. Opinions as to whether now is a good time to buy a big-ticket item such as an appliance jumped 8.2 points, from 92.6 to 100.8, with a particularly sharp increase among

A recent Weather Channel documentary alleging Lake Okeechobee “pollution” drew a storm of controversy among Florida scientists, farmers – and at least one U.S. Congressman.
“Toxic Lake: The Untold Story of Lake Okeechobee,” an online video posted last week, gives what many call an extremely inaccurate and incomplete picture of the environmental circumstances surrounding Lake O. The nearly 11-minute video places much of the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of Florida’s sugar industry.
In the video, Weather Channel reporter Kait Parker claims she spent eight months researching the issue, concluding Lake O is “toxic” due to a “man-made calamity.” She then

New payroll data show that only eight women are among the top 100 highest-paid faculty members at the University of Florida.
The Independent Florida Alligator reports that the top woman earner at Florida earned $524,450 and the top male $984,759. Of the top 20 highest paid faculty, one is a woman.
Dr. Shahla Masood, a professor at the College of Medicine, is the fourth-highest paid female faculty member. She told the paper that several factors contribute, including that some female faculty members are fearful of speaking up and being ignored, criticized or retaliated against.
Florida State University in Tallahassee did better, boasting

Jacksonville’s TaxSlayer Bowl will announce its teams on Sunday. And there is a strong chance the matchup could have a Sunshine State feel.
The bowl will select one Atlantic Coast Conference team and one Southeastern Conference team.
The four ACC options: Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina and Virginia Tech.
The four SEC options: Kentucky, Auburn, Florida, and Arkansas.
Of those options, the most compelling matchup would be a rekindling of the Gators/Hurricanes rivalry, which was a perennial from 1938 to 1987, before the University of Florida backed down from being thrashed by the Miami juggernaut of the 1980s.
The rivalry went dark until 2001, and has been

The bad news is that a variety of bed bug not seen in Florida in 60 years is back. The good news is that the University of Florida is on the case.
Like its cousin the “common bedbug,” the tropical bed bug under investigation by UF researchers will drain your blood and your bank account. The difference is, the tropical bed bug can do it faster.
Doctoral candidate Brittany Campbell and her colleagues at UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences have taken to the peer-reviewed journals and any news organizations which will listen to spread the scary news about the

Airbnb scored a touchdown in Florida college towns this football season.
A new report from the home-sharing company showed the hundreds of Airbnb listings in Tallahassee and Gainesville “substantially increased the cities’ lodging capacity for football games,” allowing both communities to host more visitors during home games.
And a boost in lodging options means football travelers are more likely to stay for the whole weekend, driving up spending on foods, beverages and shopping.
According to the Airbnb report, Gainesville’s host community earned $362,000 in supplemental income when the Gators played at home. About 53 percent of the host community in Gator country

Consumer sentiment took an upward turn in September.
The latest University of Florida consumer survey found consumer sentiment among Floridians was up 2.8 points in September. The report found four of the five components increased in September, while on remained unchanged.
The report found perceptions about a person’s financial situation climbed 3.2 points from a year ago, up from 77.3 to 80.5; while opinions about whether to buy a big-ticket item are up 4.2 points. Those two components, researchers said, indicate Floridians of the economy improved in September.
Those increase are driven by Floridians over the age of 60, said Hector H.

Florida could grow to more than 33 million residents by 2070, and the percentage of the state that is developed could jump from less than 20 percent to 33 percent, according to a new study presented Wednesday.
Florida’s population would expand by 15 million people from 2010 to 2070 if growth trends continue, according to the study conducted by the University of Florida’s GeoPlan Center for the smart-growth advocacy group, 1000 Friends of Florida, and the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.
The number of acres of developed land would jump from 6.4 million to 11.6 million during that same

College students demonstrated it again in last week’s primary election: they don’t vote, at least not in primary elections.
As first reported by Orlando Sentinel columnist Beth Kassab over the weekend, University of Central Florida’s on-campus students gave a dismal turnout, 4.3 percent, the worst in Orange County.
Kassab noted even worse turnouts were seen among students at the University of Florida and Florida State University. Her conclusion was clear: it’s a statewide phenomenon.
It’s not just that the UCF on-campus Precinct 538 was the worst in Orange County. Nearby precincts 506, 537, and 435 also were among the worst, salted among a

Near the end of the latest televised dork parade billed as a “Republican Debate,” CNN’s Jake Tapper asked each candidate what her or his Secret Service code name should be.
“Secretariat,” whinnied Carly Fiorina.
“Humble,” hollered Donald Trump.
“Gator!” said Marco Rubio.
Sigh. Marcocito received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida after a year at the obscure (and now-defunct) Tarkio College in Missouri, and another year at community college. The miasma from the Swamp seems to have affected his brain.
So he gets on a sports radio show the other day, acting all football-studly, gratuitously dissing Florida State University as an institution