South Florida cities tops for lowest travel-related taxes

For at least the second year in a row, Fort Lauderdale has grabbed first place among the top 50 destinations in the United States for the lowest combined travel-related taxes, according to a report released Monday. Chicago had the highest travel tax burden with $40.31 in combined single-day travel taxes, making it 81 percent more […]

Entrepreneur aims to restore Windjammer, Chalk’s and other Florida travel relics

Charles Kropke is on a quest to bring back paradise lost. Longing for the era of swashbuckling ships and island-hopping seaplanes, the 48-year-old entrepreneur has set his sights on bringing new life to the former Miami Beach-based Windjammer Barefoot Cruises, the iconic Chalk’s Ocean Airways and the historic, shuttered Belleview Biltmore Hotel on the Gulf […]

DEA inspects 6 Walgreens in oxycodone probe

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said on Friday it is inspecting six Walgreens pharmacies and its distribution center in Florida, after the agency noticed a jump in purchases of the highly addictive pain killer oxycodone. The DEA issued inspection warrants on Wednesday to Walgreens’ distribution center in Jupiter and to stores in Hudson, Port Richey, […]

Fort Lauderdale hosts first high-rise certified by the Florida Green Building Coalition

The first residential high-rise certified eco-friendly by the Florida Green Building Coalition is now home to low-income renters in Fort Lauderdale. Green and affordable rentals? There’s no contradiction, say developers from the nonprofit Reliance Housing Foundation of Asheville, N.C., who joined with the Broward County Housing Authority, Facchina Construction and green-building advisers Trifecta Construction Solutions […]

Affordable fares keep Fort Lauderdale a top Spring Break destination

Fort Lauderdale may no longer be the Spring Break mecca for college students it was in the 1980s, but the destination is still wooing travelers during the peak March-to-April travel season. Fort Lauderdale recently ranked No. 4 among the 10 most desired Spring Break destinations, behind Orlando, Las Vegas and New York, in a review […]