5A – Identifying Local Opportunities

5A – Identifying Local Opportunities

1

a) “Surge, wind, rain, floods: Hurricane Florence cloud hit hard”

b) https://www.gainesville.com/news/20180911/surge-wind-rain-floods-hurricane-florence-could-hit-hard

c) Hurricane Florence is building up to be quite the storm.  Local, State, and Federal agencies are bracing to poise for the ensuing damage Florence would bring.  Florence is likely going to be the worst hurricane since Hazel in 1954. South Carolina has predicted approximately one million people will evacuate.

d) The hurricane is set to destroy thousands of buildings and potentially damage six nuclear power plants and open agricultural waste facilities.

e) The various governmental levels and entities will have the issue of how to solve various logistical issues for conducting a speedy cleanup.  Many citizens will almost certainly have property damage, some of which will likely be severe or even total.  Contractors and suppliers will need to finagle resources into the area through likely clogged and damaged highway systems.

2

a)    Florida’s University System Looking for a Funding Boost

b)    https://www.gainesville.com/news/20180911/floridas-university-system-looks-for-funding-boost

c)   Summary: The state government of Florida is considering significantly increasing state funding for all 6 state colleges.  The proposed budget may increase funding for research, specifically relating to data analysis and the technology departments.  The changes may also increase Pell grant funding as well as other related programs, resulting in higher college attendance of individuals from low-income backgrounds. Lastly, the proposed changes may result in various construction projects.  Much of the allocation decisions will be based upon a multi-faceted ranking process to determine how much funding each school gets.

d)  Problem: This project will affect the Florida budget and, by necessity, will take money from other state-funded projects and issues.  One effect may be a continued lack of funding for the public school systems by simple supply and demand.  This proposal to increase the state budget for state schools and universities may also result in a larger budget deficit (source). 

e)   Who has the problem: Taxpayers may experience higher taxes? Businesses may have added incentive to donate to universities that offer perks for donating, such as the University of Florida.  This may result in a greater inequality of funding that is biased towards universities and schools with more to offer.  Of course, this is only increasing economies of scale at play and I am not against it.  However, it is something to think about since the allocation of funding is partly due to the accomplishments of each school.

3

a) From book to boom: how the Mormons plan a city for 500,000 in Florida

b) https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jan/30/from-book-to-boom-how-the-mormons-plan-a-city-for-500000-in-florida

c) Summary: The Mormon church has owned vast properties across the U.S. for decades.  More recently, it has become one of the biggest private land-holders in the state of Florida after purchasing thousands of acres from Gulf Paper, headquartered in Port St. Joe, Florida.  The official Mormon subsidiary that made the purchase is called Deseret Cattle and Citrus Co.  They are converting what is and were vast tracts of timber into pasture for cattle. Conversely, the Mormon church also intends to convert it’s immense cattle and citrus land in Central Florida into a city with a population of roughly 500,000. The two projects compliment one another because the Mormon church believes it can feed the new city, projected to be erected by 2080, with the converted land in Northwest Florida.

d) Problem: Many environmentalists are concerned the Central Florida project will further jeopardize already the resource-scare environment. Central and South Florida already experience issues related to lack of water coupled with a lack of wetlands to handle water runoff and flooding.  Additionally, such a loss of agricultural production in the area could result in greater pollution and severe loss of wildlife habitat. 

f)    Who has the problem: Floridians will face the brunt of the issues.  Future generations could bear some much of the burden.  A rebuttal may be that population will grow regardless of the new construction.  However, the current green belt status of the land prevents such construction until it is either sold or transformed.

4

a) UF Rises to 8^thin US News and World Report rankings

b) https://www.gainesville.com/sports/20180910/uf-rises-to-8th-in-us-news-amp-world-report-rankings

c) Summary: The University of Florida has risen to the claim the 8^thspot in the national public university rankings.  UF also claimed the 35^thspot, up from 42^nd, in the comprehensive national ranking.

d) Problem: President Fuchs has shared his goal as president is to achieve 5^thin the nation for public universities over his five year tenure.  There will undoubtedly be growing pains associated with this amount of progress.  My question is will UF be able to physically grow to accommodate its new ranking and therefore clientele?  Just weeks ago an important administrative building flooded, compounding the already substantial tardiness of the school’s financial aid and admission duties.  I imagine there will be significant structural and electronic upgrades made in the next several years, which will offer incredible opportunities for engineering, construction, and electrical contractors.

e) Who has the problem: The University of Florida will likely face new challenges amidst its impressive growth if it plans to keep pace with the competition and move up, yet again, to the fifth position nationally.

5

a) [The] University of Florida smashes research awards record with $837.6 million in [the] fiscal year 2018

b) http://news.ufl.edu/articles/2018/07/university-of-florida-smashes-research-awards-record-with-8376-million-in-fiscal-year-2018.php

c) Summary: UF secured record-breaking funding during 2018 with a 16% increase in funding. The funds come from the federal, state, and organizational levels. According to UF, the funding will largely be aimed towards improving and increasing research. 

d) Problem: This funding will effect the demand for degrees at UF, therefore making it more difficult to get into the college. It may make it even more difficult for in-state applicants to compete with the greater number of students seeking enrollment from around the nation and world. Since the funding is aimed at research, colleges that are less research-based within UF will likely not received as much funding and therefore may not keep up with gains made in other UF programs and colleges that are.

e) Who has the problem: Potential students, especially in-state students with less prestigious or rigorous high-school backgrounds may experience much more difficulty being admitted to UF than they already do.