FYI Miami: September 15, 2022

Below are some of the FYIs in this week’s edition. The entire content of this week’s FYIs and Insider sections is available by subscription only. To subscribe click here.

SISTER CITIES: Miami-Dade County has signed separate Sister Cities agreements with Curitiba, Brazil and Viareggio, Italy. Now the county and the partner cities can undertake programs that expand economic, cultural and educational opportunities; do trade and cultural missions; create programs that support tourism, trade, and innovation and other initiatives of mutual interest; and share best practices between the two governments, including smart city policies, urban planning, mobility and sustainable development. Brazil is the top trading partner for Miami-Dade with over $15 billion total trade in 2021, while Italy is one of the top 15 trading partners of the county with over $3 billion of trade in 2021, county documents show. The sister cities agreements were signed earlier this year but just placed on Tuesday’s Airports and Economic Development Committee agenda.

MINIMUM WAGE RISING: In the second increase under a 2020 constitutional amendment, Florida’s minimum wage will go to $11 an hour Sept. 30. The voter-approved amendment will gradually lead to a $15-an-hour minimum wage on Sept. 30, 2026, and inflation-linked increases after that. Under the measure, the minimum wage went to $10 an hour on Sept. 30, 2021, and will increase by $1 each Sept. 30 until 2026.

GRADUATION RATE RISING: Florida higher-education officials say the state university system’s four-year graduation rate is on pace to increase to 65% by 2025. The number of first-time-in-college students who graduated from the institution where they started has gradually increased over five years, according to a presentation to the university system’s Board of Governors on Tuesday. In 2021, 59% of those students graduated within four years, the data show. The four-year graduation rate for new students who don’t transfer has increased by 11 percentage points since 2017, when 48% of those students completed their coursework within four years. 

BOAT SAFETY RULE: New boating-safety course requirements approved by the state Legislature will go before the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission during a meeting Sept. 28 in Miami-Dade County. The commission is expected to consider a staff request to advertise proposed rule amendments that stem from a law signed June 20 that in part, requires operators of vessels used in the instruction of water sports or activities to wear links to engine cutoff switches. It also requires boating courses to address dangers related to passengers riding on areas not designed for seating; passengers falling overboard; boating near people in the water; starting vessels with engines in gear; and leaving vessels running when people are boarding or disembarking.