economy

Cuba's deepening economic crisis is pushing struggling families into hunger and forcing them to rely on donations and the black market. One Havana mother says she sometimes has no lunch for herself and her daughters, as fuel shortages, daily blackouts and cuts to rationed food impact families across the island.

Cheaper fares for rides between Brightline stations in South Florida helped boost ticket sales in February. The train’s longer distance service was able to charge more than a year ago and still attract more passengers. It needs more of that as it races to meet its debt obligations.

The next president of the regional Federal Reserve Bank will be voting on interest rates next year. That’s just the highest profile task for the job that’s based in Atlanta but watches over the economy across parts of six states, including all of Florida.

The U.S. and Cuba have been at odds — economically and sometimes militarily — since the Cuban revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1959. But the current crisis is among the most difficult Cuba has faced since then.

Citrus groves are shrinking from disease, disasters and real estate development. The orange harvest is in a 30-year decline. Growers are using anti-bacterial injections and screenhouses to fight citrus greening as they look to diversify. For the farmer running a family-owned operation, it also feels like the end of an era. “People like myself, I'm almost 60, we're retiring or dying, and that knowledge is being lost with us,” said owner Steve Crump.

Condominium sales increased in February as prices and mortgage rates fell. $1 million-plus sales also buoyed the market before the war-induced uncertainty sent borrowing rates up.

Broward County-based Spirit Airlines has a deal with most of its lenders to emerge from its second bankruptcy in less than a year. It pins its hopes on flying fewer planes to return to operating profitability in 2027.

Drivers have experienced historic sticker shock as they've filled up their tanks since the U.S. and Israel began military action against Iran. Floridians have paid higher prices in the past, but rarely have experienced such sudden price hikes. The same goes for gas station owners.

Brightline's ridership has been growing, but its financial health has been deteriorating as it has had a tough time raising fares. One credit ratings agency now expects it will have to restructure its outstanding debt sooner than expected just a few months ago.

Cuba is grappling with a fast-growing wave of synthetic drug use that is hitting young people hard. The Associated Press visited Havana's psychiatric hospital and saw men struggling to stay clean, vowing for the sake of their loved ones to rid their bodies of toxins in the next 24 hours.

David Zambrana becomes the CEO of one of the largest public health systems in the country. He sees Jackson Health expanding its footprint well beyond its traditional hospital services.

South Floridians are not paying record prices for gasoline, but the cost of a fill up has risen 25% in less than a month. That sharp jump may dent consumer spending and help send mortgage rates up.