The Economic Perspective 2/27/2026
- Feb 27
- 4 min read
The Latest Trending Economic, Environmental and Infrastructure News Curated for You by The Balmoral Group
The Balmoral Group provides practical, professional and precise Economics, Data Analytics, and Engineering Consulting services and is part of a globally integrated team.
Happy Friday!
Hello and welcome back readers, to another Economic Perspective! This past Tuesday, TBG Economists Cortney Cortez and Madison Drewry attended the Indian River County Board of County Commissioner's Meeting where Cortney presented the results of the updated Indian River Lagoon Economic Valuation. The presentation highlighted ecosystem services that provide benefits to surrounding natural and urban areas.
Articles this week touch on a variety of topics, from the recent Florida winter storm impacts on the state's agriculture sector to uncovering the hidden driver behind construction start increases in January! Our featured data visualization of the week covers water use restrictions in Florida due to the extreme drought conditions.
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Lake Poinsett Restoration Continues with Vegetation Project
Native eelgrass will be planted in Lake Poinsett in Brevard County, Florida, in an effort to further the restoration initiatives taking place in the lake as well as several other St. Johns River waterbodies. The natural lake is 4,334 acres, with four of those acres slated for eelgrass planting within a temporary enclosure on the lake bottom. The planted eelgrass will not only provide food and enhance the lake’s fish and wildlife habitats, but also improve water quality and recreational opportunities such as hunting and fishing in the area. Public access points will remain open, with signage directing people to be aware of the planting site. Read more here.
FL Agriculture Facing Billions in Winter Storm Losses
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) released preliminary estimates of agricultural losses contributed to recent freezing weather in the state, totaling over $3 billion across sectors. The winter storms, Ezra and Gianna, caused immediate harm to crops during the freezes in addition to being responsible for the subsequent stress on the crops that the low temperatures brought. The sugarcane sector is estimated to have the greatest losses so far, at over $1.1 billion, comprising a third of overall losses. Citrus is estimated second at nearly $7 million. You can read the full report here and read the article here.
Construction Start Increases Bolstered by Nonbuilding Surges
Dodge Construction Network estimates that total construction starts across the country showed an expansion of 0.7% in January, although the growth was not evenly distributed. Utility projects in the nonbuilding category grew 184.8% and were the main drivers of the overall increase, as without this surge, the number would be negative. The largest projects totaled nearly $20 billion combined, and included the Port Arthur LNG in Texas, Homer City Energy Campus in Pennsylvania, and the Tehuacana Creek Solar and Battery Storage Project in Texas. Nonresidential and residential starts, conversely, fell by over a combined 20%. These most recent estimates from January mirror the greater year-over-year trends from January 2025 with total construction starts up, but nonbuilding the only category showing growth. Read more here.
WDFW Developing Species Recovery Plans with Public Input
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking feedback to help guide the development of recovery plans for 11 species that are designated either endangered, threated, or sensitive in the state. They are seeking insights on their habitat conditions, demographics, threats, and existing conservation efforts from universities, researchers, naturalists, and anyone else who might have relevant information. They hope to inform future conservation and recovery initiatives with the information they gather, incorporating a range of backgrounds, experiences and data in their development. You can read more here, and if you have any comments or information to share, you can follow the link in the article to send them an email.
Court Releases Federal Funds for Hudson River Tunnel Project
Recently TBG covered the Hudson River Tunnel Project and federal funding issues that had threatened to stall the project, however, a federal court just released grant funding for the $16 billion project last week. The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) previously halted work on the project on Feb 6th after Federal reimbursements were paused on October 1st due to rule changes with the United States Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program and funding drying up. GDC is working with contractors on the project to quickly get these funds dispersed so that construction may continue. Letters were sent on Feb 18th and construction should resume this week. Read more here.
WSU Engineers Developing New Agriculture Tech
Washington State University (WSU) engineers are currently developing a new method of reducing fruit waste in apple orchards with the help of a robotic arm. The flexible arm is comprised of pliable fabric and a claw that extends, grabs the apple, and retracts in about 25 seconds. They are hoping this new technology will help bridge the gap between supply and demand of orchard workers amidst changing immigration policies and an aging workforce that are contributing to shortages. You can see the research here, and the article here. (Image source: OPB, photo by WSU).
Data Visualization of the Week
Drought Conditions in Florida Lead to Restrictions
Over the last two weeks, Florida has been facing an extreme drought in upper and middle regions of the state. Volusia County is the latest to join the list of counties that are enacting burn bans due to two-thirds of the state being in an extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The image below showcases counties where restrictions are in place from various Florida Water Management Districts, with regions in yellow showing water shortage status, calling for voluntary water use restrictions. Read more here, and here. (Image source: St. Johns River Water Management District).
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