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Wednesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Lawmakers look to bring budget in for landing
A pair of Embraer Phenom 300E executive jets to transport Florida leaders, more money for nursing homes and base pay raises of 5.38 percent for state workers were among budget agreements announced Tuesday as the clock ticked down on ending the 2022 legislative session on time. House Appropriations Chairman Jay Trumbull, R-Panama City, and Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, reached agreement on several areas of the budget, including cybersecurity, transportation, health care, and civil and criminal justice. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Florida Trend Exclusive
Florida Icon: Rita Case
"How does a woman end up breaking the ceiling of a man's industry and get to be the largest privately-owned retail automobile dealership group in the United States owned and operated by a woman? She built the business every step of the way," says Rita Case, CEO/President, Rick Case Automotive Group. She tells us: "My goal in high school that I told my dad: I’m going to prove a woman can be a successful car dealer." [Source: Florida Trend]
‘A job incomplete’: Florida’s statewide climate change response ignores root cause
Despite years of warnings from top scientists around the world, Florida’s plan to address climate change only involves spending money to adapt to rising seas instead of cutting the emissions that cause them. In fact, the state has passed bills that work against those goals. “You can’t do one without the other. When you do one without the other, it kind of negates the impact. It’s a job incomplete,” said Jonathan Webber, deputy director of environmental advocacy group Florida Conservation Voters. [Source: Miami Herald]
Column: Florida dairy farms need a policy update
As they have been for generations, dairy farms are an important part of Florida’s fabric. And as always, dairy farms overwhelmingly are family businesses — 95 percent of U.S. dairies, in fact, are family-owned and operated, according to USDA statistics. But what a dairy farm is also has been changing. The average size of a U.S. dairy farm has risen from less than 130 cows 20 years ago to more than 300 cows today. In Florida, family dairy farms are even bigger — while 150-cow operations still exist in Florida, the average Florida dairy has more than 1,300 cows. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
‘Grim reaper' enters race for Attorney General
Democrat Daniel Uhlfelder, a Northwest Florida lawyer who drew national attention for dressing as the Grim Reaper as he criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis’ handling of the coronavirus pandemic, announced Tuesday he is running to try to unseat Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody. A two-minute video released by Uhlfelder’s campaign on Twitter kicked off with the Santa Rosa Beach attorney scrolling on his cell phone while watching himself on cable news as he traversed state beaches in the Grim Reaper garb to call attention to DeSantis’ refusal to close beaches and order other restrictions as COVID-19 cases and deaths began to escalate in Florida. [Source: News Service of Florida]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Ban on cash-free businesses comes up short
A measure barring many brick-and-mortar businesses in Florida from refusing cash payments is dead after going ignored for months in both chambers of the Legislature. Neither the Senate version of the bill (SB 408) filed Oct. 6 by Democratic West Park Sen. Shevrin Jones nor its House twin (HB 233) that Wellington Democratic Rep. Matt Willhite filed the same day saw a single hearing.
› Some residents allowed to go home as Florida wildfires grow
Hundreds of residents forced to evacuate as blazes in the Florida Panhandle threatened their homes have been allowed to return to their homes, even as three wildfires in the region have grown to more than 29,000 acres (11,735 hectares). Over the weekend, 1,100 residents were evacuated from homes in Bay County, Florida.
› Miami restaurant chain plans to house and employ 50 refugees from Ukraine
A local chain of Argentine steakhouses has committed to helping 50 refugee families from the Ukraine, pledging to house them, provide transportation and hire them as part of an aid program announced Tuesday. Speaking from the Brickell location of Baires Grill, managers stood by Mayor Francis Suarez and commissioners Ken Russell and Manolo Reyes to announce the initiative.
› New Name, Who Dis? Port Manatee rebrands after record year
A local port is embracing a new identity after a record year of growth. What was once known as Port Manatee will further be recognized as SeaPort Manatee, a decision that was announced at last month’s meeting. “Over the course of more than half a century, Manatee County’s seaport has enjoyed vibrant growth and vast diversification, proficiently moving record cargo volumes while significantly enhancing infrastructure,” says Reggie Bellamy, chair of the Manatee County Port Authority.
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