March 28, 2024

Wednesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 3/16/2022

Florida Gov. DeSantis Announces $289 Million in New Education Funding

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has announced another $289 million in funding for educational programs to help close achievement gaps, improve STEM education and boost student resiliency. The funding includes $105 million for after-school and summer learning camps to help struggling students catch up, $47 million for primary materials aligned to Florida's new standards for English, math, civics and Holocaust education, $50 million to support reading intervention and professional development for reading coaches, $44 million to support STEM and hands-on learning programs, $22.5 million for resources to help parents be more involved in their children's education, and $5 million to establish regional mental health resiliency teams that serve students. More from WTVJ.

What are the true costs of building more highways in Florida?

In the never-ending drive to build a more prosperous economy in Florida, highways are often seen as an essential vehicle. But there are costs that hitch a ride along with any benefits. It’s critical to bear those costs in mind as highway planners weigh projects such as a northern extension of Florida’s Turnpike and an upgrade of U.S. 19 to I-10 in Madison County. The Northern Turnpike extension — with possible impacts to Citrus, Levy, Marion and Sumter counties — is in the first phase of planning, with four alternative corridors being evaluated. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Florida-based Publix leads the state's grocery market. Can Amazon's expansion change that?

In the foreseeable future, few competitors will have the strategic advantages to beat Publix in groceries sales in Florida, industry experts say. Publix Super Markets Inc. enjoys a loyal base of shoppers who repeatedly restock their pantries and refrigerators because of its focus on customer service. The employee-owned Lakeland-based grocer is also often rewarded with high rankings on top 10 lists for its efforts to keep those customers coming back and employees happy. But Amazon is attempting to turn up the competitive heat. More from the Ledger.

How Brightline's new bicycle sharing program in West Palm Beach will work

About 17 docking stations at downtown grocery stores, government buildings, apartment complexes and the waterfront will allow customers to pick up and drop off the bicycles. “We are creating alternative modes of transportation for our riders to easily get to their final destination,” Brightline President Patrick Goddard said Tuesday morning announcing the new program. More from the Palm Beach Post.

Florida Standards Assessments officially eliminated, replaced with progress monitoring system

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed SB 1048 — formally called the "Student Assessments" bill — into law, which eliminates the FSA after this school year and replaces them with a progress monitoring system starting in the 2022/23 academic year. "Today we come, not to praise the FSA, but to bury it," DeSantis said during a news conference in St. Petersburg. More from WPTV.

Banking on Kindness
Southwest Florida food banks rise to challenge of rising fuel prices, food demand

 Area food banks such as Harry Chapin Food Bank, Midwest Food Bank and Community Cooperative partner with hundreds of partner agencies, including other nonprofit organizations and churches, to make sure no one goes to sleep hungry.â?¯ Their missions became challenging in March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Thousands lost hospitality and other jobs, which boosted the need for food by about 400% that summer, according to those agencies.

» More from Gulfshore Business.

 

Innovation
Innovation Park of Tallahassee has named two winners of cash grants

 Innovation Park of Tallahassee has named two winners of cash grants under its TechGrant Competition program. Manser Edbrooke Technology, which won first place and $15,000, develops prototypes that give customers the ability to explore and refine concepts for products and demonstrate features before paying to fully develop the product. “We aim to refine this technology and increase the rate and quality of rapid prototyping,” says Patrick Manser, MET’s CEO and co-founder.

» Read more from Florida Trend.

Tags: Daily Pulse, Afternoon Update

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Florida Trend Video Pick

Structural technology keeps Skyway Bridge safe from mass destruction
Structural technology keeps Skyway Bridge safe from mass destruction

USF marine scientist Mark Luther, says dozens of concrete barriers protecting the bridge from collision is just the beginning of an ongoing effort to keep it safe.

 

Video Picks | Viewpoints@FloridaTrend

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