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Wednesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Travel season off to ‘sizzling’ start: 2.2M Floridians on the move over Memorial Day
Travel over Memorial Day weekend is expected to be the busiest in three years, building on a resurgence that began earlier this spring, according to AAA. The travel agency predicts nearly 2.2 million Floridians will travel 50 miles or more from home this Memorial Day weekend, an 8.3% increase over 2021, bringing travel volumes almost in line with those from 2017. “By the looks of this Memorial Day travel forecast, the summer travel season is off to a sizzlin’ start,” said Debbie Haas, vice president of travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. [Source: Click Orlando]
Florida Trend Exclusive
Body of work: Joe Navarro is a global expert in reading people
Leaders who make strong gestures when making their point are better understood and help their audiences understand the boundaries of their message, says global body language expert Joe Navarro. Navarro has spent the past two decades churning out books on how to understand body language and personality types; writing a blog for Psychology Today, where some entries have more than a million views; appearing on network morning shows; and coaching business leaders around the world. [Source: Florida Trend]
Judge lifts stay from ruling on Florida’s congressional map
After issuing a temporary injunction last week against a congressional redistricting plan pushed through the Legislature by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Leon County circuit judge Monday ordered that the ruling remain in effect while the state pursues an appeal. The state on Friday appealed Judge Layne Smith’s temporary injunction ruling to the 1st District Court of Appeal. That triggered an automatic stay, which put the ruling on hold. But Smith held a hearing Monday and sided with voting rights groups that requested he lift the stay. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Hurricane center targets surge in preventable post-storm deaths
Hurricanes are terrifying and deadly forces, but experts are growing more concerned by the amount of deaths tallied up after a storm is passed, as they’ve observed indirect death totals increasing in recent years. “Now we’re seeing more people dying after the storm,” said Michael Brennan, the Branch Chief at the National Hurricane Center. With the official start of hurricane season coming June 1, the National Hurricane Center wants to bring those numbers down like it did when it increased efforts to educate the public about storm surge deaths. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Michelin Guide to reveal which Florida restaurants will receive stars on June 9
The wait is almost over: On June 9, Florida chefs and restaurant owners will finally find out whether they snagged a coveted Michelin star. According to an announcement from the elite restaurant guide, Michelin star recipients will find out “in real time” during a live ceremony at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grand Lakes. “Bib Gourmand,” “Sommelier of the Year,” and “Exceptional Cocktails” awards will also be announced at the ceremony, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. in Orlando. Until now, the guide — arguably the most widely respected restaurant ratings system in the world — has never included Florida. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Does the metaverse offer Orlando firms business opportunities?
The Orlando region is on a mission to establish itself as the center of the metaverse — but what does that mean? Economic development group Orlando Economic Partnership is spearheading an initiative to establish the region from Orlando to Miami as the “MetaCenter,” the national hub for technologies that power the metaverse. They include gaming, simulation, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
› Report: Punta Gorda named best place to relocate a corporate headquarters in the eastern U.S.
Punta Gorda has been identified by The Boyd Company, a corporate relocation consultant around since 1975, to be the best place to open a "new normal" corporate headquarters in the eastern U.S. That doesn't necessarily mean the Twitters of the world will flock to the area anytime soon, but the report does note a changing corporate culture that incentivizes executives to relocate parts of their companies from high-tax, high-cost business hubs to more spread out, lower-cost suburban areas.
› AFROPUNK comes to Miami for the first time to bring the diaspora together
Roots Collective co-founder Danny Agnew never thought AFROPUNK would come to Miami. A festival championing Blackness in all of its forms, AFROPUNK has previously held shows in cities known for their heavy Black population like Atlanta, Oakland and Brooklyn. But Miami? A place with one of America’s largest Latino populations? Not a chance, says Agnew.
› Film shoot underway in Tampa with local director at helm
“The Throwback,” a comedic film starring Will Sasso and Justina Machado, went into production in Tampa this week. The movie, according to a news release, is being directed by Tampa native Mario Garcia, who’s also credited as writer and producer. Sasso is known for roles in films including “The Three Stooges,” “Drop Dead Gorgeous” and “Happy Gilmore,” while Machado was part of the cast of the hit TV series “Six Feet Under” from 2001 to 2005.
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