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Thursday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida has a secret ‘black list’ to spy on highway drivers. Officials won’t say how it’s used.
Cameras at toll plazas snap photos of license plates daily across hundreds of miles of Florida’s highways, tracking the movements of residents and visitors. But state officials won’t reveal how the license plate reading data are being used or by whom, which experts say threatens the civil rights and privacy rights of travelers in one of the nation’s biggest states. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
See also:
» Florida's secretive toll surveillance program: Five things to know
Florida Trend Exclusive
Attorney Scot Strems is the 'poster child' of the insurance crisis
A year out of law school, Scot Strems left his job as a public defender in 2008 to hang out his shingle. His days had been spent in county court on traffic and misdemeanor cases. Strems figured once on his own, he would start in criminal defense work and eventually move into civil litigation. He did — in a big way. Nine years later, Strems was filing more suits than any other lawyer in Florida against home insurance companies. [Source: Florida Trend]
Opinion: Innovative state workers are the unsung heroes of Florida
Typically, Floridians only hear about a government employee when something has gone awry at a state agency. This is unfortunate given that the vast majority are selfless individuals who often make personal sacrifices to better our state and the lives of its residents, including teachers, law-enforcement officers, firefighters and state park service employees, to name a few. [Source: Miami Herald]
Economy is top priority for older voters in Florida Governor, U.S. Senate races, but abortion, immigration rank high
A near supermajority of likely voters in Florida this year are concerned about the government’s impact on their personal finances, a new survey from AARP Florida found. The issue is on track to be the top factor driving the choices of voters aged 50-plus at the polls in both the Governor’s race and an intensifying contest for the U.S. Senate. But while economic issues have been consistent priorities for older Floridians — the state’s most active voting population — relatively recent developments concerning abortion, immigration, Social Security, and Medicare have pushed other mainstay matters to the wayside. [Source: Florida Politics]
With new ships in 2022, cruise industry shows recovery after pandemic
Cruise companies hemorrhaged tens of billions of dollars during the pandemic and now industry trade groups see the tides shifting. Cruise Lines International Association predicts passenger numbers will exceed pre-pandemic levels next year. "Future is bright, industry is growing, guests are coming back, so we're all very happy," says president and CEO of Celebrity, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo. Disney Cruise Lines added its fifth and largest ship, Disney Wish, to the fleet this summer and the biggest ship in the world, Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas began sailing in March. [Source: CBS News]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Key West restaurant survived pandemic, but not staffing crisis
In the Florida Keys, businesses come and go. Customers are fickle and profit sometimes doesn’t match rent. But when a restaurant this past week announced it was closing because it can’t keep enough employees on the payroll, it quickly caught the attention of boozy, balmy and barefoot Key West. Lost and Found, a restaurant and bar at 404 Southard St., was a popular place known for its big burgers and a square bar serving beer on tap.
› Tampa’s next big splash: history-rich Gas Worx, connecting Ybor City and more
It’s not every day a routine meeting of elected officials getting a look at a developer’s plans turns into a lovefest. But for a project called Gas Worx, it did. In August, the master plan for an urban community slated to rise between Ybor City and the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway — land now largely vacant or occupied by old warehouses — went before the Tampa City Council for a rezoning request crucial to moving it forward. It turned out to be a pretty safe bet.
› Florida Surf Museum in Cocoa Beach gets makeover, pays homage to area's surfing royalty
We have liftoff! Well, at least, the renovated Florida Surf Museum in Cocoa Beach gets off the ground Saturday evening with a public unveiling at a grand opening reception with an appropriate theme: Space Coast Surfing — The Right Stuff. "It's a whole new look," said John Hughes, executive director of the state's only free-standing surf museum since 2015.
› Fort Myers industrial project gets nearly $100 million in financing
Developers behind a Fort Myers industrial development have obtained $97.5 million in financing to build the project. Square Mile Capital Management announced Tuesday, Sept. 6 that it had originated the loan for the 808,629-square-foot Tri County 75 Industrial Campus. The loan was made to the commercial real estate firm Glenstar and Columnar Holdings, the companies developing the project.
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