March 29, 2024

Thursday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 2/23/2023

Florida officials taking ‘bold steps’ to prevent new invasive species

Whether or not residents can tell which species are invasive, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is taking “bold steps” to prevent new invasive from calling the state home. On Wednesday, Commissioners with the FWC announced that they’ve directed staff to take bold steps to protect Florida’s native ecosystems from invasive fish and wildlife. According to the FWC, Florida is highly susceptible to the successful establishment of nonnative and invasive fish and wildlife due to the state’s subtropical climate, multiple ports of entry, and the high levels of live animal trade. More from WFLA.

Leon County needs thousands more jobs to stay competitive, according to economic forecast

An economic forecast for Leon County shows more than 15,000 jobs are needed by 2030 in order for the capital city to be competitive in the future. Terrie Ard, who chairs the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, said the organization has for three years tracked the number of jobs needed and what's been added. She noted several factors, including residents relocating to Tallahassee and workforce programs launched by local universities, that are designed to create more opportunities to generate jobs. More from the Tallahassee Democrat.

Citi bank debuts new Tampa office designed for hybrid work

Citi is celebrating the redesign of its Tampa office on Wednesday. The bank and investment company that employs more than 10,000 people in the Tampa Bay region spent $60 million to upgrade its office on Interstate 75 and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The building features more natural lighting, a 24-hour market and a fitness center and medical center that have an on-site nutritionist and physical therapist. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

As Pompano Beach booms with change, it’s paying off with rising values

New restaurants and businesses have changed the face of Pompano Beach’s beachside, bringing more visitors from across the region and a sharp rise in property values. Now, the city is now turning to its downtown area as it keeps focusing on redevelopment. During a presentation Tuesday, officials talked of the city’s growth — and ways to bring revenue through development efforts in the downtown area. Urban planner Joe Minicozzi also noted the rising values that have resulted from redevelopment so far. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

27% of Brightline riders come from new stations

After its December 2022 launch, Brightline’s Aventura station – along with the new Boca Raton station – contributed 27% of the private rail system’s total ridership numbers for January. Combined, Boca Raton and the Aventura location at 19796 W Dixie Hwy. contributed 42,391 of the 157,137 total riders during the month and they are expected to be strong contributors to ridership growth throughout 2023, according to Brightline’s January ridership and revenue report. More from Miami Today.

Business Profile
Nonprofit sets up fishing charters for disadvantaged kids

Chasten Whitfield started Chastenation, a nonprofit, when she was just 16 years old to grant an opportunity to go fishing for differently abled people. Now it's grown to a TV show. Whitfield has a number of goals on her checklist with the ultimate one being to make running the nonprofit a full-time job.

» More from the Business Observer.

 

Tech Trends
'Smart' ponds

As Category 4 Hurricane Ian approached in late September, a “smart” retention pond on S.R. 45 near Port Tampa Bay captured 175,000 cubic feet of the polluted flow before it hit Tampa Bay. Technology in the pond continuously assesses its contents and rainfall forecasts to initiate an automatic release of partly filtered contents before a storm comes ashore. Operators can also remotely lower the water levels when a storm approaches.

» Read more from Florida Trend.

Tags: Daily Pulse, Afternoon Pulse

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Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices
Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices

Central Floirda chocolate shops are left with a bitter taste as cocoa prices hit an all-time high earlier this week.

Video Picks | Viewpoints@FloridaTrend

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