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Monday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida ranks second best state for business
Florida is the second best state for business, again, behind Texas, according to a 2023 Chief Executive Best and Worst States for Business report. Florida ranked second for the second year in a row for its “low taxes and strong stance against pandemic-motivated business shutdowns,” the report notes. “The big question going into our annual Best & Worst States survey of CEOs this year,” the report said, was “Would Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s high-profile battle with Walt Disney Co. sour CEOs on Florida as a site for locating and expanding their companies? More from the Center Square.
Royal Caribbean makes move to take down Carnival, (maybe Disney)
Royal Caribbean and Carnival have steadily been adding features to their latest ships designed to appeal to kids of all ages. Carnival's most recent ships, the Mardi Gras and the Celebration offer the Bolt roller coaster -- a first of its kind at sea -- along with water slides, sport courts, impressive kids' clubs, mini golf, and other family-friendly features. Carnival has done an impressive job, but Royal Caribbean has raised the bar. More from the Miami Herald.
Florida gas prices move lower as fuel supplies stabilize
Florida gas prices are moving lower again, now that the fuel supplies have largely recovered from the record flooding that caused widespread outages in South Florida. On Sunday, Florida gas prices averaged $3.65 cents per gallon. That's 6 cents less than last week and 7 cents less than the 2023 high. "In addition to stabilizing fuel supplies in Florida, the fuel market has cooled off in recent weeks," said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA - The Auto Club Group. More from WQCS.
Orlando Sanford airport pursues cargo, industrial, commercial users for its developable land
If economic momentum for the area around Orlando Sanford International Airport is taking off — with thousands of adjacent developable acres along East Lake Mary Boulevard and State Road 46, in Sanford — then the 450 acres of developable land on airport property is taxiing on the runway and not far behind. The real estate opportunities at metro Orlando's reliever airport almost completely encircle its four runways, along the perimeter of the 3,000-acre property. It is an intermodal hub, with rail and road connectivity in addition to air. More from the Orlando Business Journal.
Florida Uber and Lyft drivers launch effort to organize for better pay, better app policies
Uber and Lyft drivers rallied outside airports in Orlando, Tampa and Miami on Friday to launch a campaign for fairer pay distribution and the right to negotiate for things such as better app policies and job protections. Coming on the heels of the killing of an Uber Eats driver in Pasco County, the organizing campaign of the Independent Drivers Guild is months in the making, according to Uber driver Adalberto Perez, an organizer for new Florida chapter of the Guild. More from the Orlando Weeklyand WMNF.
Research Trends
Mote receives nearly $7 million from NOAA to enhance Keys coral reef restoration effort
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, will use nearly $7 million in federal grant money over the next four years to embark on a new, comprehensive approach to restore coral and the accompanying aquatic habitat along the Florida Reef Tract in the Florida Keys. Since December 2019 when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the $100 million plan to restore as much as 3 million square feet of coral on seven iconic reefs, the plan has been focused on the coral – specifically increasing the coverage on those seven reefs from what had been 2% to 25%.
» More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Entertainment
Florida theme parks 2023: What’s new at attractions this summer
It took some time, but Florida’s 10 major theme parks are moving out of their post-pandemic blues and once again offering new rides and attractions to see this summer. In 2019, Florida’s theme parks spent a record $10 billion on new attractions, hotels and dining areas in Central Florida, with the common theory being that it was good business to lure return visitors by offering something new to see or do. The pandemic brought things to a halt.
» Read more from the Tampa Bay Times.
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