March 29, 2024

Friday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 5/5/2023

A recap of Florida's legislative session

After numerous bills were sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk over the past 60 days, Florida's legislative session wraps up Friday. Thursday, lawmakers sent a bill decriminalizing fentanyl test strips to the governor's desk for a signature, and a controversial transgender health care ban passed both chambers. More from WPBFand the AP.

Flood insurance costs soar in South Florida. New rates to double, even triple for many

Brace for a few years of flood insurance rate hikes, South Florida. And they’re going to be steep — doubling, even tripling for thousands of homeowners. FEMA has changed the way it calculates flood insurance prices. Instead of relying on old flood zone maps covering broad areas, it’s now basing premium prices on a wider range of factors, like an individual property’s distance from the ocean, rainfall levels and the cost to rebuild a home. More from the Miami Herald.

Brightline's route to Orlando nears. Will it change how we travel?

A key challenge for Brightline's pioneering passenger service is to chip away at the very ethos of Americana, to turn the steely independence of four wheels and internal combustion into a community of train travelers. To do that, it has reinvented what it means to ride the rails, infusing stations with a Brightline signature scent of vanilla and citrus, inventing a uniform wave for greeting customers, and serving themed cocktails such as the vodka-spiked mule skinner, a nod to a time when transport was four-legged. More from the Gainesville Sun.

Key Florida business lobby isn’t picking sides in feud between its allies Disney, DeSantis

The Florida Chamber of Commerce has counted Disney as an ally for over a decade and helped propel Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ climb up the state’s political ladder. As the governor and one of the state’s largest employers feud, the powerful business lobbying organization hasn’t taken sides — a move that could risk damaging a relationship with either of the key players in the Sunshine State. More from CNBC.

New Congressional measure to protect Florida citrus acreage

Florida representatives in both houses of Congress have introduced a bipartisan measure that would amend the federal Conservation Reserve Program to include the state’s citrus acreage, which has suffered from a number of blows from weather, disease, and urbanization in recent years. More from the Produce Blue Book.

Business BeatBusiness Beat - Week of May 5th

Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video news brief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.

 

Entertainment
Cryptoys partners with Disney for launch of Star Wars digital toys

Star Wars fans, listen up: You will soon have a new way to collect your favorite iconic characters and be transported to a galaxy far, far away. As part of a new partnership with Disney, later this month Cryptoys, the digital toy platform created by Miami startup OnChain Studios, will begin releasing Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Darth Vader as collectible digital action figures for fans of all ages. It’s a key development in OnChain’s mission to reimagine the future of play.

» Read more from Refresh Miami.

See also:
» Child's play: A serial entrepreneur turns inspiration from his daughter into a startup making digital toys for the metaverse.

Tags: Daily Pulse, Afternoon Pulse

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Florida Trend Video Pick

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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