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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
‘We’re resilient’: New therapies give hope for citrus industry amid production decline
With a name like Kyle Story, he’s bound to have all sorts of tales. His tale begins in the 1930s when his family first planted citrus. It would eventually bloom into the thousands of acres of Florida citrus, peaches, blueberries, and various crops, which Story helps run across Central and South Florida today. “We’re blessed,” Story, vice president of The Story Companies, said. Four generations later, Story has seen ups and downs within the industry. Among the current challenges impacting the industry are development and changes in consumer habits, Hurricane Irma in 2017, along with Hurricanes Ian and Nicole in 2022 and a recent freeze. More from WTSP.
Across Tampa Bay, families cram into motels to avoid life on the street
All are casualties of a punishing Tampa Bay housing market, one of the hottest in the nation, where rent has spiked more than 35% in five years. Across the region, a one-bedroom can range from $1,300 to $2,000 a month, while the median home value hovers just under $400,000. Some occupants are trapped by a cycle of evictions and poor credit. Others ended up here after a crisis, buying time to find an affordable apartment that hasn’t materialized. For many, shrinking possibilities have turned this motel into a home, even if, technically, its residents are considered homeless. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
SpaceX, Blue Origin urge Florida lawmakers for aerospace sector support
Representatives from leading commercial aerospace entities SpaceX and Blue Origin on Thursday advocated to lawmakers on the House Regulatory Reform and Economic Development Subcommittee for further support and development of the state’s space infrastructure. More from the Capitolist.
Florida’s corals rescued from one of the worst bleaching events are back to the ocean
When the potentially record-high heat wave swept Florida in July, thousands of corals were rescued and relocated to land-based facilities to avoid bleaching. Now as the temperature drops to normal levels, healthy corals are ready to go back to their offshore nurseries. Bleaching may be deadly for corals. When water temperatures swing to extremes, corals expel the algae in their tissues, turning them stark white. More from WLRN.
Federal officials back a ruling on children in Florida nursing homes
The Justice Department is urging a federal appeals court to uphold a ruling aimed at keeping children with complex medical conditions out of nursing homes. With a hearing slated in January, the Biden administration is urging a federal appeals court to uphold a ruling aimed at keeping Florida children with complex medical conditions out of nursing homes, saying it would ensure they are "granted equality and freedom from unwarranted isolation." More from Health News Florida.
Philanthropy
Philanthropist, former McDonald's franchisee kicks off $100M TGH campaign
Tampa General Hospital board member and well-known Tampa businessman and philanthropist Blake Casper has made a $5 million donation to the TGH Foundation. The donation will support the construction of the planned on-campus Surgical, Neuroscience and Transplant Pavilion at the academic health system's flagship campus on Davis Islands, hospital officials say in a news release.
» More from the Business Observer.
Art
This Tampa Bay artist helped shape area’s edgy art scene. Here’s his story.
Artist Alex Bask Hostomsky, 46, mashes up images with commercial slogans that are taken out of context, often resulting in absurdism. Much of the imagery he works with is pre-existing. He likens the way he mixes it together to the way a DJ weaves abstract samples into songs. His show “B.A.S.K.: Because Art Should Kill” is on view through Dec. 15.
» Read more from the Tampa Bay Times.
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