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Tuesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Floridians see promise — and potential perils — in artificial intelligence
Floridians are split over the potential promise, and pitfalls, of AI and are concerned about the risks for rapid development of the technology. A University of South Florida/Florida Atlantic University poll this year of Florida adults found 46% believed that AI would improve American society – with 46% disagreeing. Plenty of people who believe it would improve society nevertheless voiced major concerns More from the Orlando Sentinel and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
New Florida laws for drivers, breastfeeding moms, campers, shoppers are now in effect
A new year means new laws in Florida, including ones that affect the way you drive and spend. Among the state laws taking effect in 2024: a revised Move Over traffic law, clarification on what it means to do business with Iran amid the Israel-Hamas war, and who’s in charge of investigating cases of child abuse in Florida. [Source: Miami Herald]
Meet the typical mover to Florida
The typical mover to Florida makes $55,000 a year, is a millennial or Gen Xer, is married, and moved from New York and California. A Business Insider analysis of individual-level data from the Census Bureau's 2022 American Community Survey, assembled by the University of Minnesota's IPUMS program, found that movers to Florida were from older generations at greater percentages, were more likely to be married, and were less likely to be employed than movers leaving Florida. [Source: Business Insider]
Florida may ban most businesses from going cashless. Proposal has Democratic and Republican support.
A growing number of businesses of all sizes are going cashless, requiring patrons to use credit or debit cards, or smartphone apps, to pay for their purchases. The trend is an inconvenience for people who prefer to use cash. It’s a big problem for others, including lower-income people who don’t have access to non-cash payments and some older people who aren’t proficient with app-based payments. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
What’s headed to the launch pad on the Space Coast in 2024
The moon is a big target for space launches in 2024, with NASA aiming to return the first humans in more than 50 years for a fly-by on the Artemis II mission while spate of commercial companies are lined up for their lunar landers’ shot to touch down safely. It’s one big theme of the lineup of what could be yet another record year for launches on the Space Coast. Another is the introduction of new spacecraft to the manifest with both the first-ever crewed Boeing CST-100 Starliner and the first-ever uncrewed flight of the Sierra Space Dream Chaser on tap. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› These Tallahassee businesses, nonprofits reached milestones
With tenacity and grit, some Tallahassee businesses and nonprofits celebrated milestone anniversaries this year and they hope to celebrate many more. It wasn't by accident. Each, with their unique origin stories, weathered the challenges of their industries, economic downturns, a global pandemic and other bouts with fate. Yet, they remain. They represent a thread in the fabric of Tallahassee's economic development tapestry and appear determined to continue to weave more into the city's workforce and legacy.
› 2023 is officially Orlando’s hottest year. But there’s a twist.
All year long, 2023 looked like a contender for Orlando’s warmest year in history but that’s a hotly contested mark. Now, with 2023 finished, it has been declared a co-champion, tying with 2015 for the highest average annual temperature ever recorded in Orlando. The National Weather Service’s climate analyst for Central Florida, Derrick Weitlich, made that call shortly after sunrise Sunday, noting that the coldest temperature for the last day of the year was 43 degrees. He determined that 2023 would end with an average temperature — calculated using the average between daytime highs and nighttime lows each day of the year — of 75.6 degrees.
› Solid research, creative ideas, good partnerships drive Bradenton Area EDC
The Bradenton Area EDC, a private nonprofit entity, is recognized by the state of Florida as the lead economic development organization for the Bradenton area’s nine communities located on the south side of Tampa Bay. All of the work is directed toward delivering return on investment – or ROI – to our private sector investors and public partners, which in turn benefits the community as a whole.
› What Miami shoppers will see in 2024
Shopping has seen changes — and will see more in 2024. We’re buying groceries online more than ever. We’re getting them delivered. And we’re doing our own checkout at the supermarket. At malls, we’re heading to resort-like gyms and gaming centers or restaurants to keep us on the grounds longer and later than the traditional department store could ever manage. We’re even sitting down for lunch or dinner at Publix, Whole Foods Market and Sedano’s store restaurants. And we’re spending more.
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