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Tuesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
State tax collections top estimates
State general-revenue tax collections were nearly 5 percent higher than anticipated in March, according to a report released Monday by the Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research. The report showed net general revenue during the month totaled about $3.756 billion, $176.2 million more than expected in a forecast released in January. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Florida Trend Exclusive
A call to action
Construction crews are expected to break ground later this year on what will be the largest Holocaust museum in Florida. The 45,000-sq.-ft. Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity will be built just north of downtown Orlando near I-4, on the site of the former Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce building. Slated to open in 2026, the museum will be equipped with technology to bring the history of the Holocaust to life, using eyewitness accounts collected by the USC Shoah Foundation founded by Steven Spielberg. [Source: Florida Trend]
These are the countries where refugees in Florida are coming from
In the last decade, the Immigration Research Initiative reports that Florida has had over 17,100 refugee arrivals, but people already living in the Sunshine State might not know where the bulk of these new residents are arriving from. According to the latest Stacker statistics referencing data from the Refugee Processing Center, most of Florida's refugees in March 2024 arrived from Venezuela and Syria. [Source: NBC Miami]
State eyes increased calls on wildlife
Bears and coyotes and raccoons, oh my! As Florida’s population expands, state wildlife officials have seen a more than 33 percent increase in calls for assistance related to wild animals during the past five years, according to a presentation that could go before the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission this week. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Florida farmworkers protest new law banning local water, heat break requirements for outdoor workers
Florida's farmworkers are expressing concern over the recent approval of a law banning local jurisdictions from requiring mandatory heat and water breaks for outdoor workers. It's no secret that outdoor workers, particularly farmworkers, are important to the Sunshine State, especially with so much of the state's economy hinging on agriculture. [Source: WTVT]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Disney Springs Patina Restaurant employees announce unionization campaign
Employees at five Disney Springs restaurants announced Monday they are planning to unionize, speaking out about what they consider to be unfair wages and poor working conditions. Workers at non-union restaurants operated by the Patina Restaurant Group said they make less than unionized Disney employees doing the same jobs just a two-minute walk away.
› First sea turtle nest of season in Sarasota County found on Venice Beach
Mote Marine Laboratory’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program (STCRP) documented the first local sea turtle nest of the 2024 season on Sunday, April 28, on Venice Beach, marking the beginning of a crucial period for sea turtle conservation, according to a news release. The first nest was laid by a loggerhead sea turtle, a threatened species protected under federal law, the release from Mote noted.
› Meet one of South Florida’s fastest-growing companies, unlocking Amazon fulfillment at scale
Are there any private companies that we interact with more regularly than Amazon? Two thirds of Americans are Amazon customers, and the company received 2.72 billion unique monthly visitors in 2023. But who’s actually powering this eCommerce revolution? To a major extent, it’s individual sellers that put up with Amazon’s stringent policies to access the company’s sea of customers.
› High-tech drone to deliver 1 billion baby 'super clams' to Indian River Lagoon
Call it a shelling of sorts. A high-tech drone hovered above the Indian River Lagoon Friday to spread 'cluster bombs' of tiny baby super clams to seed a natural defense of an estuary that's been under ecological attack for decades. The drone deployment was part of the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Billion Clam Initiative, spearheaded by the Coastal Conservation Association Florida (CCA Florida), a nonprofit sportfishing and marine advocacy group.
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