Wednesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 7/6/2016

Royal Caribbean to build new terminal at PortMiami

Miami-Dade County and Royal Caribbean have reached an agreement to build a new cruise terminal at PortMiami. The terminal will serve as homeport to Royal Caribbean International ships, including a 5,400-passenger Oasis-class ship.

Royal Caribbean will build and operate a new, world-class terminal at PortMiami. The iconic building is scheduled for late 2018. Go to story.

Gov. Rick Scott welcomed the news, saying, “Florida is undoubtedly the global leader for trade and we are excited that Royal Caribbean chose PortMiami for their brand new cruise terminal which is expected to create 4,000 jobs in South Florida." Read more at the news release from Royal Caribbean, here. Also see the statement from Gov. Rick Scott.

Foreign buyers flood U.S. and Florida real estate, but buy cheaper homes

The appetite for U.S. real estate, especially in Florida, continues to flourish, but international buyers are shifting their sights from luxury to less-pricey properties. This may be due to overall higher home prices, along with a stronger U.S. dollar, which both cost foreign buyers more at the negotiating table. More from CNBC.

Latin American Microsoft exec joins Naples firm

Electronic payment processing firm ACI Worldwide named Marco Bravo vice president for its business unit in Latin America. Bravo has nearly three decades of international leadership experience, including senior roles with Microsoft and IBM. More from the Business Observer.

Nemours opens medical clinic in Orlando for international adoption

The international adoption medicine program is still at its infancy, but it's an addition to a handful of other programs around the country that specialize in physical and mental health issues that are unique to children who are adopted from other countries. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Florida insurer withdraws 14.9% rate hike that was questioned as ‘greedy’

In an unusual move, one of Florida’s largest insurers has withdrawn its request for a state rate increase that would have averaged 14.9 percent and questioned by homeowner advocates as “greedy.” More from the Palm Beach Post and the Miami Herald.

Environment
Florida Sawfish Resurgence

For thousands of years, the sawfish was one of the most ferocious predators roaming the marshy shorelines of the Florida Peninsula. Fossil records found throughout the state show that the peculiar creature and its evolutionary ancestors date back over 10,000 years. It took less than 100 years for man to nearly wipe them from existence in North America.

» More from the Fort Myers News-Press.

Florida History
How Florida Became the Temporary Center of Space Travel

Thanks to NASA, Florida’s reputation as a haven for gangsters faded, the racketeers replaced by rocketeers. With every news story about NASA, the state basked in the luster of Kennedy’s New Frontier. Titusville declared itself “the City of Tomorrow.” A new town was built named Satellite Beach. The region dubbed itself “the Space Coast.” Forget the past—Florida was all about the Fuuuuutuuuure!