March 19, 2024

Friday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 2/17/2017

Florida Republican feud over funding state tourism grows

What started out as a disagreement over taxpayers footing the bill for a version of Pitbull’s “Sexy Beaches” video is now turning into a full-blown public relations war between Republican Gov. Rick Scott and the GOP-controlled Florida House. More from the AP.

Dr. P. Barry Butler named new president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Board of Trustees has named Dr. P. Barry Butler, Executive Vice President and Provost at the University of Iowa, as the sixth president of the world’s leading institution of higher education focusing on aviation, aerospace and research. More at Florida Trend.

Billing, enrollment problems still plaguing Florida Blue customers

Florida Blue customers are continuing to complain about billing glitches, customer service nightmares and policies wrongly cancelled or not activated when promised. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Financing for Braves North Port stadium receives first endorsement

Financing for a new Atlanta Braves spring training complex in North Port received its first blessing from a Sarasota County board on Thursday afternoon. The Tourist Development Council unanimously and enthusiastically endorsed a plan to revise the distribution of the county's tourist development tax. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

SpaceX set for Saturday launch, landing

Florida scientists and astronauts are relying on SpaceX to launch supplies Saturday morning to the International Space Station. The 10:01 a.m. scheduled Falcon 9 launch at Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex will carry more than the Dragon capsule packed with provisions; it will also carry a lot of expectations. More from WKMG.

Out of the Box
Monster Lionfish Caught in Derby

lionfish A monster lionfish measuring nearly 18 inches long set a new single-fish size record for the REEF Lionfish Derby series in Key Largo. In the largest Key Largo Winter Lionfish Derby ever, 48 underwater hunters on 14 teams fanned out at dawn to remove 420 lionfish from Florida Keys waters in the one-day contest.

» More from the Miami Herald.

Sports Tourism
IHRA Races a Destination for Canadian Snowbirds

florida ihraJames Cowie admits it: Yes, he and his family and friends contributed to the Florida economy during February. Not the conventional way of, say, booking themselves into a beachfront hotel or a Disney World resort, but by following the 2017 IHRA Summit Sportsman National Championship.

» Read more from Racer.

Tags: Daily Pulse, Afternoon Pulse

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Incoming income tax instructor indicated
Incoming income tax instructor indicated

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Video Picks | Viewpoints@FloridaTrend

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