Friday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 3/31/2017

Publix still tops list of Florida's most valuable brands

Publix again ranked as Florida's most valuable brand, according to a study released this week. The Sunshine State is home to 15 of the 500 most valuable brands in the country, and those companies are valued at $39.5 billion. See the full report from Brand Finance, here. Also read more at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Silicon Valley accelerator relocates HQ to South Florida

South Florida’s startup community is set to get a dose of Silicon Valley with the relocation of NewME, an accelerator focused on kick starting minority-led companies through mentorship, coaching and community convenings. More from the South Florida Business Journal.

Blueberry season looks sweet for Central Florida growers

The next two months are make-or-break for blueberry growers in Central Florida, whose business hinges on factors they can’t control: the weather, labor, the market — and their competitors’ luck. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Pythons beware — Florida's new hunters are on the prowl

Over the next two months, a team of 25 hunters will track pythons as part of a $175,000 pilot project organized by the South Florida Water Management District to test the theory that well-managed, skilled hunters may make a dent in what has so far been a runaway population of invasive snakes. More from the Miami Herald.

UCF hospital partnership earns key state approval

A new hospital focused on building a healthier community, training more physicians and powering economic growth through research earned a key approval Thursday from the State University System’s Board of Governors in Tallahassee. Full story at Florida Trend.

Event
License-Free Freshwater Fishing Day

Floridians will be able to fish without a freshwater recreational license this weekend. Governor Rick Scott made the announced on Thursday. All bag limits, seasons and size restrictions will still apply Saturday and Sunday.

» More from WFLA.

Agriculture
Saving coffee in Papua New Guinea

An insect no bigger than a grain of rice is threatening coffee worldwide, but a team of University of Florida researchers is using some unconventional thinking to stop it in its tracks. The team’s collaboration with locals led to the early identification of the world’s most damaging coffee pest in Papua New Guinea – one of only two coffee-producing countries free of it, before now.