Tuesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 9/5/2017

Irma becomes strongest Atlantic hurricane outside Gulf and Caribbean ever recorded

Irma spun into a monster storm Tuesday morning with sustained winds topping 180 mph, becoming the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded outside the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, National Hurricane Center forecasters said in their 11 a.m. advisory. More from the Miami Herald and the Orlando Sentinel.

Sun, sand, and unicorns: Making the case for a Florida tech scene

Venture capital investors more than doubled their allocations in Florida over the past five years to a record $1.7 billion, the biggest uptick among the top-five markets. More from Bloomberg.

Hydraulic Supply Co. to add two Miami locations

Sunrise, Florida-based Hydraulic Supply Co. (HSC), a fluid power distributor of hydraulic, pneumatic and industrial products across the Southeast, says it will add two new locations in Miami that will open this November. More from Recycling Today.

Florida unemployment numbers are down, but workers aren't benefitting

Low-wage jobs in Florida are one of the main reasons families live in poverty or near poverty, according to a new study by Florida International University. The yearly report, “State of Working Florida,” found Florida’s economy to be unbalanced and unequal. More from WLRN.

Jacksonville tries again to make its parks into nation’s best

Jacksonville’s huge but underperforming parks system is having its moment in the sun. For the second straight year, the City Council president — Anna Brosche this year and Lori Boyer last year and — is putting her clout behind finding ways to improve the city’s sprawling system of parks. More from the Florida Times-Union.

Profile
Chemist Turned Nail Spa Owner

Despite being out of the chemistry business, Anhthu Huynh who owns Venus Nail Spa in Gainesville, says her knowledge of it still comes in handy.

» More from the Gainesville Sun.

Out of the Box
Lakeland Couple Sells Exotic Plants You Can Eat

Jared Craig has a nose for exotic flora. As a home gardener, he thumbed that nose at the litany of humdrum edibles. Now, his online business, Sow Exotic Nursery, specializes in rare fruiting and medicinal plants.