Friday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 12/29/2017

Rick Scott mum on Senate run while Bill Nelson prepares for a challenge

The pundits, national, state and those who gather in Tallahassee coffee shops, say 2018 may not be a Republican year — even in a red state like Florida. Next year may be a different kind of wave than the Tea Party one Scott rode to the governor’s mansion. More from the Naples Daily News.

HSN shareholders approve $2.1B sale to QVC’s parent

HSN shareholders this morning approved the sale of the iconic home shopping company to the parent company of rival QVC. Liberty Interactive Corp., QVC’s Englewood, Colo.-based parent, announced the $2.1 billion deal in July. At the time, Liberty already owned a 38 percent stake in HSN. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Florida joins nation’s first mobile network for first responders

Florida has joined a national program designed to improve mobile communications for first responders. Gov. Rick Scott made the decision on Thursday, according to the First Responder Network Authority, joining its plan to build a nationwide wireless network. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Amazon came in big, could get much bigger in Jacksonville

Just 20 months ago Amazon was a faint glimmer on Jacksonville’s horizon. It wasn’t even being identified as Amazon at the time. At first it was just known as Project Rex, and the numbers were big: A $200 million project seeking $18 million in incentives and promising 1,500 jobs. More from the Florida Times-Union.

Florida prisoners to protest — again. This time, they’re refusing to work.

Inmates across eight Florida prisons have announced a protest in the form of a work stoppage dubbed Operation PUSH set to start on Jan. 15, advocates say. In September, a nationwide prison strike had officials on high alert, bracing for upheavals by inmates protesting what they say is inhumane and violent treatment. More from the Miami Herald.

Profile
Grant Thornton

Assembling ornate steampunk sculptures out of scrap junk is Grant Thornton’s most ambitious creative undertaking. But before he ever took up the craft, he had already left his mark throughout Jacksonville.

» More from the Florida Times-Union.

Florida Trend Exclusive
Stroke of Genius

In the 1960s, workers mined tons of rock and shell at a site near the border of Manatee and Sarasota counties, leaving behind a nearly 500-acre rectangular, shallow pit. In time, the hole filled with water This fall, Sarasota County’s Nathan Benderson Park hosted the 2017 World Rowing Championships, an 11-day competition that’s considered the “Super Bowl” of rowing events.