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Friday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida officials demand US lawmakers pass storm relief package for Hurricane Michael victims
A bipartisan group of Florida Cabinet members and state lawmakers is demanding that U.S. lawmakers pass a disaster-relief package for Hurricane Michael victims. Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and lawmakers said they were infuriated that Congress had failed to pass relief legislation. They say partisan politics shouldn't play a role in getting the package passed. Read the letters to Congress here and read more from the AP.
AutoNation beats on earnings, misses on revenue
Fort Lauderdale-based AutoNation reported better-than-expected profits in its first quarter, earning more on vehicles sold. But revenues were down year-over-year. The nation’s largest auto retailer, facing a weaker auto market, said it sold fewer vehicles at a higher profit, a strategic move to counter weaker sales in the industry, said new CEO Carl Liebert. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Hurricane Season: Seven-day forecasts, cone makeover coming
The National Hurricane Center is hoping to extend its forecasts from five to seven days, giving people two more days to prepare — or panic. Three-day tropical cyclone forecasts were introduced in 1964, but it took nearly 40 more years of technological advancements to increase it to five days. The seven-day forecast may take another two to three years to perfect. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Hotel could be one of last mega-developments on Fort Lauderdale beach, as traffic piles up
Fort Lauderdale beach is reaching its development maximum. Under rules meant to prevent traffic gridlock, a beachfront hotel coming up for a vote in May could be one of the last major developments on the barrier island. Under a little-known development rule from the 1980s, new projects cannot be approved on the barrier island if the number of cars on the roadways during the busiest afternoon hour would exceed 3,220 cars. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Florida court dismisses challenge to Airbnb's tax-collection procedures
A challenge to a Florida Department of Revenue agreement that allows Airbnb to independently collect tax revenue from its hosts has been dismissed. Hotel owners from the Asian American Hotel Owners Association had complained that the agreement unfairly benefits the home-share company, saying the department had overstepped its authority in creating what they called an honor system with no verification process. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Entertainment
Old Florida theme parks
As Walt Disney World keeps on expanding and a planned West Miami-Miami megamall dreams of becoming Retail World, take a moment to mourn the loss of South Florida’s defunct theme parks and attractions. Remember the Miami Wax Museum? What about Pirates World and Six Flags Atlantis? And Blockbuster Golf & Games and Boomers? Now, they’re all gone, replaced by housing complexes and stores.
» More from theMiami Herald.
Profile
Sarah Cole
The new boss is a familiar face at the the Glazer Children's Museum. Sarah Cole was the director of education when the museum opened in 2010. She created the content for what was then 17 exhibit spaces and more than 150 interactive stations. She left in 2012 for the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh and then Chicago’s Adler Planetarium, America’s first planetarium. She was vice president of guest experience there when the Glazer Children’s Museum came calling.
» Read more from the Tampa Bay Times.
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