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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
High stakes redistricting process to start. Will Florida redeem bruised reputation?
The once-a-decade process of redrawing political boundaries to adjust for population growth officially begins Thursday as the U.S. Census Bureau releases detailed results from the 2020 Census, providing the shotgun start to what has traditionally been one of the most politically charged battles in Florida’s capital city. More from the Miami Herald.
Headquarters build-out approved for bestbet Jacksonville
The city approved a permit Aug. 11 for bestbet Jacksonville to build-out its corporate offices at its Regency area poker, simulcast and racing center at a cost of $1.57 million. Tenant Contractors Inc. will build-out 14,710 square feet of the 141,174-square-foot building at 201 Monument Road into bestbet’s headquarters space. The remaining 126,464 square feet would remain in its current uses. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
June tourism numbers are out. It was another historic month for Pinellas
Pinellas County collected its highest tourism development tax revenue ever for the month of June, signaling another strong month in a historic year for tourism in Tampa Bay. The $8.273 million in the tourism development tax is a 94 percent increase from June last year - when the pandemic stalled nearly all travel - and a 46 percent increase from June 2019, according to Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, the county’s tourism agency. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
How Hialeah saved Christmas: Santa’s Enchanted Forest finds a new home for 2021
Miami just experienced a Christmas miracle in August: Santa’s Enchanted Forest has announced it will reopen this holiday season. And it’s reopening at historic Hialeah Park. “We needed to bring happy back to Miami-Dade County,” said Maritza Gutierrez, spokesman for Santa’s Enchanted Forest, who added that Hialeah Park is “where it should have been all along.” More from the Miami Herald.
Wild Florida hatches albino alligators for the second year in a row
For the second year in a row, Wild Florida has successfully hatched albino alligator eggs, the Kenansville attraction announced in a news release. Albino gators Blizzard (a 16-year-old male) and Snowflake (a 27-year-old female) have welcomed two new baby gators to their nest. Since the parents are both full albino alligators, these hatchlings are the second set of albino alligators born at an attraction in the world. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Entertainment
Disney baking show debuts this week — plus a Disney Springs photo op
A new Disney Channel show created by Tastemade media company puts the baking skills of kids ages 6-14 to the test. Hosted by Disney Channel stars Dara Reneé (”High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”) and Issac Ryan Brown (”Raven’s Home”), “Disney’s Magic Bake-Off” debuts Aug. 13.
» More from the Orlando Sentinel .
Workforce Trends
In St. Petersburg, linework trainees seek a grounded career — four stories high
A new, 14-week certification program prepares students for work in the electrical industry. A career at Duke Energy or Tampa Electric, perhaps, await those who graduate. The linework could one day lead to six-figure salaries, growth and stability.
» Read more from the Tampa Bay Times.
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