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Friday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
› Swedish construction firm to lead $38M convention center project in Tampa
Skanska, a construction and development company with projects around the globe, will head up a $38 million renovation and expansion of the Tampa Convention Center. The firm will lead the two-phased project that includes updates to infrastructure components, installation of updated technology and the implementation of several sustainability initiatives.
› DeSantis sets special elections for South Florida legislative seats after months of delays — and lawsuit
Gov. Ron DeSantis delayed setting special elections for three soon-to-be-vacant seats in the state Legislature — unilaterally imposing a monthslong delay — that he’s almost guaranteed that three Democratic districts in South Florida will go unrepresented during the 2022 lawmaking session. DeSantis finally set dates for the special elections Wednesday night — 12 days after the Harvard Election Law Clinic filed a lawsuit on behalf of Broward and Palm Beach County voters seeking a judge’s order compelling him to set the election dates.
› New city contract for Florida-Georgia game includes higher payouts
Days before the Oct. 30 kickoff, city leaders secured TIAA Bank Field as the site for the annual Florida-Georgia football game through at least 2023. Jacksonville City Council voted 18-0 on Oct. 26 to enter a new contract with the athletic associations of the universities of Florida and Georgia to play the game in Jacksonville for the next three years. The contract has a two-year option for the city to host the game in 2024 and 2025.
› Clearwater Gas paid millions for sponsorships, far outspending its peers
In a suite at BayCare Ballpark this year, the Clearwater Gas System hosted handpicked guests to watch Philadelphia Phillies spring training games. Over 11 games in March, about 80 business owners, developers, local government officials and energy industry executives got the invite to mingle over baseball with a spread of hot dogs, chicken wings and other snacks. The $40,000 tab was paid by the city-owned gas system.
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