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Wednesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
› Orange County Comptroller’s online auction nets taxpayers $910,000
Switching to online auctions of surplus inventory continues to pay off for Orange County taxpayers. The most recent virtual auction, which ended Feb. 2, pulled in more than $910,000, a record haul for the used property sale. Bidders bought more than 160 items — including five dozen vehicles — during the week-long auction.
› Inside Gibsonton’s new $100M flour mill, relocated from downtown Tampa
If all goes well, Tampa Bay’s Cuban bread will taste the same. So far, the flour coming from Ardent Mills’ new $100 million plant in Gibsonton is essentially the same product that came from the downtown Tampa facility that’s been supplying it to bakeries across Florida for decades. Over the last two months, production at the new plant has ramped up and the old plant has wound down, a shift that has not only modernized flour production in Tampa, but also cleared the way for even more development downtown.
› ‘Prohibited tourism:’ Miami judge deals major blow to cruise companies that traveled to Cuba
In a consequential ruling Monday night, a Miami federal judge said four major cruise lines with South Florida ties — Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises — engaged in “prohibited tourism” and “trafficking activities” by carrying passengers to Cuba and profiting from the use of Havana port facilities confiscated by the Fidel Castro-led government, the first decision of its kind that could affect similar lawsuits.
› Kennedy Space Center offers virtual sessions about space exploration
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is offering new virtual sessions as part of its KSC Club Discovery program next month. They are designed to help children — specifically those in third grade through sixth grade — understand space exploration and interplanetary travel. The three-hour programs are conducted live and guided by a visitor complex educator.
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