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Friday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Hurricane forecasters now predict ‘above-average’ season. Blame a hot Atlantic.
When forecasters in April first predicted this year’s hurricane season would be slightly below average, they added an important asterisk. There was uncertainty, they said, between two conflicting meteorological factors: A strong El Niño, when the jet stream could weaken stronger hurricanes, and an “anomalously warm” Atlantic Ocean, which can fuel hurricanes. Three months later, the potential victor of that tug-of-war is becoming more clear. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the Orlando Sentiniel.
Space Florida narrows search for new CEO to 3 finalists
The search for the new head of Space Florida has come down to three men, each of whom pitched an expansive vision of where the state’s future lies during interviews with the board’s search committee. An initial list of 14 viable candidates applied by the May 1 deadline to replace Frank DiBello, 80, who has led the state’s aerospace economic development entity since 2009. He recently agreed to stay on past his previously announced June 30 retirement. More from the Orlando Sentnel.
Pinellas seeks input for mandatory recycling, facing solid-waste strain
Pinellas County has a math problem. In 2020, the county released a solid waste master plan — a road map for how it would deal with the next 30 years of garbage — that noted that each Pinellas resident generates an average of more than 12 pounds of waste per day. Meanwhile, the county population is growing, on track to add another 200,000 residents by 2050. The current landfill, at the county Solid Waste Disposal Complex near 28th Street, will fill up around 2100, the county projects. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Miami-Dade loosens safety rules around airport to match Beckham soccer stadium plans
David Beckham and partners saw a development complication vanish Thursday when Miami-Dade County Commissioners voted to loosen rules on which businesses can operate in the area outside Miami International Airport that’s planned for an entertainment complex and soccer stadium. County zoning rules around MIA presented a problem for the Miami Freedom Park project because Miami-Dade rules establish an “outer safety zone” about 5,000 feet from the runways that prohibit buildings that would attract large gatherings of people below flight paths where planes take off and land. More from the Miami Herald.
Orange County tourist tax tumbles again
Orange County tourist-tax collections fell again in May, the first time in more than two years the lucrative revenue stream has posted consecutive monthly drops, Comptroller Phil Diamond said. The back-to-back decreases, the first since January and February 2021, followed a historic run of 14 straight record months. “I think there was a lot of pent-up demand after the pandemic,” Diamond said, explaining the reversals in convention attendance and tourist-tax collections. “I think demand may be normalizing.” More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Business Beat - Week of July 7th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video news brief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Out of the Box
A prom dress made of Duck Tape puts Orlando teen in finals of national contest
Ziqin Chiodi knows her handmade prom dress would not be comfortable attire at a formal dance, as the wearer would find movement hard and sweating likely. A dress fashioned from 18 rolls of Duck Tape will do that. But the 17-year-old’s red gown, influenced by traditional Chinese designs, is stunning and now one of 10 finalists in Duck Tape’s annual Stuck at Prom contest.
» Read more from the Orlando Sentinel.
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