Final "Zika zone" on Miami Beach to be lifted

Miami-Dade officials expect Florida to lift its Zika warning over South Beach on Friday, ending the county’s last transmission zone for the mosquito-borne disease that has rattled the region’s tourism industry and upended the lives of pregnant women and their partners. More from the Miami Herald and NBC Miami.

UPDATE (11:00 am): All areas cleared of active Zika transmission in Florida

Column: Tourism-friendly policies from D.C. can grow Florida

As our re-elected and newly elected lawmakers take office, we hope they will continue to support Florida's largest industry and the lifeblood of our state: travel and tourism. The stakes are enormous because Florida's top industry has tremendous reach. Last year, our state saw a whopping $89.1 billion in spending as a result of travel. Read the full column by DT Minich, here. 

Florida: Record number of manatees killed by boats in 2016

Florida wildlife data show that a record number of manatees died in 2016 after being hit by boats, even as the overall number of the beloved marine mammals increased. [Source: AP]

Many Florida colleges don't prepare teachers for elementary school math

Many Florida colleges -- like counterparts across the nation -- do a poor job preparing would-be elementary school teachers to teach math, according to a new national review released this week. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

» Read the full report "Landscapes in Teacher Prep," by NCTQ Teacher Prep Review.

Space industry mourns death of John Glenn

The death of a space pioneer has drawn messages of support and grief from space agencies and politicians from across the U.S. John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, died Thursday at the age of 95. See a full profile of John Glenn from NASA, here. Also read more at the Orlando Sentinel]

See also:
» Florida-based scholarship foundation remembers John Glenn
» John Glenn hails Jeff Bezos’ space feats in a letter written just days before astronaut’s death

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› BioFlorida Conference set for Jacksonville raises local profile of life science industry [Florida Times-Union]
The conference will run through Tuesday and is centered at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront hotel in downtown where several dozen speakers and panel participants will hold seminars and workshops on the latest developments in the life sciences industry.

› Southwest Florida medical network announces expansion [Business Observer]
Lee Health, one of the largest nonprofit community health organizations in Southwest Florida, plans to add a new urgent care center and multi-specialty practice to its sprawling network.

› Big Four accounting firm considers $430 million center in Lake Nona [Orlando Sentinel]
One of the four largest accounting and professional services firms in the world is considering Lake Nona for a new, $430M global training and conference center.

› Boca Raton company's combined hormone pill for hot flashes seeks FDA approval [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
TherapeuticsMD, which specializes in women's health products, has completed a year-long clinical trial that shows its combined hormone therapy softgel reduces hot flashes, a symptom many women experience after menopause.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Florida Poly breaks ground on $2 million wellness center [Lakeland Ledger]
By this time next year, the burgeoning Lakeland campus will debut a variety of fitness options, from weight training to nutrition coaching, aquatics to rock climbing.

› Jacksonville ranked in Top 10 in U.S. for tourism ‘destinations on the rise’ [Florida Times-Union]
Jacksonville is among the hottest destinations in the U.S. for travelers, according to a new ranking issued this week by tourism planning website TripAdvisor.

› Winter Garden nursery shows off medical marijuana facilities [Orlando Sentinel]
A row of greenhouses under construction at Knox Nursery will soon be home to rapid expansion of Florida's newest cash crop: medical marijuana. Some marijuana was already harvested at the Winter Garden firm recently, for Friday's first deliveries of medical pot products in Central Florida.

› Florida employees frustrated over nixed day off [WCTV]
Florida's Gov. Scott is ending a holiday tradition this year and it has some state employees upset. For the first time in years, state offices will be open the Friday before Christmas.

 

Image Gallery: John Glenn

Video: Archival Footage from Glenn's Mercury Flight

Video: 50th Anniversary of American Orbital Flight