Demands for action intensify at huge rally at Florida’s Capitol

Florida became the epicenter of an historic debate over gun violence Wednesday as a growing #NeverAgain movement seized the national spotlight to demand action a week after the massacre in Parkland. The largest protest in two decades led thousands to the state capitol. The crowd chanted slogans like "vote them out" and "never again," railing against the Republican-controlled chamber. Alfonso Calderon, one of the shooting survivors, said, "We're going to keep pushing until something is done, because people are dying and this can't happen anymore." More from Tampa Bay Times, the AP, the Miami Herald, and Business Insider.

See also:
» Florida workers' pension fund invested in gun manufacturers
» Parkland students have a cause and $3.5 million. Here’s how they’re going to spend it.
» Rubio faces tough audience at CNN forum
» Florida students Bbegan with optimism. Then they spoke to lawmakers.

Florida Trend Exclusive
Florida's newest Supreme Court justice changes the high court's dynamics

New Florida Supreme Court Justice Alan Lawson has taken a narrower view of which cases the court should hear than his predecessor. “Justice Lawson tends to take a much more strict view of what it means to be in conflict,” says one appellate attorney who regularly appears before the Supreme Court. “His more strict interpretation of the court’s jurisdiction is the biggest difference between him and Justice Perry.” Full profile here.

With deportation looming, Haitian workers highlight their role in Florida's tourism industry

Many Haitians gained protection after the 2010 earthquake destabilized the country. Florida is home to more than half of the Haitians with temporary protected status who face deportation. Many work in the state’s $111.7 billion hospitality industry. Listen to the story from Marketplace:

Gov. Scott to approve civil rights leader Bethune statue bill

The Florida House voted 111-1 on Tuesday to support placing the statue of civil rights leader and educator Mary McLeod Bethune in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, replacing Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith. More from the Daily Business Review and the Florida Times-Union.

Overdoses, DUIs, stolen drugs: Florida’s third-biggest fire rescue department has a problem

Hillsborough County has a documented history of drug issues — and alcohol abuse — among first responders. A Tampa Bay Times investigation found 47 drug- and alcohol-related incidents involving county fire rescue employees since 2010. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Tampa Bay homes prices soar by double-digits in January [Tampa Bay Times]
Home prices soared in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties in January, the highest gains in several months. Prices for single family homes also rose in Hernando and Pasco as the shortage of available homes showed no immediate sign of easing.

› Help for Florida farmers advancing in Senate [Florida Politics]
Farmers and other parts of Florida’s agriculture industry could receive about $75 million in post-Hurricane Irma assistance from the state next year under a measure moving forward in the Senate. See the bill, SB 1608  "Agricultural Recovery," here.

› FPL website now can handle 'extreme' customer traffic after failing in Hurricane Irma, the utility tells regulators [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Florida Power & Light Co. says its website, FPL.com, now can handle more customer traffic after having failed in the aftermath of 2017’s Hurricane Irma, according to documents filed this week with the Florida Public Service Commission.

› Florida gun show cancels event after mayor asks ‘courteously’ [Miami Herald]
The Florida Gun & Knife Show, an annual event for decades in Broward County, won’t happen just over a month after the mass shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

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› David Tepper a strong contender to purchase Panthers [NFL]
A frontrunner has emerged in the Carolina Panthers' search for a new majority team owner. Billionaire hedge fund manager and philanthropist David Tepper is considered a strong contender to purchase the team. Tepper, 60, is the founder and president of Appaloosa Management, a global hedge fund firm based in Miami Beach.

› The late Billy Graham began career in Palatka, crusaded in Jacksonville [Florida Times-Union]
The late Billy Graham, the popular evangelist who was known as “America’s pastor,” had a host of personal ties to Northeast Florida. Graham, 99, died at his home in Montreat, N.C., after long battles with cancer, Parkinson’s disease and other ailments.

› Clearwater Beach named No. 1 in U.S. by TripAdvisor; Siesta Beach is #2 [Press Release]
A reigning champion for sand and sunshine, Tampa Bay is once again home to one of the best beaches in the United States. Clearwater Beach was named the best beach in the U.S. for 2018 by the popular travel site TripAdvisor. Also read more at the Tampa Bay Times.

Your turn:
» What's your favorite Florida beach? (tell us in comments at this quick poll)

› Room revenue, occupancy up for Orlando hotels in January [Orlando Sentinel]
The Central Florida market had the second-biggest leap in average daily rate, an increase of 8.9 percent to $135.96. That trails only Super Bowl host Minneapolis-St. Paul, which recorded an ADR gain of 10.5 percent for $117.25.