Thursday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 1/15/2015

Travel and trade rules for Cuba easing on Friday

New rules that will make it easier to travel to Cuba — and bring back Cuban cigars — will go into effect Friday, less than a month after President Barack Obama announced plans to restore long-severed diplomatic ties with the communist-led island. More at the Miami Herald, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fortune, and Reuters.

Disney helps Orlando pitch more than parks

Orlando needed a new way to market itself as a business hub with a significant downtown area and clusters of key industries such as technology and health care. So local officials turned to one of the world's best branding experts: Disney itself. More at the Orlando Sentinel.

Florida college students leave $170.3 million on the table

Around the State
German Accent

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey introduced the Tampa Bay Advanced Manufacturing Skills Initiative, an effort to replicate Germany’s success in pairing young, qualified workers with local industries.

» Access full story

Thirty percent of Florida students eligible for Pell grants did not fill out applications for Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, for the 2013-2014 year. The lack of applications resulted in $170.3 million in forfeited grant money. More at the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Florida and Orlando rank low in WalletHub STEM jobs list

Orlando didn’t rank well (83 out of 100) on a new list of cities where tech or STEM jobs are available and pay well, according to financial information website WalletHub. More at the Orlando Sentinel.

Cape Canaveral will be busiest spaceport in 2015

Cape Canaveral will be the busiest spaceport in the world during 2015, with 24 flights scheduled through the end of the year. SpaceX and the United Launch Alliance (ULA) both have launches due to lift off from Cape Canaveral through 2015. More at Tech Times.

Profile
High-Art, High-End Miami

Craig Robins has helped make Miami's Design District a magnet for cutting-edge architecture and luxury retail. Robins has been at the forefront of Miami's transformation for nearly two decades, and his district has long been a well-entrenched staple of the social scene during the fair. Read more from Citylab and see also: