Wednesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 10/11/2017

House Republicans officially name Jose Oliva as next House speaker

Jose Oliva

Florida’s Republicans formally announced their support of Miami Lakes state Rep. Jose Oliva as the next House speaker Tuesday, selecting him as their designee if they hold the majority in the 2018 elections. More from the Times/Herald.

Orlando biomed firm Vestagen beats lawsuit, pledges growth

Orlando biomed firm Vestagen has beaten a lawsuit by a competitor after a jury in California found that it didn’t make false claims about its proprietary hospital garments and their potential to prevent transmission of disease. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Turkish developers plan 73-story downtown Miami tower

A surface parking lot in the heart of downtown Miami is destined for new heights – Turkish developers plan a 73-story tower to be called The Sterling. The nearly 966-foot tower is to be home to a 300-room hotel, 363 dwellings, commercial-retail and office space. More from Miami Today.

Manatee aerospace plant suffers from lack of affordable housing

At a nondescript industrial building in southern Manatee County, 249 people design, make, repair and overhaul high-tech parts for commercial and military aircraft to the tightest specifications. Its biggest problem? A lack of housing its workers can afford. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

University of Florida to students: 'shun' white nationalist event

The University of Florida's president is urging students to stay away from a speaking event on campus featuring white nationalist Richard Spencer. President Kent Fuchs wrote in an email Tuesday that Spencer and his group seek only "to provoke a reaction" at their Oct. 19 event. See the full story from the Alligator, here. Also read more at the AP.

Out of the Box
Florida's cat cop

Coral Springs’ “cat cop” has successfully found homes for about 65 felines and now has more than 20,000 followers on Instagram who track the adventures of the cats and kittens she finds on her patrol route.

» More from People.

Recognition
Greg Asbed

Greg Asbed developed a model for improving conditions for low-wage workers in the tomato fields, and now the model is being replicated around the world in other industries. On Wednesday, the human rights strategist from Florida was honored as a 2017 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellow.