Friday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 3/29/2019

Florida not front runner for Space Command home

The new branch of the military dedicated to space is likely to be based in Colorado, at least temporarily, according to experts and a industry advocate in Florida. The new Space Command, the Department of Defense has said, "would focus on conducting all joint space warfighting operations and ensuring the combat readiness of global forces." More from UPI.

You may have to pay more to keep the lights on. Here's why.

Millions of Floridians’ power bills could rise dramatically as FPL and other utilities look to customers to pay more for improvements that could make the state’s electrical grid more resilient from hurricanes. Newly proposed legislation, which is advancing in the Florida Senate, would establish a 10-year plan to further strengthen the state’s electrical grid against damage from storms. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Major retailer rolls out new tools for customers, employees in Florida

As brick-and-mortar retail continues to see threats from online shopping, retail giant Walmart has introduced several measures in stores to improve customer and employee experiences. In Florida, the retailer has introduced and expanded what it refers to as “retail innovations.” More from the Business Observer.

Florida’s craft distillers could get big boost if lawmakers ease restrictions on liquor sales

A bill introduced in the state Legislature would provide the legal framework for the industry to take off, similar to how tweaks to the law allowed local beer makers to quickly expand. The legislation would ease rules about how distillers sell their product. It also increases how much they can produce before the state no longer considers them a craft maker. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

A multimillionaire construction magnate is Florida’s most pro-environment Republican

Francis Rooney made millions on sprawling building projects like the Dallas Cowboys’ football stadium. He parlayed his status as a George W. Bush mega donor into a diplomatic post. He fended off frequent Fox News guest Dan Bongino in a 2016 primary to win a Naples-based congressional seat that is one of the most conservative in the state. More from the Miami Herald.

Arts Business
Artists talk about the tradeoffs they make for their passions

Day jobs are a necessity for a majority of artists in Central Florida, whatever discipline they trade in. Though a 2017 economic impact study on the region found that arts accounts for nearly $400 million in generated activity and supports more than 13,000 jobs, most creative people have to balance their passion with making a living.

» More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Out of the Box
Massive cocktail-mixing truck heading to Florida

If you like your alcoholic drinks shaken, not stirred, then have we got a truck for you. It may look like a construction cement truck and it may even smell like one, but hitting the roads of Florida will be an honest-to-goodness cocktail mixer unlike anything you've ever seen.