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Friday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Nationally, number of people hurt in firearms accidents is flat. In Florida, it's soaring.
The number of people injured by accidental gunfire each year is rising in Florida, with 857 injuries in 2017, state data show. What’s more, with about 22 people a year killed in Florida, the state is bucking a nationwide trend toward a decline in accidental gunfire deaths. Accidental shootings exasperate gun control advocates and firearms safety experts alike. Both sides see the shootings as preventable if people follow basic rules. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Florida Trend Exclusive
Port of Fort Pierce targets megayacht industry
As veteran port executive Stan Payne says, recent times have been a golden age for Florida ports. State, local and federal governments have invested $3 billion to rev up the state’s ports as economic engines. Then there’s the Port of Fort Pierce, the little engine that couldn’t. More from Florida Trend.
More than 2 million Floridians are expected to travel for Memorial Day weekend
Memorial Day weekend is expected to make a splash. AAA, The Auto Club Group, forecasts that the holiday weekend will bring out the second-highest volume of travelers since 2000. About 2.3 million Floridians are expected to travel for the weekend, up nearly 4 percent from last year. "A strong economy and weaker gas prices should help boost travel numbers this Memorial Day holiday weekend," AAA said in a release. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
The world's two best scientific institutes call Palm Beach County home
Nature Index has ranked Max Planck Society and Scripps Research as the world’s top two stand-alone scientific institutes for biomedical research. In fact, Florida Atlantic University’s Jupiter, Florida campus is the only place on the planet where two quality research institutions are co-located. Nature Index, the definitive ranking source for research institutions, based these results on high impact papers and yearly growth over the past five years. More from Florida Trend.
Restaurants, some public space proposed for Atlantic Beach Intracoastal island
Another plan has been put forward for Johnston Island, a modest spit of land under the Atlantic Boulevard Intracoastal Waterway bridge that’s been eyed for development for at least two decades. This one includes two restaurants, floating docks, a volleyball court, tiki bar, a bait and snack shop, refueling stations for boats, a passive park open to the public and about 80 parking spaces. No housing is included in the plan. More from the Florida Times-Union.
Art Business
Art Basel’s Miami Beach fair is getting something new. And it’s really big.
Art fans will want to explore two new Miami Beach additions to Art Basel come December. In its most significant update since the fair launched 18 years ago, Art Basel in Miami Beach is adding a new sector called Meridians that showcases works too big for traditional show booths.
» More from the Miami Herald.
Profile
Pensacola 'rodent whisperer' hopes to become 'gator man'
There's a new humane nuisance removal service available in Pensacola for homeowners fussing with unwanted squirrels, raccoons, rats, possums, snakes — even armadillos, hogs, and coyotes, if that's what's snooping in and around your property. Owner Dustin Niccum with the newly launched Nuisance Wildlife Services (NWS) is a one-man show out in the fields of northwest Florida and southeast Alabama.
» Read more from the Pensacola News Journal.
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