SHARE:
Thursday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
How much are people willing to spend at Florida theme parks? More every year
Prices keep rising and so does attendance. Theme parks had attendance of more than a half-billion visits for the first time in history. Every theme park in Florida saw a spike in attendance last year. Busch Gardens, the 11th most visited theme park in North America, had a 4.5 percent increase in attendance by some 4 million visitors. Walt Disney World retained its crown as the world’s busiest tourist attraction, with its four parks among the top-attended in the world. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Florida Cabinet meets in Israel under media objection
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet met in Israel on Wednesday, waving away complaints that the setting was illegal. They presented a proclamation of support for Israel and heard from Israelis on several issues important to Florida. More from the AP and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
See also:
» Florida, Israeli Chambers of Commerce sign memorandum of understanding
Hurricane tax holiday starts Friday, one day ahead of hurricane season
A little nudging for storm prep shouldn’t be necessary after Hurricane Matthew battered Florida’s east coast in 2016, Irma essentially drenched the entire state in 2017, and Michael ground up a chunk of the Panhandle last year. Still, Floridians will have seven days to build a hurricane-season stockpile — including batteries, flashlights and radios — free of sales taxes, beginning Friday. More from CBS Miami, the Orlando Sentinel, and the Pensacola News-Journal
Opinion: As population booms, Florida must prioritize flood mitigation investments
Last month, the U.S. Census Bureau confirmed what so many Floridians already know — the population of the Sunshine State is booming. Estimates released by the Census Bureau show that in 2018, Florida’s population grew by more than 322,000 people, bringing our total population to nearly 21.3 million. These numbers underline a growing crisis when you consider that too many Floridians are already living in potentially dangerous and flood-prone areas. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Hepatitis A cases continue escalating throughout Florida
With cases popping up in various parts of the state, Florida had 92 cases of hepatitis A reported last week --- bringing the total this year to 1,312, according to information posted on the state Department of Health website. [Source: WOFL]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Tampa airport in the market for $3 million in public art
As part of its continuing $2 billion expansion, Tampa International Airport is about to go shopping for more public art, and its budget is $3.1 million. Airport officials are in the market for nine new pieces of public art, with commissions ranging from a little under $100,000 to $520,000.
› Orlando computer-security company sues, claiming blackmail, theft of trade secrets
An Orlando company’s lawsuit against a competitor reads like a case of cyber espionage, with one firm accusing another of blackmail using confidential information obtained illegally and demanding that it coerce a third party to take down a negative YouTube video.
› Miami International Airport due billions in upgrades
Up to $5 billion in improvements at Miami-Dade’s five airports are a vote away, with lawmakers to decide Tuesday if they’ll OK funds and first plans focusing on Miami International Airport (MIA). The 15-year, $4 billion to $5 billion program is meant to meet needs through “2035 and beyond,” a memo from Mayor Carlos Giménez said.
› Economy ‘going gangbusters’ as Seminole, Lake show big increases in tax roll
A red-hot economy that shows little sign of cooling, along with a growing number of new residents looking for increasingly scarce places to live, is credited for boosting Seminole County’s tax roll to a record amount, Property Appraiser David Johnson said Tuesday.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
In case you missed it:
