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Tuesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Claws for optimism: Florida stone crab season looks promising
A persistent red tide coupled with the effects of Hurricane Michael resulted in another hit-or-miss season for Florida crabbers last year. But scientists and industry experts are hopeful that this season — which kicks off Tuesday and runs through May 15 — could prove more fruitful. More from the Tampa Bay Times and Bay News 9.
See also:
» Florida stone crab harvesters anxious about return of red tide
» Crabbers concerned over red tide's effect on their income this stone crab season
Florida lawmakers take up once-taboo subject of climate change
Florida lawmakers Monday dug into issues involving climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, phrases mostly kept under wraps by state Republican leaders before last year’s elections. Senate Infrastructure and Security Chairman Tom Lee, a Thonotosassa Republican and former Senate president, said the shift in the GOP is in part a reflection of a younger generation of conservatives, including Gov. Ron DeSantis and incoming House Speaker Chris Sprowls, who “aren’t so much in denial about some of these issues.” More from the Orlando Sentinel and WPEC.
Nearly half of Miami area business leaders now say this is their No. 1 concern
Miami-Dade businesses are still on the hunt for qualified job candidates. But a new survey published by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce shows there’s a new top concern among area corporations. The chamber and Miami-based accounting group MBAF, which produced the survey, found that 44 percent of local business leaders said “staying on top of technology trends” is now their most pressing issue in the coming year. More from the Miami Herald.
Port Manatee breaks fiscal year cargo records again
Port Manatee has again broken multiple fiscal year cargo records, including topping 10 million tons of total annual throughput for the first time in its 50-year history and enjoying a year-over-year increase of nearly 50 percent in containerized cargo activity. More from the American Journal of Transportation.
JEA picks 9 companies for negotiations to buy utility
JEA announced Monday that nine of the 16 offers for privatizing the utility survived the first cut and will stay in the running for negotiating a deal that could total billions of dollars. JEA’s solicitation of offers drew responses from entities around the world. More from the Florida Times-Union.
A pearl in the oyster
Many business leaders think of St. Pete as Florida’s Goldilocks – not too big or complicated, not too small or provincial – just right on the opportunity landscape. A quiet corner of ocean prowess. Anchored by the USF College of Marine Science (USF CMS), St. Pete’s ocean researchers are on the scene 24/7/365, from monitoring the pulse of the Gulf to measuring the health of Antarctica’s ice sheets that affect our coastline. [Sponsored report]
Profile
Theresa Bursey
At nearly $30 billion in annual revenue, Zurich-based UBS Group AG is one of the largest wealth management firms in the world. So for a financial industry executive, getting handed the keys to one of its branch offices is a big deal. For Theresa Bursey, UBS’s recently appointed St. Petersburg branch manager, it’s also a historic occasion: She’s the first woman to run the firm’s St. Pete office, which has about 45 employees. And at 37, she might be the youngest too — but don’t equate with that with inexperience.
» More from the Business Observer.
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Publisher's Column
A better place
Florida is fortunate to have such strong support from its business community and the executives in it. Their political leanings may differ, but they don’t get in the way of their efforts to ensure Florida’s success for the future. The desire to highlight leadership was one of reasons we created the FLORIDA 500, a special publication that profiles 500 business leaders who are shaping Florida.
» Read David Denor's full column here.
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