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Wednesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
DeSantis outlines COVID-19 vaccination plan
Participating in a White House vaccine summit on Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis described his COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan for the state. DeSantis said the state’s proposal calls for vaccinating seniors in nursing homes before the end of December, while also getting vaccines into the hands of “high-contact” front line health-care workers in five urban areas by the end of next week. More from the News Service of Florida.
CPAC, the Super Bowl of conservative conventions, is coming to Orlando in February
The 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference, the highest-profile annual convention for America’s conservatives, will be held in Orlando early next year. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the American Conservative Union told the news channel it would hold the event best known as CPAC at the Hyatt Regency Orlando next to the Orange County Convention Center from Feb. 25-28. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Ford’s self-driving cars are being used to deliver food and supplies to Miami-Dade families
For the past two months, 50 Miami-Dade County Public Schools families have been receiving fresh greens and school supplies via an unlikely source: a self-driving car. Even as the pandemic raged, the Ford Motor Company’s autonomous vehicles division and its technology partner Argo AI have continued the program they began nearly three years ago to test self-driving vehicles in Miami-Dade. More from the Miami Herald.
Pasco commissioners approve $2 million in incentives for finance company to move to Odessa
The Pasco County Commission approved a $2 million economic development incentive package Tuesday for Dallas-based Santander Consumer USA, an auto financing company which plans to renovate a portion of the former Target store on State Road 54 at the Suncoast Parkway. Santander is expected to create 875 new jobs here over the next five years with an average annual salary of $46,283. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Jaguars agree to wait for Lot J vote in January
The tense debate over the proposed Lot J development will take a holiday break after Jacksonville Jaguars President Mark Lamping said Tuesday it is "completely understandable" for City Council to wait until January to cast a final vote on the development deal. Lamping's comments during a meeting of City Council members about the Lot J project aligns the development partners — Jaguars owner Shad Khan and The Cordish Companies — with the timeline mapped out over the weekend by City Council President Tommy Hazouri to take the vote in early January. More from the Florida Times-Union.
Out of the Box
Snake and eggs for breakfast? Florida may soon encourage you to eat invasive pythons
Donna Kalil estimates she’s eaten a dozen pythons in the last three years or so. That’s not including the python jerky, says Kalil, a python hunter for the South Florida Water Management District. “I eat that several times a week because I take it out with me on python hunts and I eat it out there.” State officials would like to see more people like Kalil putting pythons on the menu — not because of their nutritional value but as another way to encourage hunting to control their population.
» More from the Souuth Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Tech Trends
Blueberry app developed to help growers battle diseases and pests
A new University of Florida app will help the state’s blueberry growers identify and manage disease and insect injuries commonly encountered in Florida before their crop is ruined. Collectively, blueberries are a $60 million-per-year crop in Florida. Patricio Munoz, the UF/IFAS blueberry breeder and an assistant professor of horticultural sciences, came up with the vision for, and supervised the development of, the UF/IFAS Blueberry Growers Guide phone app, released on December 1.
» Read more from the Southeast AgNet.
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