SHARE:
Friday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lowers COVID-19 vaccine eligibility age to 50, starting Monday
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday that coronavirus vaccine eligibility in Florida will be lowered to age 50 beginning Monday. He also said he expected shots will be available to every adult by May 1, the timeline President Biden had laid out for universal eligibility in his anniversary speech last week. DeSantis added the state would be flexible in lowering the age even more, depending on what officials see next week. More from the Orlando Sentinel, the Tampa Bay Times, and WJXT.
Miles of Florida roads face ‘major problem’ from sea rise. Is state moving fast enough?
After years of ignoring or denying climate change, Florida has begun assessing the threat that sea rise poses to a sprawling transportation network essential to the state’s economy. But the risks, like the water, are rising fast. One 2018 Department of Transportation study already has found that a 2-foot rise, expected by mid-century, would imperil a little more than 5% — 250-plus miles — of the state’s most high-traffic highways. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Gaming deal ‘is close,’ governor and Senate president tell parimutuel leaders
Florida legislators are “getting close” to a new gambling deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Senate President Wilton Simpson told 20 top officials of Florida’s casinos, poker rooms, horse tracks and jai-alai facilities on Thursday, according to some of the men in attendance at the closed-door meeting in the Capitol. More from the Miami Herald.
Florida lawmakers want greenhouse gas emissions to be regulated
Measures in the Florida House and Senate would create rules over and require inventories of greenhouse gas emissions. State lawmakers, Florida’s agriculture commissioner, and a rancher held a joint press conference to highlight the bills this week. The state Senate bill would require the Office of Energy, in consultation with certain state entities and officers, to develop rules that meet certain requirements for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It would also direct the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in coordination with the Department of Management Services and the Department of Environmental Protection, to develop and maintain a greenhouse gas registry and inventory. More from WGCU.
Women’s wages don’t stretch far in Miami, according to report
The average woman in Miami can’t afford much beyond the basics with her wages. That’s according to a new report that ranked the nation’s 100 largest metro areas based on how far women’s wages stretch when comparing earnings to cost of living. Miami ranked 99. Only McAllen, Texas, fared worse. The report from MagnifyMoney, a personal finance site, used 2019 data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. More from the Miami Herald.
Business Beat - Week of March 19
Get the top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Florida Dining
The Boozy Cauldron, ‘Harry Potter’-style cocktail bar, pops up in Fort Lauderdale
The Boozy Cauldron, a ‘Harry Potter’-themed bar featuring cocktails, close-up magic and Butterbeer, will pop up in downtown Fort Lauderdale March 26-27. The interactive drinking event – which artfully sidesteps direct nods to the billion-dollar fantasy juggernaut – is billed as a “four-part cocktail experience” and 90-minute magic show in which a wizarding school professor and his two students share stories “surrounding the famous tavern and the ghosts that still haunt the establishment.”
» Read more from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
In case you missed it:
