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Tuesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
What a no-show El Niño might mean for this year's hurricane season
This week is National Hurricane Preparedness Week. It’s a chance for people to get a head start on their prep for this year’s Atlantic hurricane season. And according to the tropical storm experts at Colorado State University — it’s going to be a busy one. Their latest forecast is for 17 named storms during the season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. Of those 17, researchers expect eight to become hurricanes and four to reach major hurricane strength. More from the WLRNand Florida Politics.
Florida officials urging Army Corps to change Lake Okeechobee management plan to avoid algae blooms
The Florida governor urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to change its game plan in managing discharges from Lake Okeechobee, shifting the blame for increasing algae blooms to the federal service in charge of handling discharges from Florida’s largest lake. Gov. Ron DeSantis, Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Noah Valenstein and officials with the South Florida Water Management District held a news conference in Hobe Sound at Johnathan Dickinson State Park to talk about the management of the lake and harmful algae blooms. More from WKMG.
KSC director Cabana promoted to NASA associate administrator
Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, a former astronaut and longtime proponent of Florida's role in the spaceflight industry, will become NASA's next associate administrator, the agency said Monday. Newly appointed Administrator Bill Nelson confirmed the news through NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., and said Cabana will fill the agency's No. 3 role starting Monday, May 17. He will replace Steve Jurczyk, who has served – including as acting administrator after Jim Bridenstine's departure in January – for more than 30 years. More from Florida Today.
DeSantis picks daughter of powerful state senator for Public Service Commission post
Gabriella Passidomo, the daughter of an influential state senator, has been appointed Monday by Gov. Ron DeSantis to a seat on the Florida Public Service Commission. The 29-year-old Passidomo, who graduated from law school in 2019 and is currently a PSC attorney, will move to a $135,997-a-year position on the five-member commission, which regulates and sets rates for electric, natural gas and water utilities. Gabriella Passidomo, whose mother is slated to become Senate president after the 2022 elections, also served as a law clerk for the Florida solicitor general in the Office of the Attorney General. More from the News Service of Florida.
$300 million distribution center planned at Westlake Industrial Park in Jacksonville
California-based CT Realty CEO James C. “Watty” Watson estimates a more than $300 million investment in plans for a 251-acre Westlake Industrial Park distribution center along Pritchard Road. A partnership of CT Realty and Diamond Realty Investments LLC plans to develop 3.2 million square feet among eight buildings on property purchased April 29. CT Realty said it will be the largest speculative industrial development in Jacksonville. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Arts Business
Orlando Museum of Art plans to expand into new luxury downtown tower
As Orlando Museum of Art approaches its centennial celebration, it will achieve a long-desired wish to expand from its building in Loch Haven Park. New museum director Aaron De Groft announced Monday afternoon that the museum plans to add a state-of-the-art second location — not in Lake Nona, as previously considered, but in the heart of downtown.
» More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Entertainment
A movie based on Gibsonton’s carnie history will be shot locally
An old banner hanging inside the Showmen’s Museum has inspired an independent movie, and possibly a series of movies, based on the area’s history as a retirement community for carnival and sideshow workers. The banner promotes “Wolf Boy,” called such because he was covered in hair from head to toe. During a 2019 visit to the Riverview museum that tells the history of carnivals and fairs, Tampa independent film producer Ed McKeever said his now-14-year-old son, Michael McKeever, wondered aloud what the Wolf Boy would be up to today. “I thought, ‘That’s a great idea for a movie,’” McKeever said.
» Read more from the Tampa Bay Times.
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