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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida COVID hospitalizations at lowest point in a year
Hospitalizations from COVID-19 are at their lowest level in the state in over a year, the Florida Hospital Association said Wednesday. There were roughly 1,842 COVID hospitalizations in Florida Wednesday. According to their data, the state’s hospitalizations have declined 19% in the last two weeks and stand 38% lower than one month ago. Current hospitalizations stand at only 20 percent of the peak reached in July 2020 with approximately 33 percent of existing hospital capacity available, according to a statement. More from the AP.
CDC says if court rules for Florida in cruise lawsuit, Alaska sailing could be threatened
New filings in the federal lawsuit between Florida and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the restart of the cruise industry have raised the specter that a ruling in Florida’s favor could essentially end any chance for Alaska to welcome cruises this year. In the suit filed by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody back on April 8 against the CDC, Biden Administration and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, the state claims the CDC has overstepped its authority amid the COVID-19 pandemic to regulate the cruise industry, which was shut down under a no-sail order from the CDC in March 2020, and has since fall been under a conditional sail order. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Collier County posts stellar monthly tourism numbers, besting 2020 and 2019
Collier County posted strong tourism numbers in April, leading area tourism officials to say “the destination has turned the corner on the pandemic.” Visitor numbers have steadily increased over the last few months, according to a statement from the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau, and “have now surpassed 2019 for the same period, marking a significant milestone.” More from the Business Observer.
Taxes likely will go up as South Florida’s property values keep rising
Properties have increased an average of about 5% in taxable value in Broward and Palm Beach counties, according to newly released estimates from the counties’ property appraisers, based on sales from Jan. 2, 2020, through Jan. 1 this year. They rose by more than 3% in Miami-Dade. Cities use these property value estimates to decide your property tax rate, a process that begins this summer. The rates determine how much money local governments collect in taxes, which pay for everything from police to street repaving projects to running City Hall. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Tampa’s first Shake Shack opening next week
Tampa Bay’s first Shake Shack officially has an opening date. The long-awaited Tampa outpost of the popular burger-and-milkshake chain will open in Midtown Tampa at 11 a.m. on Monday, according to the company. Along with a recently-opened REI Co-op, Shake Shack has been one of the most anticipated retail openings at Midtown, a $500 million mixed-use development off Dale Mabry Highway south of Interstate 275. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Arts Business
PAMM, HistoryMiami museums set to open latest exhibits
Attendance numbers have slowly but surely been rising in downtown Miami’s major museums. Since reopening in October, attendance rates are up 35%, which is quite not at pre-pandemic numbers just yet, said Jorge Zamanillo, HistoryMiami Museum’s executive director. “But you can tell the trend is heading that way. I think that’s mostly because of people’s comfort level on visiting public spaces,” he said.
» More from Miami Today.
Florida Dining
Boca Raton’s first dock-and-dine restaurant makes a splash on Intracoastal
Hard as it is to believe, there isn’t an Intracoastal restaurant in Boca Raton where the public can just dock their boat, plop down at a waterfront table and enjoy a meal and some drinks. SeaSpray Inlet Grill aims to be the boat boîte for the people when it debuts June 14 at the Waterstone Resort & Marina, which sits on Lake Boca Raton within sight of the Atlantic Ocean.
» Read more from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
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