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Wednesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Starving manatees overwhelm Florida rescuers. Is there a future for the gentle marine giant?
All across the state, manatees in record numbers are starving to death from a man-made famine that has choked out the seagrass — the staple of the gentle giants' diet. Island outcroppings in estuaries up and down Florida have become seacow mass graveyards as more manatees succumb to the ravages of hunger every day. But even if they can be saved, what future awaits them? Their staple diet of seagrass has become a collateral casualty of our addiction to manicured lawns and clear-cut subdivisions connected to septic tanks. More from the Florida Times-Union. Florida Today, and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
State to pay $17.5 million for improper reporting of SNAP benefits
Florida has agreed to pay $17.5 million to resolve allegations that go back a decade regarding improper claims involving the state’s administration of food stamps. The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday announced the Florida Department of Children and Families agreed to the settlement over allegations that, starting in 2010, the state agency “injected bias” into its reporting about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which reduce its error rate. More from the News Service of Florida.
Expo to bring thousands in travel trade to Miami International Airport
A new expo aimed at positioning Miami International Airport as tourism’s cornerstone aims to bring about 2,000 global travel professionals to the airport yearly starting next May 3-5. “The World Travel Expo is to solidify the Miami-Dade County economic support – tourism,” said Rolando Aedo, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau chief operating officer. More from Miami Today.
Hallmark to shoot another movie in Tampa Bay
Hallmark will soon begin shooting its third movie in the Tampa Bay area. Elayne Schmidt, who produced the first two and will produce this one, told the Tampa Bay Times that cameras start rolling in August in Pinellas County. The movie, titled South Beach Love, is about an American chef and a Cuban chef who meet and fall in love against the backdrop of planning a “quinceañera,” Schmidt said. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Orlando roads could soon use pavement that lowers air pollution and keeps cool, experts say
Orlando is looking to be one the first cities to try a new pavement treatment that can reduce certain types of air pollution by nearly half. What’s more, the treatment has the potential to lower ambient temperatures. The treatment, developed by Pavement Technologies, uses a photocatalytic titanium oxide solution injected into the pavement to capture nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas emitted by cars, and also volatile organic compounds, another type of chemical air pollution. More from the Orlando Sentnel.
Sports Business
More than 60 Florida athletes will represent Team USA in Tokyo Olympics
More than 11,000 athletes are expected to compete in the Tokyo Olympics, which start July 23. Of those who have qualified for Team USA, 62 across 25 sports have ties to Florida. These Olympians hail from the Sunshine State, went to college here or play on one of its professional sports teams (and in some cases, two out of three).
» More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Profles in Law
Dealing with uncertainty
A few months before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, Marie Tomassi took on a new role. Not only would she remain managing shareholder at Trenam Law, but she also would succeed founding shareholder Hal Mullis as the firm’s president. “Of course, nobody knew we were on the eve of a pandemic, or one of us might have thought better of that plan,” she laughs. Tomassi, a St. Petersburg native, graduated summa cum laude in English literature from the University of South Florida and finished first in her class at Stetson University College of Law. She joined Trenam in 1988 and has worked there ever since, practicing appellate law and litigation while eventually rising to the firm’s top management position.
» Read more from Florida Trend.
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