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Tuesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Omicron forces stricter COVID-19 testing rule. Will it hurt international tourism to Florida?
Starting this week, all international travelers including U.S. citizens coming into the United States on an airplane had to submit a negative COVID-19 test result from the day before flying, a temporary move to help stop the spread of the omicron variant. The hurdle could thwart international travel to Florida during the busy holiday season. The more stringent public health protocol that shortened the pre-flight testing window from three days to one day adds another burden for foreign travelers, some of whom already contend with limited testing options. More from the Miami Herald.
Florida Farm Bureau president talks about profit, supply chain and development pressures
Jeb Smith, whose family has farmed its fields in St. Johns County for nearly a century, recently stepped down as a county commissioner for a new two-year role as president of the Florida Farm Bureau. Smith, 47, who was first elected to the St. Johns County Commission in 2014, was in Tallahassee last week making the rounds at the Capitol. The farm bureau is considered the “Voice of Florida Agriculture,” representing more than 134,000 members who produce 300 different commodities. Its mission is “to increase the net income of farmers and ranchers, and to improve the quality of rural life.” More from the ews Service of Florida.
Florida seeks to scuttle environmentalists' Piney Point lawsuit
Contending that the case is moot, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is asking a federal judge to toss out a lawsuit that targets the state and other defendants over a former phosphate-plant site where massive amounts of polluted water were released this spring to avert a potential catastrophe. More from the News Service of Florida.
Record numbers of Americans quit jobs. Here’s how Tampa Bay locals did it.
A record 4.4 million people quit U.S.-based jobs in September, breaking the previous record set just a month earlier when 4.3 million quit in what has been dubbed The Great Resignation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is set to release numbers for October on Wednesday. That record-breaking September saw 279,000 Floridians quit, at a rate slightly higher than the U.S. average. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Central Florida native among 10 new NASA astronaut candidates
One of 10 new NASA astronaut candidates grew up with rocket launches in his backyard. Luke Delaney, 42, was born in Miami but grew up in DeBary, attending both DeLand and Deltona High School in Volusia County. He was among 10 candidates that will begin two years of training starting in January to gear up for future missions either to the International Space Station or on Artemis flights to deep space. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Sports Business
Tee time: The Hoffmann Family of Cos. gets into the golf business
The Hoffmann Family of Cos., whose vast holdings range from wineries in Missouri to a trolley service in West Palm Beach, have found a new line of business. Golf. Yep. The family business that seems to have everything, now has something new. In the past several months the company has bought two existing golf courses in Southwest Florida and is building a third in Missouri. It's also in negotiations to buy three more.
» More from the Business Observer.
Event
St. Petersburg is getting its own comic con
Tampa has a comic con, as does Jacksonville, Orlando, Lakeland, Pensacola and St. Augustine. St. Petersburg can now be added to that list. The St. Pete Comic Con is scheduled for Jan. 8-9 at The Coliseum and, according to organizers, it’s the first time such an event has been held in that city.
» Read more from the Tampa Bay Times.
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