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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Long-term solutions sought for Florida's starving manatees
Wildlife officials said Wednesday an infusion of projects to improve water quality is a good start, as they seek to avoid a recurrence of large numbers of manatee deaths due to a lack of seagrass and degraded water in the Indian River Lagoon. With state and federal wildlife officials planning to feed starving manatees in the coming months, members of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission pointed to a need for more long-term solutions, such as the $53 million that Gov. Ron DeSantis directed toward the lagoon in September. More from the News Service of Florida.
How Hard Rock behemoth is expanding to Las Vegas with another guitar hotel, and what it means for sports betting in Florida
Hard Rock International, which is owned by Florida’s Seminole Tribe, flexed its financial, branding and technology muscle this week as the company announced it will scoop up its latest acquisition: the operations of the Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas for nearly $1.1 billion. As the deal was unveiled on Monday, Mirage executives called the plan “transformational” for their company. But at the end of the day, it was Hard Rock driving the transformation. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Walgreens must disclose Florida opioid profits, judge says
After more than two years of squabbling over production of records in a lawsuit filed by the state, a judge ordered Walgreens to hand over documentation about the company’s profits on sales of opioid drugs in Florida for the past 25 years. Pasco County Circuit Judge Kimberly Sharpe Byrd on Friday gave Walgreens until Dec. 31 to start turning over “financial information sufficient to show all rebates, discounts, chargebacks, coupon reimbursements and any other money back it received on opioids” it purchased or sold in Florida since 1996. More from the News Service of Florida.
Firehouse Subs buyer thinking globally
Firehouse Subs has grown strongly over the last quarter century, mainly in the U.S. Restaurant Brands International Inc., which said Dec. 15 it completed its $1 billion acquisition of Firehouse Restaurant Group Inc., expects that domestic growth to continue but it also has its sights on new international markets for the chain of sub shops. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
FedEx bets $72 million on Miami, more than doubling its air cargo hub space at the airport
FedEx, one of the world’s largest delivery and e-commerce companies, began operations Wednesday at its substantially bigger air cargo hub at Miami International Airport. The $72 million addition, two years under development and roughly the size of two football fields, doubles the hub’s size to 282,000 square feet. The facility primarily focuses on imports and exports to and from Latin America, flying direct to key markets such as Colombia, Mexico and Central America. More from the Miami Herald.
Out of the Box
Tampa selected to test electric plane-boat hybrid that can fly 180 mph
A company that aims to be the “Boeing of sustainable and coastal travel” will test its aircraft in Tampa Bay. Regent, a Boston-based aerospace company, announced Thursday it selected Tampa to test its electric seaglider. It’s set to go to market by 2025, chief executive Billy Thalheimer told the Tampa Bay Times, with Tampa being a leading candidate for future routes to other cities along Florida’s west coast.
» More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Research
Orlando trial for new types of COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment seeks participants
As omicron spreads, monoclonal antibodies are the only treatment widely available for COVID-19 patients not sick enough for a hospital stay in Central Florida. To increase treatment options, a clinical trial at the Orlando Immunology Center is testing new types of monoclonal antibody treatment in conjunction with hundreds of sites nationwide.
» Read more from the Orlando Sentinel.
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