SHARE:
Tuesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
What climate change means for Florida strawberry farmers
Vance Whitaker grows strawberries for a living, but he’s not a farmer. He’s an associate professor of plant breeding at the University of Florida IFAS extension service in Wimauma. When it comes to temperature changes, he says strawberries are resilient. Whitaker says the real climate threat to strawberries is more rain. A wetter growing season means the crop will be more vulnerable to fungal diseases. So, he’s working to create strawberries that will thrive in a wetter climate. [Source: WUSF]
Legislation would allow businesses to sue local governments for losses
Business owners may soon have a new tool to fight city hall. Legislation being pushed for the coming legislative session would allow businesses to sue if a city or county ordinance causes their profits to drop. But the legislation has local governments calling foul. Senate Bill 620 would allow businesses to sue local governments if the government’s actions — like changing the hours a restaurant or bar can be open — causes a 15% drop in the business’s income or profit. Cities and counties hate the idea. [Source: WJXT]
DeSantis says Florida expects up to 40,000 more monoclonal antibody treatments. New treatment locations will open soon.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that the federal government has agreed to send more monoclonal antibody treatments to Florida, with new sites ready to open in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. DeSantis said he expects Florida to receive 30,000 to 40,000 doses. The new treatment sites are ready to go up immediately, as soon as the new doses arrive, he said. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
The CDC's ominous warning for the Florida cruise ship industry
In a potentially ominous message for Florida’s cruise-ship industry, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that people should avoid cruise travel “regardless of vaccination status” because of the spread of COVID-19. The health agency said outbreaks have been reported aboard cruise ships as the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus has helped drive up infections. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Florida gas prices averaged $2.93 in 2021, the highest annual average in 7 years, AAA says
Florida gas prices averaged $2.93 in 2021, the highest annual average in seven years, according to AAA. “Since it began, the pandemic has caused a roller coaster ride for prices at the pump,” said Mark Jenkins, an AAA spokesman. “Gas prices plummeted in 2020 when lockdowns led to lower fuel demand, causing a glut in global fuel supplies." The year ended with prices slowly lowering. Florida’s averaged declined 2 cents in the past two weeks, averaging $3.21 per gallon over the weekend. [Source: WFTV]
Start. Grow. Stay. High-tech business takes off at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
In 2022, the United States will send humans back to the Moon for the first time since 1969, when the Apollo 11 mission made its historic touchdown on the lunar surface. Florida ingenuity will be there. Not far from where the Apollo 11 launched 53 years ago, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University researchers this year created a miniature satellite camera system to capture the first-ever third-person images of a Moon landing. While it takes the ultimate `selfie,’ the EagleCam will also test an electrostatic dust removal system, making it safer for astronauts to return to the Moon and beyond. [Sponsored report]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› South Florida retailers face new realities in the post-COVID-19 world
The American Dream mega-mall in Miami-Dade County is far from becoming a reality — its construction is well behind schedule. The spaces left when Sears closed some of its South Florida locations are still hollowed-out shells. And the Vice President of administration for the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County says he knows of malls in his county that are struggling.
› Tampa Bay lawmakers are pushing these bills. What do they do?
Florida’s lawmakers leave their hometowns this month and migrate up to Tallahassee where they have the potential to reshape the laws, regulations and reality for millions of Floridians. Tampa Bay’s delegation of representatives and senators have filed dozens of bills for the two-month legislative session, which starts Tuesday.
› After skyrocketing in 2021, Orlando rents expected to increase more slowly in new year
Rents in metro Orlando reached unheard-of heights in 2021, but the new year is likely to bring a slower rate of increases, an expert says. “The pace of growth in rent is likely to decelerate but it will continue to grow,” said Lisa McNatt, director of market analytics for real estate analysts CoStar Group.
› Hertz reaffirms commitment to Estero as it focuses on innovation in 2022
Almost exactly six months after exiting bankruptcy, The Hertz Corp. is in the process of making changes executives believe will make it more competitive in the marketplace and help it return to the top of the heap in the rental car industry. The changes include a big push into electric vehicles with an investment in both inventory from Tesla and the infrastructure to sustain it alongside partnerships with Uber and Carvana.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
In case you missed it:
