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Tuesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida Trend Exclusive
A profile of Florida's climate, sustainability and energy consumption
Solar will play a bigger role in Florida's energy future, but fossil fuels will remain the dominant source of energy in the Sunshine State for many years. Among the states, Florida (third in population) is the nation’s second-largest producer of energy and the fourth-largest consumer of energy. Nearly 70% of Florida’s power is generated using natural gas. The portion generated using coal has fallen from about a third in 2003 to less than 10% today. Solar provided just 4% of electricity generation in Florida in 2021. Power generation from renewables — biofuels, biomass, hydro, landfill gas, municipal solid waste, solar and wind — totaled just 6% of overall generation in 2021.[Source: Florida Trend]
How will budget airline merger affect Floridians?
The $6.6 billion merger between South Florida-based carrier Spirit Airlines and Denver-based Frontier Airlines announced on Monday raises questions about the company’s future operations in Florida. The companies are portraying the merger, which still must be approved by federal regulators, as a victory for budget-conscious travelers — and stockholders. Spirit stock closed up 17% in Monday trading at $25.46 a share, while Frontier stock was up 4% at $12.82. But it is not yet clear what impact the merger will have on Spirit’s more than 3,400 employees in South Florida. More from the Miami Herald and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
COVID-19 hospitalizations continue falling in Florida
The number of Florida hospital inpatients with COVID-19 continues to drop. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services posted data Monday that showed 7,316 Florida inpatients had COVID-19, down from 9,015 a week earlier and 10,794 two weeks earlier. The data Monday also showed that 1,174 patients with COVID-19 were in intensive-care units, down from 1,346 a week earlier and 1,566 two weeks earlier. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Does Florida’s most famous flower stand a ghost of a chance?
Juan Ponce de Leon dubbed Florida “The Land of Flowers.” It’s home to more than 100 native orchids. But only the ghost orchid shows up as a tourism promo on the side of U-Haul trucks. To see a ghost, you’d need to sign up for a guided tour and wade through the swamp, meanwhile slapping mosquitoes and dodging gators. Even then, you might see nothing but the roots. [Source: Florida Phoenix]
Transgender athlete legal fight in Florida put on hold
A challenge to a controversial state law that bans transgender females from participating on girls’ and women’s sports teams has been put on hold while another Florida case plays out in a federal appeals court. U.S. District Judge Roy Altman last week issued a stay in the challenge filed on behalf of a Broward County transgender girl who is in middle school. The lawsuit contends that the ban, passed by lawmakers last year, is unconstitutional and violates a federal law known as Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs. [Source: News Service of Florida]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Tampa Bay chocolatiers ready for romance season
Christy Herrmann of Sweet Divas Chocolates in downtown St. Petersburg is decorating edible, lace-covered boxes to fill with Belgian chocolates. Olivier Rodriguez of CocoAddiction in St. Pete Beach is hand-painting gem-shaped chocolates to resemble emeralds and diamonds. And Jennifer Hill of Peterbrooke Chocolatier in downtown Tampa will be dipping locally sourced strawberries in a variety of chocolate concoctions while keeping chocolate-infused wines and champagnes on ice. All three chocolatiers say the weeks surrounding Valentine’s Day are their busiest of the year and they are hoping candy is a pandemic-proof passion.
› Disney Wish cancels first 12 cruises out of Port Canaveral due to construction delays
Construction delays at a shipyard in Germany have pushed back the first sailing of the Disney Wish cruise ship at Port Canaveral by five weeks — resulting in the cancellation of 12 sailings, two of which were rescheduled. Disney Cruise Line says the first sailing of the ship with passengers will be July 14, instead of June 9.
› Fuqua buys riverfront Times-Union property, plans $250 million redevelopment
Atlanta-based developer Jeff Fuqua bought the former Florida Times-Union property Feb. 4 and said demolition will start quickly for what he estimates will be a $250 million redevelopment of the Downtown Northbank riverfront site into One Riverside. “This will be a famous project in Jacksonville when we are done,” he said after the late-afternoon purchase from 1 Riverside Property LLC, owned by the Morris family of Augusta, Georgia.
› Demand is growing for civil legal aid in Northeast Florida
Business is booming at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid. With offices in Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties, JALA employs about 70 attorneys and support staff to provide representation for low-income residents who have civil legal issues but cannot afford to hire a lawyer. “We’re just like any other big law firm,” said attorney Jim Kowalski, JALA president and CEO. The number of people asking for help from JALA is rising dramatically.
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