March 29, 2024

Tuesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 3/1/2022

Florida courts catching up after pandemic shutdowns

When COVID-19 forced courthouses to close in March 2020, jury trials temporarily were suspended, but criminal defendants continued to be arrested and civil litigants continued to file cases. Addressing the Jacksonville Bar Association on Feb. 16, state Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady said cases again are moving through the justice system as the courts and attorneys work together to reduce the backlog. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.

Tampa Bay cybersecurity firms on alert as Russia-Ukraine fight raises threat

For weeks, public and private agencies have been warning Americans of the heightened threat of cyberattacks stemming from Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. In Tampa Bay — home to the cottage cybersecurity industry surrounding MacDill Air Force Base, which houses U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command — the warnings are not falling on deaf ears. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

San Francisco developer seeks to cement Wynwood as Miami’s tech mecca

Less than three years after completion, Wynwood Annex, a prime office tower filled with technology firms in the namesake hipster neighborhood, is being acquired for $44 million by a tech-focused San Francisco real estate developer. Brick and Timber Collective, whose holdings in San Francisco and Pasadena include hundreds of millions of dollars worth of commercial space mostly occupied by tech tenants, announced the acquisition Monday. More from the Miami Herald.

Orlando could see comparable sales to Las Vegas if marijuana fully legalized

Florida already is among the top states for job growth in cannabis, and that number could get even bigger with full legalization. Leafly found in its sixth annual jobs report that Florida has over $1.5 billion in cannabis sales that support 25,895 jobs. The state ranked seventh behind all states, and was the second-highest medical-only state behind Pennsylvania, which ranked No. 6 in the nation with 26,932. More from the Orlando Business Journal.

Disney names new tech executive for parks division

The company announced Monday that Gail Evans will serve as the division’s executive vice president, and chief digital and technology officer. In this role, Evans will lead a global team of 3,000 and oversee development and implementation of the technology and digital strategy and capabilities roadmap for the parks division. Disney is in the process of relocating thousands of positions in its parks, experiences and products division from California to a new regional campus in Lake Nona. More from Spectrum News 13.

Business Profile
Right product, right time: Hazlnut helps restaurants with online ordering

 Hazlnut LLC has evolved from a software management experiment featured at Jacksonville’s One Spark festival to competing head-to-head with corporate restaurant chains. Company CEO Dick Sikes said Hazlnut is moving into the so-called “white label” menu mobile applications for hundreds of restaurants around the United States.

» More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.

 

Out of the Box
Florida teen who tracked Elon Musk’s plane now tracking jets of Russian billionaires

floridaA 19-year-old University of Central Florida student who went viral for tracking SpaceX founder Elon Musks' jet now has launched a new Twitter venture: tracking the jets of Russian billionaires. The new account was launched as prominent Russians come under pressure over the invasion of Ukraine and already has over 127,000 followers.

» Read more from WOFL.

Tags: Daily Pulse, Afternoon Pulse

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Florida Trend Video Pick

Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices
Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices

Central Floirda chocolate shops are left with a bitter taste as cocoa prices hit an all-time high earlier this week.

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