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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida approves first goliath grouper catch in 32 years
The Florida wildlife commission lifted a 32-year ban on killing goliath grouper Thursday, in a decision that received strong support from the fishing community and intense opposition from environmentalists. The commission voted to allow up to 200 to be taken a year, in a decision that came with a long list of restrictions that reflected the giant fish’s popularity and its vulnerability to overfishing. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
SpaceX launches newest batch of Starlink internet satellites from Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Florida Thursday morning, sending the company's newest batch of Starlink internet satellites to low-Earth orbit and completing the company's first launch of March. SpaceX's ninth Falcon 9 launch in as many weeks blasted off at 9:25 a.m. EST from pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center with 47 Starlink internet satellites packed into the nosecone of the reused, 230-foot rocket. More from Florida Today.
Wildlife officials think feeding helps manatees
State wildlife experts say they think efforts to feed lettuce to starving manatees in the Indian River Lagoon are showing signs of providing relief after a record number of deaths last year of the sea cows. But data to back up that contention won’t be known until the cold weather season is over. And a concern remains that Florida will face a final cold snap in the coming weeks. More from the News Service of Florida.
Publix removes Russian vodka from shelves to support Ukraine
Looking for Russian vodka? You won’t find it at Publix. The Florida-based supermarket chain has removed Russian-made vodka from its liquor store shelves in support of Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion of the country. Publix spokeswoman Maria Brous confirmed the decision on Wednesday, saying the vodka was no longer on its liquor store shelves. Publix has stores in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Women-owned businesses spring up in Murray Hill
Women’s history month is starting off with some Murray Hill entrepreneurs seeing early success in their new businesses. Lindsey Morambo, 27, of Jacksonville, is trying to spread smiles one stem at a time in her floral truck, Bloom. “My background is in restaurants,” Morambo said, “and I really wanted something that fostered a sense of community and had the same outreach as a restaurant does.” More from the Florida Times-Union.
Natural Resources
Florida: Winter strawberry capital of the world
While Florida has only 11% of the total acreage that grows strawberries in the U.S., we’re the only place that can do so in the winter. The rest of the year they are grown in California, Washington State, the northeast and in North Carolina.
» More from WFLA.
Profile
He sold dim sum from his condo. Now his Coral Gables restaurant is one of America’s best
Pablo Zitzmann started making dim sum out of his Kendall condo when he got laid off during the pandemic, and the restaurant he opened since, the eponymous Zitz Sum, has been named one of the best in the country. On the March 3 episode of La Ventanita, the Miami Herald’s weekly live food podcast, food editor Carlos Frías and co-host Amy Reyes interview Zitzmann about how he went from just trying to provide for his family to owning his hidden Coral Gables restaurant that was nominated for the prestigious James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant.
» Read more from the Miami Herald.
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