March 28, 2024

Wednesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 4/6/2022

Prescription drug imports remain bottled up

Nearly three years after Florida lawmakers approved a plan to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed frustration Tuesday that the plan remains stalled in Washington, D.C. DeSantis and then-state House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, made the issue a priority in 2019, with lawmakers ultimately approving a plan to make imported drugs available in government-related programs. Former President Donald Trump’s administration approved a rule in 2020 to help clear the way for imports, but groups including the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America launched a legal challenge that remains unresolved. More from the News Service of Florida.

Florida Trend Exclusive

Florida Icon: Clarence Anthony

The CEO and Executive Director of the National League of Cities tells us: "When I was a little kid, I would ride on these buses packed with migrant families. When I would see lights, I knew that was a city. Whatever city it was, I knew it was a place of opportunity for me and people like me. Now, in my job working for cities, towns and villages all over America, that’s how I approach my work, supporting the places that create opportunity." More from Florida Trend.

Tampa Bay business leaders: Billions needed for climate change

Building up Tampa Bay to keep it safe from rising seas and storms over the next 50 years could save the region more than $2 for every $1 it spends, according to a new report. The suggested price tag for those upgrades is enormous: $13.4 billion. “This is about what our region needs to do to be ready for what is going to be inevitably devastating results of sea-level rise,” said Brian Auld, president of the Tampa Bay Rays and chair of the Tampa Bay Partnership’s Resilience Task Force, which commissioned the report and released it Tuesday. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Brightline, SunRail pivot to fed money for tracks from Orlando airport

Brightline’s quest for passenger rail from Orlando’s airport to Disney World and Tampa is evolving toward a regional push to build a corridor for SunRail commuter trains from the airport to SunRail’s current north-south tracks, the Orange County Convention Center and south International Drive. “I’m calling this the ‘jobs train,’” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who hosted dozens of private meetings in recent months between Universal Studios, Brightline and others to resolve what had been a deadlock over the route from the airport across southwest Orange County. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

JetBlue makes cash bid to buy Spirit Airlines for $3.6B, aiming to thwart Frontier merger  

JetBlue Airways has made an unsolicited all-cash offer to acquire Spirit Airlines for a little more than $3.5 billion, two months after the Miramar-based company said that it would be merging with discount airline rival Frontier. JetBlue’s bid is worth $33 per share of Spirit’s stock, the Broward County airline said in a statement late Tuesday, which would make the offer roughly $3.6 billion. More from the Miami Herald.

Entertainment
Dean Cain portrays the mayor of Dunedin in a film about a robotic dog

 Dean Cain is best known for portraying the man of steel in the series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Soon, he’ll also be known as the mayor of Dunedin. Well, the cinematic mayor. Next week, Cain will be in Dunedin to portray the city’s mayor in the movie R.A.D.A.R.: Adventures of the Bionic Dog.

» More from the Tampa Bay Times.

 

Out of the Box
Miami signs deal to develop Advanced Air Mobility

floridaIt’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s an electric air vehicle! Did someone say flying car? Supernal, a fledgling smart mobility service provider, has reached an agreement with the City of Miami to enable development of advanced air mobility, or AAM. Supernal announced it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the city to create a comprehensive engagement framework that will enable development of AAM.

» Read more from Miami Today.

Tags: Daily Pulse, Afternoon Pulse

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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.

Video Picks | Viewpoints@FloridaTrend

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