SHARE:
Wednesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
FAA, airlines will meet to discuss flight disruptions in Florida as travel booms
The Federal Aviation Administration will meet with major U.S. airline staff next month to discuss ways to improve the flow of air traffic to and from tourism hotspot Florida, where weather delays earlier this month disrupted travel plans of tens of thousands of passengers. Airlines are flying more to the Sunshine State than they did in 2019, before the pandemic. Florida logged a record of nearly 118 million domestic visitors last year, according to state data. More frequent thunderstorms in the state, coupled with high travel demand and thinner airline staffing levels than needed, contributed to the delay or cancellation of more than 9,000 flights early this month. [Source: NBC News]
Premiums for Florida Cat Fund to jump 12% this year
Premiums paid to the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund are expected to increase by more than 12% later this year, giving new urgency to calls to cut the fund’s retention level in half, a move that some estimates show could save Florida insurers and policyholders as much as $1 billion a year. And the methodology used to calculate the need for the higher cat fund premiums has come under the disapproving eye of some Florida insurance company executives. [Source: Insurance Journal]
Opinion: Florida must seize chance to close digital divide
For billions of people around the world, on-demand internet access has become such a routine part of our everyday lives. In fact, it’s hard to imagine a time where the internet has not been a click or tap away. Given this fact, it is likely to surprise most people that even today, there are still hundreds of thousands of Floridians with little or no access to broadband internet services. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Avian influenza outbreak is killing Florida birds
A deadly strain of avian influenza sickening Florida birds has reached the Tampa Bay area but does not appear to pose a threat to people, according to state wildlife officials. The virus has killed countless birds, including bald eagles, ducks and black vultures, said Mark Cunningham, a wildlife health veterinarian for the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “We’ve never had it in Florida that we’re aware of,” Cunningham said. “This year — February, March, April — it’s killed a lot of wild birds.” [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald stepping down
Nearly a decade of leadership over the world’s largest cruise company is coming to an end as Carnival Corp. President and CEO Arnold Donald announced he was stepping down. The head of the parent company of nine cruise lines including Carnival, Princess Cruises and Holland America Line has had more than 100 ships as part of their fleets for most of his run that began in 2013. He’s not leaving the company, but joining the board of directors as vice chair, and will step down in his current role on Aug. 1. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Panel approves radar on Satellite Beach conservation land, raising ire of environmentalists
A radar in Satellite Beach and a road in Osceola County have cut through the heart of Florida's land conservation promises, environmental activists say. A panel that governs how certain state conservation lands can be used signed off Wednesday on a new radar system at Hightower Beach Preservation Area that will better "see" those lost at sea, oil spills, algae and other ocean-surface happenings.
› Judge finds Fernandina Port operator in civil contempt
The tendency of Worldwide Terminals CEO Chris Ragucci and his companies to delay and not turn over documents — even in face of court orders — resulted in a state circuit judge finding Worldwide Terminals Fernandina in indirect civil contempt. The finding stemmed from the company not turning over documents related to Ragucci’s takeover of the Port of Fernandina.
› Tampa Museum of Art receives $25 million gift for its expansion
The Tampa Museum of Art just got $25 million closer to its planned expansion, thanks to a donation in that amount from Dick Corbett, CEO and president of Tampa-based real estate investment firm Concorde Companies. It’s the largest donation made toward the museum’s Centennial Capital Campaign for expansion. The campaign launched in 2020 in celebration of the institution’s 100th anniversary.
› Warehouse spaces, distribution hubs boom in Jacksonville commercial real estate market
From the seas to the highways and railroads to the rest of the country, Jacksonville is quickly becoming one of the most well-connected cities for distribution hubs in the country. Jacksonville has one of the largest and busiest seaports on the east coast of the U.S. by the measurement of how many cargo containers move through the port each year, said Robert Peek, director and general manager of business development at JaxPort.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
In case you missed it:
