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Monday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida's citrus production lowest in eight decades
With the state pouring millions of dollars into research and marketing efforts, Florida’s citrus industry is approaching the end of the 2021-2022 growing season with its lowest production since around the start of World War II. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report Friday that estimated Florida growers will fill 44.75 million boxes of oranges, grapefruit and specialty crops during the soon-to-end season, down more than 22 percent from the previous season. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Florida leads nation in COVID deaths, CDC data shows
Florida’s coronavirus death toll rose faster in the past week than any other state, though that increase was among the state’s smallest since the pandemic started. Federal data shows the state added 262 victims since the state Health Department’s last COVID-19 report published June 3. That’s the highest seven-day increase since mid-April, but lower than most weeks. Immunity from vaccinations and prior infections, along with new antiviral treatments, have helped stop severe illness. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and the Orlando Sentinel.
Reinsurance industry surges in annual premiums
The topic of reinsurance, while it received some attention during the recent Florida Legislative Special Session for insurance reform, isn’t normally a headline grabber. But its presence in the background belies its influence on the entire insurance industry. Called "insurance of insurance companies," by the Reinsurance Association of America, the idea is to have insurers spread the risk so no one company is over-exposed to a disaster or event. And while the insurance sector in Florida lies in limbo over how new reforms will shake out, the reinsurance side of the business is enjoying a growth spurt. [Source: Business Observer]
Astra Space fails to deliver NASA’s hurricane-tracking satellites to orbit
Astra Space suffered another failure in its attempt to perform a successful launch from the Space Coast on Sunday when its second stage could not put two NASA satellites into proper orbit. While the Alameda, California-based company was able to launch its Rocket 3.3 from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the mission proved unsuccessful, the second time the company has come up short from Florida. “We had a nominal first-stage flight however the upper stage engine did shut down early and we did not deliver our payloads to orbit,” said Astra Space Director of Product Management Carolina Grossman. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
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Special session on gun issues rejected
Democratic lawmakers fell well short Friday of getting enough votes to force a special legislative session on gun violence. Only 19 Republican lawmakers responded to a formal poll on holding the session, with all of them voting against the idea. Meanwhile, 57 Democrats supported a special session. [Source: News Service of Florida]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› South Florida tourism will keep rising as U.S. drops COVID tests for international fliers
South Florida’s tourism industry got a major lift on Friday after the U.S. government pledged to drop COVID testing requirements for international travelers flying from foreign cities. The requirement called for U.S.-bound passengers to take a COVID-19 test within a day before boarding their flights. It was one of the last remaining government mandates designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The change is viewed by travel industry leaders as a critical move toward restoring a key missing link that had been dogging airlines, airports and cities reliant on tourism for more than two years.
› How the Radio Mambí sale escalated the fight over Miami’s Spanish-language airwaves
It was once through the microphones of Radio Mambí, Miami’s premier Spanish-language radio station, that Republican campaign operatives and personalities helped the GOP stop Miami-Dade County’s recount of the 2000 presidential election. In what contributed to the movie-like protest at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center downtown, Mambí’s anchors helped stir fears of a power grab happening right under their noses — something that could have emerged from Fidel Castro’s Cuba.
› Dunedin credit union launches bitcoin services for members
Thanks to a partnership with NYDIG, a cryptocurrency firm, Achieva Credit Union members can now make bitcoin transactions on the Dunedin-based financial institution’s mobile app. In a news release about the deal, Achieva says it’s the first Florida credit union to provide cryptocurrency trading services to its members.
› Jacksonville's century-old Federal Reserve, Baptist Convention buildings getting new life with restaurants, apartments
With patience and attention to detail, crews are painstakingly restoring the century-old historic Federal Reserve Bank Building and renovating the adjacent Florida Baptist Convention building — a project that will bring new retail, restaurant and residential space to the heart of downtown Jacksonville.
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