March 29, 2024

Tuesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 7/26/2022

Will rent control calm Orange County’s housing crisis? Commissioners to debate Tuesday

With a ballot-addition deadline looming in August, Orange County commissioners are expected Tuesday to again wrestle with a proposed rent-stabilization ordinance, which has key, unanswered questions.

It’s unclear, for instance, how many of the estimated 230,000 apartment homes in Orange County could be rent-controlled. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Tampa sports agency acquired by entertainment powerhouse Wasserman

One of the biggest sports and entertainment agencies in the country has snapped up a baseball-focused agency based in Tampa. Jet Sports Management, whose clients include Byron Buxton, Matt Olson, Chris Sale, Chipper Jones and the Rays’ Corey Kluber and Mike Zunino, has been acquired by Wasserman, a sports and entertainment powerhouse based in Los Angeles.

Wasserman and Jet founder B.B. Abbott declined to disclose terms of the deal. Abbott said he’s had many offers to sell since founding his firm 23 years ago, including several from Wasserman. Now just felt like the right time, he said. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

University of South Florida breaks fundraising record with over $151 million in gifts

Philanthropic gifts from the University of South Florida community exceeded $151 million in fiscal year 2021-22, the most generous level of support in the institution’s nearly 70-year history. This marks the fourth straight year that annual charitable giving benefitting the university surpassed $100 million and broke the previous record set in 2015.

“Our university has a history of setting ambitious goals and surpassing expectations,” said USF President Rhea Law. “I want to convey my deep gratitude to the thousands of USF donors who made this remarkable, record-setting achievement possible. It demonstrates how our community is investing in USF like never before, which will only help fuel our upward trajectory and lead to even greater impact on our students, faculty, region and beyond.” More from USF.

DeSantis warns Floridians not to invest in Cuban regime scheme

Gov. Ron DeSantis has directed the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and Enterprise Florida to issue an alert to Floridians warning them not to be fooled by another scheme coming from the Cuban regime wooing Americans to invest in its alleged “private sector.”

The warning comes after the Biden administration began rolling back American sanctions on Cuba and as Cubans continue to protest for “Libertad” (freedom), hoping to end more than 60 years of oppression, violence and suffering imposed by the Castro regime. More from the Center Square.

They signed up for Tampa Alzheimer’s drug trial to see if they are at risk

Joyce Zevola has often found herself in small moments of self-interrogation, wondering if little slip-ups and memory lapses are the first signs of something bigger. “You put the cat food in the refrigerator,” said Zevola, 58. “There’s things you do all the time that always make you think, ‘Is this the start of Alzheimer’s?’”

Zevola wondered if her family history would put her at risk — her maternal grandmother had Alzheimer’s, and genetics are one risk factor in developing the disease. Those feelings intensified in the past year, after her mother, 84, was diagnosed with the neurological disorder. So did the desire to do what she could in the fight against Alzheimer’s, which after decades of research remains incurable and somewhat mysterious. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Construction
Miami Maker: Patricia Bonilla looks back on her career in Construction

 As a young woman growing up in the Dominican Republic, she knew from an early age that a career in construction was calling, although her father — who also worked in the field — didn’t necessarily agree at the time. Since then, Bonilla has amassed more than 30 years of experience in construction, leading more than $500 million in projects across the country.

Bonilla’s career — which includes heading up the City of Fort Lauderdale’s construction authority — ultimately led Bonilla to start her own company, Lunacon Construction, in Miami in 2007.

» More from the Commercial Observer.

 

Law
FAMU's Economic Justice Initiative provides free legal services to minority business owners

 With a $110,000 grant from Wells Fargo Bank, Florida A&M University’s College of Law is spearheading its Economic Justice Initiative, which will provide free legal services to help minority-owned small-business owners as they launch and grow their enterprises.

“The law school is located here in the heart of Parramore, one of the oldest African-American communities in the region, and the goal is really to provide the kinds of services that lots of small businesses (or folks who would want to start small businesses) need and may not have access to,” says Mark Dorosin, a civil rights attorney and FAMU associate professor leading the program.

» Read more from Florida Trend.

Tags: Daily Pulse, Afternoon Update

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