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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Tight statewide races seek elusive swing voters
With the general election two months off, post-primary polls indicate Florida’s gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races are close as battles loom for remaining “persuadable voters.” A poll commissioned by the senior-advocacy group AARP said Gov. Ron DeSantis leads Democratic challenger Charlie Crist by a margin of 50 percent to 47 percent. Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio holds a 49 percent to 47 percent lead over Democrat Val Demings, according to the poll. In the governor’s race, those remaining “persuadable voters” stood at 11 percent, while it was 19 percent in the Senate race. More from the News Service of Florida.
Florida Trend Exclusive
NextEra Energy's ambitious 'real zero' plan leaves carbon emissions behind for good
Juno Beach-based NextEra Energy captured attention earlier this year when it announced it would eliminate carbon emissions by 2045 and use only wind, solar, battery storage, nuclear, green hydrogen and other renewables to provide power. Unlike other net zero promises, NextEra says its “real zero” doesn’t rely on buying carbon credits to offset power generation. More from Florida Trend.
Big law scrambles for Miami client proximity in new market rush
Law firms are planting flags near hedge funds, banks, and wealth managers they followed to Miami, showing real estate for lawyers hinges on where current and future clients are. Big Law firms that moved to Miami in the last two years chose three neighborhoods that are popular for technology companies, hedge funds, and private equity firms, a Bloomberg Law analysis found. More from Bloomberg Law.
Vaccine, mask mandates seemed to limit COVID-19 spread at Orlando medical conference, study suggests
Even during COVID-19 surges, medical conferences may safely continue if attendees are willing to take precautions, new survey results suggest. The survey, published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open, compares COVID-19 positivity rates in people who attended the Academic Surgical Congress in Orlando from Feb. 1 to 3 this year in person at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista versus virtually. The conference, put on by the National Surgical Society, took place right after the omicron surge’s peak. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
JEA's solar outlook darkens as solar farms fail to get built after $34 million land buy
JEA shelled out $34 million buying land in 2017 and 2018 for construction of solar farms that would boost it from below-average for solar power into a rising star among Southeast utilities. The summer sun beats down brightly as ever on those wooded tracts. But after spending millions of dollars for land acquisition, the big parcels JEA set aside for five new solar farms have more potential for harvesting timber than the sun's rays. More from the Florida Times-Union.
Out of the Box
In DeLand, take me to church for a burrito and a beer?
Chris Levings attended Trinity United Methodist Church growing up, and now he and his wife, Jessica, are reimagining the building as a secular sanctuary for events, food and residents. The couple bought the former DeLand church at 306 W. Wisconsin Ave. in August for $950,000. The church is planning a new building elsewhere in town. The Levings envision transforming the nearly 100-year-old brick structure with large stained-glass windows just blocks from Stetson University and downtown DeLand. They plan to create event spaces, a food hall, a small grocery store and apartments and to call it Northwest Square.
» More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Profile
These Tampa Bay women want to develop corporate America’s next female CEOs
Audrey McGuckin and Mary Key met five years ago at a networking event for women in business. That’s fitting, because networking women in business is a big part of what McGuckin and Key are all about. McGuckin is the founder and CEO of the McGuckin Group, a St. Petersburg leadership development company that last month acquired Key Associates Inc., Key’s Tampa firm aimed at developing executive talent, especially among women. The combined company will place an emphasis on leadership training and acceleration for women.
» Read more from the Tampa Bay Times.
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