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Wednesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida leads the nation in votes cast so far in 2022 midterm election
As of Wednesday morning, 837,948 Floridians have already voted in the 2022 midterm election. That’s the highest level of participation of early voting around the country, 20 days before Election Day. That’s according to statistics provided by the United States Election Project, a website compiled by University of Florida professor Michael McDonald. It includes 30 states that are voting early in the data. All told, more than 3.5 million around the country have now voted in the Nov. 8 midterm election. Most of those votes have come from mail ballots, though Georgia began in person early voting on Monday. More from the Florida Phoenix.
Homebuyer demand is dropping throughout the country, but South Florida is still hanging on
While buyer demand in the housing market has been on the downturn nationwide, it appears that South Florida is still holding on. As buyers have been hit by both increasing home prices and record high interest rates, demand for homes has dwindled. A RedFin report examining homebuying activity and interest on a national level analyzed Google searches as one way to measure how buyers are reacting to the market. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Boston hospitality company shuttering Tampa hotel and laying off all employees
A hotel near Tampa International Airport is closing its doors in December and 74 employees will lose their jobs. ARL Tampa Management disclosed the closing of the DoubleTree by Hilton Tampa Airport-Westshore in a notice to the state announcing the job cuts. In the letter to state officials filed Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 18, the company says the hotel at 4500 W. Cypress St. will shut down Dec. 19 and all employees will lose their jobs at the time. More from the Business Observer.
Spirit shareholders ready to vote on JetBlue takeover
The marriage proposal that Spirit Airlines originally rejected from JetBlue Airways is set to go before the South Florida carrier’s shareholders on Wednesday, with industry analysts confident that it would pass with ease. Two shareholder advisory services, Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass, Lewis & Co. have recommended that investors accept JetBlue’s $3.8 billion offer. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Miami’s Freebee snags $6 million BP investment to expand its electric-car rides
Miami-based transit company Freebee will use a $6 million investment from energy giant BP to extend its free electric ride-hailing business nationwide. BP Ventures Principal Shaun Healey said the company’s investment in Freebee aligns with its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner. It also marks the British oil behemoth’s entry into Miami’s emerging tech sector. More from the Miami Herald.
Event
Tampa friends created Pig Jig and a potential cure for a rare disease
The last time Tampa held a Pig Jig, it was a sold-out event with 12,000 people packed in to see Grammy winner Darius Rucker perform as more than 65 barbecue teams competed. Will Wellman, 39, stepped aside with tears in his eyes as the smoking meats perfumed Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park. He took a moment to absorb the miracle his childhood friends had created. It started as an unlikely band of 20-something guys who had a backyard barbecue contest. It has grown into one of the area’s biggest events — and the single largest donor for research in the history of the rare kidney disease that Wellman has.
» More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Arts Business
Fringe ArtSpace will debut in downtown Orlando in January
The new arts-incubator space Orlando Fringe will run in downtown Orlando has a name, an opening date and plans to offer everything from classes to rehearsal rooms to outdoor entertainment to full-scale touring productions in its two theaters. “We’re creating something new,” said executive director Alauna Friskics. “I feel like what we’re creating in that space is something I haven’t seen out there before.”
» Read more from the Orlando Sentinel.
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