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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Hundreds of thousands of Floridians apply for FEMA assistance following Hurricane Ian
More than 700,000 Florida households have applied for individual federal assistance after Hurricane Ian and another 130,000 are expected to apply, a Federal Emergency Management Agency official said Wednesday. Also, the agency said it would provide temporary housing to people affected by the storm in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto and Lee counties. Meanwhile, FEMA said it approved a separate request from Florida to help speed up the removal of debris on private and commercial properties through use of satellite imagery and other technology. More from the News Service of Florida.
Hotel bookings soared in Seminole during Ian, tourism officials say
Despite dropping a historic amount of rain that closed roads and flooded homes, Hurricane Ian led to a surge in hotel bookings in Seminole County last month as it barreled across Central Florida. County tourism officials announced Wednesday that 80% of the roughly 5,000 hotel rooms in Seminole were booked during the storm on Sept. 28 and in the following days. That’s an increase of 48% compared to the same time in the previous year, and a jump of 23% from the average bookings for the month of September, according to county tourism data. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Forecasters say tropical depression could form in Caribbean
Forecasters say a disturbance in the eastern Caribbean could form into a tropical depression by early next week. The National Hurricane Center said in its 8 a.m. advisory Thursday that an area of low pressure is expected to form over the eastern Caribbean this weekend. “Thereafter, environmental conditions are forecast to be conducive for gradual development, and a tropical depression could form early next week while the disturbance moves generally westward or west-northwestward into the central Caribbean Sea,” the advisory states. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
JEA customers to finally see reprieve in November, though future rate hikes still unknown
After a summer of high bills, JEA customers may finally experience some relief – for a month, at least. The portion of a customer’s bill accounting for JEA's cost of buying fuel, such as natural gas and coal, for its power plants has risen over the last year, causing widespread affordability issues and disconnections. The projected November rate, however, is expected to be the lowest of the last five months. More from the Florida Times-Union.
Miami-Dade agency putting $7 million to work enhancing Black business community
With financial support from Miami-Dade County, the Miami-Dade Economic Advocacy Trust announced plans to use a little more than $7 million for programs to give stronger support to Miami’s Black business community. In a fireside chat Tuesday night with WHQT Hot 105 radio host Rodney Baltimore, William Diggs, the trust’s executive director, spoke at length about his organization’s mission supporting Black businesses in Miami and emphasized this is the first time the group has gotten this much money at one time to use for a wide range of programs. More from the Miami Herald.
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In Memoriam
‘A force in the Orlando community’ | Holocaust Center founder Tess Wise dies at 99
After Tess Wise escaped from the Nazi labor camp where she was held captive during the Holocaust, she attended medical school in Germany before moving to America in 1947. Eventually, she settled in Orlando. In the early 1980s, she invited scholars and other Holocaust survivors to teach about the atrocities of the war and build hope for a future without bigotry. The success of the conferences she organized led Wise to create the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida with her husband. Now, a plan for a Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity facility on Ivanhoe Boulevard is underway.
» More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Out of the Box
Haunted Largo car wash to spook customers this weekend
Tommy’s Express car wash is putting a sudsy twist on Halloween this weekend with a haunted car wash called the Tunnel of Terror at its Largo location. For $25, you can get your car cleaned from 7-10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday while masked employees hide in the dark corners of the wash. “Once you are inside, there is no telling what will jump out at your car,” an announcement said.
» Read more from the Tampa Bay Times.
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