March 28, 2024

Friday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 10/28/2022

Hurricane Ian’s lucrative cleanup deals generate new storm

It has been a month since Hurricane Ian wiped out parts of southwest Florida. Now multimillion-dollar cleanup contracts are generating new tempests in the Category 4 storm’s wake. Contractors who remove debris and perform post-storm repairs are fighting over local government contracts that could be worth tens of millions in tax dollars. The skirmishes offer a preview of likely fights over local, state and federal funds that will be distributed over the next several months to help southwest Florida get back on its feet. More from the AP and theSouth Florida Sun-Sentinel.

SpaceX Falcon Heavy ready for liftoff Tuesday after three-year hiatus

It’s the biggest game in town for now, but has not flown in more than three years. Fans of SpaceX, though, will have a chance to see what is currently the most powerful rocket in use launch on a mission from Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday. SpaceX said it was targeting Nov. 1 for the launch, but did not specify a time in a post late Thursday to Twitter saying it had successfully completed the Falcon Heavy static fire. Website SpaceFlight Now reports that the target liftoff is 9:40 a.m. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Haunted Florida: Finding the creepiest places in the Sunshine State

Florida has been home to millions of people over the centuries — natives, explorers, sailors, hucksters, retirees and just plain Floridians — and more than a few of them died in the Sunshine State. That means (if you believe in such things) that there are bound to be ghosts just about anywhere you turn. Spooky theaters, haunted highways, creepy lighthouses and restaurants with the occasional spectral visitor abound in Florida. More from Florida Today.

Watchdog group asks feds to investigate funding behind ghost candidate scandal

The secret fundraising network created by political operatives working for Florida Power & Light and other clients appears to have violated campaign finance laws and should be investigated, according to a complaint filed Thursday with the Federal Elections Commission by a Washington-based watchdog group. Citing reports published in the Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times and the Orlando Sentinel, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) said that the operatives pitched clients on a funding structure with the intent “to illegally hide the identities of the true source or sources of contributions.“ More from the Miami Herald.

Time for a new theater season: Will patrons return?

South Floridians are emerging from their COVID cocoons and heading back to live theaters, which are mostly reporting packed houses, robust finances and an exuberant return to pre-pandemic cultural life. The Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale has sold out several shows over the past few months, including “RuPaul’s Drag Race” tour in July, and Randy Rainbow’s “The Pink Glasses Tour” in August. Singer “Weird Al” Yankovic also played to full houses at The Parker, one of the center’s affiliated venues, earlier this month. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Trend Mention

Mention ImageUT’s New Online Program for Florida Educators

The University of Tampa provides Florida educators with a clear path to becoming district-certified leaders and administrators in as little as one year. UT’s Educational Leadership program is the preferred education provider for Hillsborough and Pasco schools, and is now available online for all Florida districts. Students engage in experiential tasks directly aligned with the Florida Principal Leadership Standards and the Florida Educational Leadership Exam (FELE). Register for more information.

Business BeatBusiness Beat - Week of October 28th

Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video news brief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.

 

Florida Dining
This luxurious Italian restaurant, a magnet for Boston foodies, just opened in Miami

It’s time to flex your reservation-scoring muscles, Miami. The glamorous Contessa is open in the Design District. The latest upscale restaurant from Major Food Group — the New York-based hospitality group behind Carbone and HaSalon in Miami Beach, ZZ’s Club in the Design District, Dirty French Steakhouse in Brickell and Sadelle’s in Coconut Grove — will serve upscale Northern Italian fare.

» Read more from the Miami Herald.

Tags: Daily Pulse, Afternoon Pulse

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Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices
Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices

Central Floirda chocolate shops are left with a bitter taste as cocoa prices hit an all-time high earlier this week.

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