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Florida Trend Exclusive
Business Florida
News flash: Florida is red hot! And we’re not talking temperatures here. We’re talking human migration. People from all over the world are looking to settle in the Sunshine State ... and no wonder. After two years of business uncertainty and personal disruptions fueled by lockdowns, closures and restrictive COVID-19 measures, people just want a way out. And what better place to launch a restart than easy, breezy Florida? More from Business Florida.
Still reeling from Ian, Florida shrimpers are desperate to get back on the water
When Ian made landfall in Florida in late September, it hit the shrimp fishing industry particularly hard. For decades, it's been an important part of the economy in Fort Myers — integral to the region's culture and identity. Now, it's at a standstill. Down at the Fort Myers Beach shrimp fishing docks, piles of boats line the sea wall and roads. A big hydraulic excavator with shears is tearing a boat apart to haul to the landfill. More from NPR.
As Nicole strengthens to potential hurricane, NASA and Space Force prep for storm surge
With Florida firmly in the crosshairs of Tropical Storm Nicole, teams across Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station are preparing facilities – and the massive moon-bound Artemis I rocket – for the still-strengthening storm as it bears down on the Space Coast. Nicole, forecasted to strengthen to Category 1 hurricane status just before making landfall south of Brevard County, is different from September's Hurricane Ian: this time, storm surge has a real possibility of causing flooding and damages across the spaceport. Infrastructure critical to Florida's rapid launch cadence is largely exposed. More from Florida Today.
Imagine Clearwater inches closer to completion as amphitheater is installed
Imagine Clearwater, the city’s $84 million redevelopment of the downtown waterfront, is inching closer to its targeted June completion date. About 90 workers with Skanska construction company are toiling daily to transform what used to be the underused Coachman Park and a sprawling asphalt parking lot into a regional destination. City officials began holding planning workshops for the initiative in 2016, but talk about revitalizing the waterfront goes back decades. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Miami-Dade countywide zone pushed to spark foreign trade
Every inch of Miami-Dade may soon be covered by a foreign trade zone, enabling participating businesses to become more price-competitive in international goods trade, a key element of the county’s economy. Today the northern half of the county is in a single such zone overseen by PortMiami that was started in 2012, putting many businesses in the southern half in over 21.5 million square feet of industrial space at a competitive disadvantage. More from Miami Today.
Event
Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival 2023 is all grown up: New name, full foodie schedule & ticket info
Broward County’s answer to the South Beach Wine & Food Festival is changing its name and growing its footprint. The fourth edition of the rebranded Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival (ex-Greater Fort Lauderdale Food & Wine) will expand to a weeklong bash when it returns Jan. 9-15, 2023.
» More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Profile
Jane Poynter
Jane Poynter is focused on getting tourists into space. Her 3-year-old Titusville company, Space Perspective, won’t be using any rockets, however. Instead, it plans to load eight passengers and one pilot into a pressurized capsule called Spaceship Neptune that will be lifted 100,000 feet to the outer reaches of Earth’s atmosphere by a hydrogen-filled balloon that’s slightly bigger than the Statue of Liberty.
» Read more from Florida Trend.
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