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Wednesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Floridians could pay billions to power companies to stormproof the grid
The Florida Public Service Commission approved four plans submitted by power companies allowing roughly $22 billion for efforts to “harden” the state power grid over the next 10 years. On Thursday, commissioners will vote on just how much Florida power bills will go up. Those billions will be paid solely by Floridians. Even with some reductions by the commission, the amount bills will go up wasn’t substantively changed. More from WFLA.
St. Pete bank acquires fintech platform
Climate First Bancorp, the holding company for St. Petersburg-based Climate First Bank, has acquired Ecountabl, a fintech company whose services the bank will integrate into OneEthos, its own tech platform. According to a news release, Ecountabl is a startup that came up with a way to index environmental, social and governance performance for more than 10,000 companies, allowing customers to track how brands from which they buy align with their personal values. More from the Business Observer.
Feds propose Biscayne Bay, parts of Keys as ‘critical habitat’ for threatened Nassau grouper
The National Marine Fisheries Service recently proposed more than 900 square miles of regional waters be designated as “critical habitat” for the threatened Nassau grouper. The area would include water stretching from Key Biscayne, along the Keys to Tavernier, as well as sections near Marathon, Key West, the Marquesas and Dry Tortugas. Crucial Nassau grouper spawning sites in U.S. waters near Puerto Rico and Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, would also be designated as “critical habitat.” More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Space balloon company to add ship-based launches beyond Kennedy Space Center
The company that plans on launching space tourists on a balloon from Kennedy Space Center is now working on expanding flight operations to a fleet of ships that it can deploy across the globe. Space Perspective, which has its headquarters at facilities adjacent to the former shuttle landing facility at KSC, announced Tuesday it had acquired the first ship for that effort, named MS Voyager. Calling it “the world’s first marine spaceport,” the name pays homage to Voyager I, the satellite launched in 1977 that at the request of famed astronomer Carl Sagan took a photo of Earth in 1990 that has since been referred to as the Pale Blue Dot. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
From water reclamation to new training centers, JEA goes to work on $10.2M overhauls
A few multimillion-dollar structural projects are about to get underway for JEA. The utility service is going to spend about a combined $10.2 million at two different Jacksonville locations. Permits for the projects were approved this month by the city's Building Inspections Division. The larger-scale project will be erecting a new warehouse along with stormwater system improvements, new process piping and other upgrades at JEA’s Buckman Water Reclamation Facility. More from the Florida Times-Union.
Event
Miami hosting tech summit to help community harness vast potential of Web 3.0
With all the clamoring in Miami over the burgeoning technology industry, it seems appropriate that innovators, entrepreneurs and financiers from around the country should gather here to discuss emerging trends driving the digital economy. From Nov. 28 through Nov. 30, the InterContinental Hotel downtown along Biscayne Bay will host the inaugural Miami Web3 Summit.
» More from the Miami Herald.
Profile
Cristie Besu
Nurse and sports nutritionist Cristie Besu started her Eat Me Guilt Free line of high-protein, low-carb baked goods in her kitchen a decade ago when her clients would confess to cheating on their diets. Besu, a Miami native, realized there was a business opportunity in making healthier treats. In Besu’s first year of online commerce, she generated nearly $800,000.
» Read more from Florida Trend.
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