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Wednesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Demand for pumps jumps with rising seas and flood risks. Florida’s bill will be massive
Inside one of the biggest stormwater pump factories in Florida, 90 workers are busy molding metal: cutting, shaping, welding, painting, and assembling it into the massive machines responsible for keeping South Florida’s streets dry. The pumps they’re building can stand up to 20 feet tall, weigh as much as 22 tons and include pipes so big the workers can stand up inside of them. They’re part of the growing and staggeringly expensive infrastructure that will be needed to keep South Florida habitable even as the seas rise and climate changes produce more extreme rainfall from hurricanes like Ian, which drenched a large swath of the state just months ago. More from the Miami Herald.
These are Tampa Bay’s 20 highest paid CEOs
It’s been more than three years since the Tampa Bay Times last surveyed the salaries of CEOs in our region. A lot has changed since then. Some publicly traded companies have been bought and sold, others have launched initial public offerings or gone private, others have grown tremendously despite the COVID-19 pandemic and inflationary and supply chain pressures. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
MSC Cruises brings latest ship to Florida with a thrill ride on top
MSC Cruises is back with another new ship in Florida, and this one is strapping cruisers in to whip them around on a robotic arm right in the middle of the top deck. The MSC Seascape, one of the cruise line’s largest vessels in the Seaside EVO class, coming in at more than 170,000 gross tons, arrived to PortMiami on Sunday to begin its first season sailing the Caribbean. It’s a sister ship to MSC Seashore that debuted in 2021, both of which are larger versions of the two original Seaside class vessels, all of which have spent time sailing from the U.S. since MSC Seaside’s debut in 2017. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Jacksonville City Council approves $10.1 million in grants for Paysafe North American headquarters
The Jacksonville City Council approved a bill Dec. 13 awarding global online payment provider Paysafe Processing Solutions LLC $10.1 million in cash grants to bring its North American headquarters and 600 jobs to Northeast Florida. Council voted 15-2 to approve Resolution 2022-0863 to secure the London-based Paysafe’s $51.5 project. Council members approved an amended bill that defended a negative return for taxpayers until Paysafe has been in Jacksonville for 25 years. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Hertz lands new top marketing executive from a GE brand
Wayne Davis, who spent the past decade overseeing several high-performing GE brands, has been named chief marketing officer of Lee County rental car giant Hertz Global Holdings. Davis will join the company as executive vice president and CMO effective Jan, 3, 2023, according to a statement. Davis will be responsible for leading the Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty brands and shaping the company's marketing strategy to drive effective brand reach and customer engagement. Laura Smith, who has led marketing for the last two years, will continue in her role as executive vice president, global sales and customer experience. More from the Business Observer.
Profile
Meet the Tampa man bound for Olympia, the Super Bowl of bodybuilding
Winston Sullivan is a family man, but he had to cut Thanksgiving short this year. As loved ones passed pies under his nose, he nibbled the predictable meal in his trusty container: tilapia and asparagus. “I went for an hour and a half, then said, ‘I’m going to watch football.’” For Sullivan, 37, this moment does not allow for moderation. His goal: near perfection, eradication of bodily flaws. The past eight years have taken him from generally fit guy to professional bodybuilder.
» More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Rising Executives
Face Forward: Suhay Gonzalez
Growing up in New York, Suhay Gonzalez learned many lessons from her mother, Cesarina: One was to never leave the house without a little lipstick. Another: Don’t give up. After her mother lost her battle with cancer in 2018 at age 61, Gonzalez says she came through the grief with a new motivation to create something beautiful out of the experience. As a makeup enthusiast, she had seen the lack of Latina representation in the beauty and cosmetics industry, as well as a dearth of products designed to be inclusive of diverse skin tones. With no prior experience in the industry and “100% bootstrapped” in its financing, Gonzalez launched Seis Cosmetics in 2021.
» Read more from Florida Trend.
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