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Thursday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Manatees survive Florida's first cold spell better than feared
Already famished manatees managed to avoid any mass die-offs or the need for any dramatic rescues during Florida's first significant cold snap of the season, which sent temperatures plummeting across the state around Christmas. But with more chilly days ahead this winter, Florida wildlife officials continue to keep a close, worried watch as they struggle to keep the species afloat by hand feeding them lettuce at the Florida Power & Light Co. plant in Port St. John, for a second year in a row. [Source: Florida Today]
Lawmakers look to stabilize agriculture industry
As Florida lawmakers look to reduce foreign ownership of farmland, Senate Agriculture Chairman Jay Collins said Wednesday he thinks growth is possible for the state’s agriculture industry. But first, the freshman Republican senator from Tampa said the goal is to bring stability to the industry, which was battered by Hurricane Ian and has struggled for decades with foreign competition, residential and commercial development and a disease deadly to citrus crops. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Florida's law allowing compensation for student athletes may be expanded
A measure filed Tuesday by a House Republican seeks to allow colleges, universities and their employees to steer endorsement opportunities toward student-athletes. The bill (HB 99) was filed for the 2023 legislative session, which will begin in March. The proposal would make a major change to Florida’s athlete-pay law, commonly known as a name, image and likeness law, which went into effect in July 2021. More from the News Service of Florida and WFLA.
Desperation is driving latest surge of Cuban rafters arriving in the Florida Keys
Cubans keep leaving the island for the United States, risking their lives and, at times, overwhelming local authorities who, like this weekend in South Florida, had to respond to more than 500 Cuban migrants reaching the Florida Keys. “I would prefer to die to reach my dream and help my family. The situation in Cuba is not very good,” said Jeiler del Toro Diaz, a 36-year-old fisherman who left Cuba on Dec. 30 from Cardenas, a city in the province of Matanzas, along with a dozen other Cubans. [Source: Miami Herald]
With private insurers retrenching, Citizens property policy count swells by 50%
With private insurers dropping customers and raising rates, the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. saw its number of policies increase about 50 percent in 2022. Citizens had 1,145,178 policies as of Dec. 30, up from 759,305 at the end of 2021, according to numbers posted Tuesday on the Citizens website. Citizens also added about 19,000 policies in December. [Source: News Service of Florida]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› US approves Little Manatee River study
President Joe Biden’s signature on a $1.7 trillion spending bill last week guaranteed a victory for Hillsborough County environmental preservationists. Included in the omnibus bill was a measure from U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, which will begin the process of potentially designating the Little Manatee River as a scenic waterway to safeguard it from future development.
› Partnerships are game changers for Central Florida businesses and help boost growth
Last year, more than 3,500 businesses in Central Florida have partnered with CareerSource Central Florida (CSCF), including Oceanland Equipment, a Central Florida business dedicated to exporting industrial equipment parts for air and sea trade through the Caribbean and Central America.
› 4 developers make their pitch to redevelop St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field
A crowd of 400 took in big numbers, eye-popping renderings and passionate pledges to do right by the Black community displaced to build Tropicana Field. The four development teams hoping to win the bid to redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District made their pitches to the public for why they should lead the generational project on Wednesday night at a packed Coliseum. Another 350 people registered to watch the presentations online.
› California-based Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar chain to enter Orlando market, create hundreds of jobs
California-based Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar is set to open its first Orlando location this summer at 8019 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway in Kissimmee. The 8,000-square-foot, 315-seat eatery will feature a 1,300-square-foot outdoor patio, spokeswoman Sara Swiger told OBJ. It also will create 200 jobs, including positions for bartenders, cooks, servers and more. The Rocky Mountain-themed restaurant is decked out in lodge-inspired décor such as a fireplace and a chandelier made out of Aspen logs.
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