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Friday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
DeSantis puts immigration into play for 2023 legislative session
Continuing to criticize federal border and immigration policies, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday called for state lawmakers to pass a series of proposals that include stiffer penalties for smuggling people into Florida and expanding use of the E-Verify employment eligibility system. DeSantis, who is a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, wants lawmakers to pass the measures during the legislative session that will start March 7. More from the News Service of Florida.
Lawmakers grill Gainesville officials over utility management, debt
Gainesville officials were met with strong pushback from lawmakers in Tallahassee over their handling of the municipal-owned utility and its increasing debt. Democrats and Republicans shared concern over the issue and sent a clear message: Fix it or risk being removed from office. The Florida Joint Legislative Auditing Committee, comprised of Senate and House members, grilled the city officials Thursday afternoon over findings outlined in a January 2022 auditor general’s report that found problems with Gainesville Regional Utilities’ rising debt levels, amount of money channeled to City Hall and high electric rates. More from the Gainesville Sun.
Influx of wounded: Orlando-based Ukrainian nonprofit helps more soldiers after one year at war
Irina Vashchuk Discipio, founder and president of Revived Soldiers Ukraine, has worked with roughly 21 soldiers since Feb. 24, 2022, when Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine began. Since she opened Revived Soldiers Ukraine in 2015, Discipio had helped 53 wounded Ukrainian soldiers before Russia’s invasion. Seven soldiers from the last five years went back to the battlefield throughout the last year and two were killed. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Euro electric-vehicle rental company drives into Miami as part of U.S. expansion
A European electric-vehicle rental company called Ufodrive has arrived in Miami with a fleet of Teslas and other models for people to rent. The car company recently opened locations in Brickell and Wynwood with a fleet of about 20 cars customers can pick up there 24 hours a day. A third Miami pickup site is expected to open soon. Edmund Read, the chief operating officer, said an app allows customers to reserve and pay for the cars without coming in contact with any Ufodrive employees. More from the Miami Herald.
Tampa may be MLB’s choice for the Rays, but the Tropicana Field site is where the money is
Since the mayor announced Jan. 30 that he had picked the Rays/Hines group as his choice for the estimated $5 billion redevelopment of the site, team officials have expressed reluctance to rush into any commitment contractually to St. Petersburg. And the commissioner of baseball showed up last week and made a point of saying there are viable sites across the bay in Tampa. But the reality is, the momentum still resides at Tropicana Field. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Business Beat - Week of February 24th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video news brief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Climate, Sustainability And Energy
Water wise
About 1,100 people move to Florida daily, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Planners and regulators say there is not enough water readily available for so many people, forcing utilities to look for other sources. To postpone the inevitable, water regulators established Florida Water Star certification standards that are being adopted by some local governments and developers to conserve water.
» Read more from Florida Trend.
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