SHARE:
Tuesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida nonprofits are getting healthy again with pandemic's decline
Almost 60% of Florida nonprofits served as many or more people in 2022 as they did in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic began to cause financial, operational and staffing challenges across the sector. Almost half have fully returned to in-person work and about 33% are confident they will still be in existence in two years, compared to only 18% with such optimism during the height of the pandemic in 2020, according to a survey conducted by the Jacksonville-based Florida Nonprofit Alliance. [Source: Florida Times-Union]
Florida Trend Exclusive
Drones to the rescue
University of West Florida professor Hakki Erhan Sevil has developed a novel “swarm navigation” model for small drones to assist response teams in emergency situations. Sevil, assisted by Ph.D. student Shane Smith, is using a research grant from the Air Force to develop a 3-D model to guide a swarm of drones that can collect and relay critical data to help emergency response teams plan and execute rescue operations. [Source: Florida Trend]
What are the 'Jesus lizards' in Florida? Get to know the brown basilisk that walks on water
Is it a ghost, this tiny, terrifying cold-blooded figure that approaches, miraculously scampering the surface of Florida's lakes and rivers? Take courage, Florida! Just as Saint Peter's terror that the messiah who walked on water was an apparition, so too must Floridans' fear turn to faith then action when confronted with the dreaded brown basilisk, a.k.a. "Jesus lizard," as it, too, unbelievably walks on water. And possibly in a pond near you. [Source: Florida Today]
Which supermarket is busiest in Florida? See for yourself with this interactive chart
What draws you to a supermarket? Is it the BOGOs at Publix? The everyday lower prices at Walmart and Aldi? The beef at Winn-Dixie? The multi-packs and samples at Costco? We all have our own reasons for heading to a particular grocery store. Take a look at this interactive graphic to see the latest on which supermarkets are getting the most foot traffic. [Source: Miami Herald]
Senate plan seeks to aid storm recovery
After Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole devastated parts of the state last year, the Florida Senate is pursuing a series of proposals aimed at helping communities recover from future storms. The proposals, released Friday by the Senate Select Committee on Resiliency, include ensuring that people would be able to remain on their property as they rebuild, requiring quicker approval of building permits and setting more-exact time frames on removing destroyed boats from state waters. [Source: News Service of Florida]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Pensacon 2023 was 'most successful year ever.'
Pensacon had over 160 celebrity guests for its 10th anniversary celebration in downtown Pensacola, packing the Pensacola Bay Center over its three-day run Friday through Sunday. "It's been our most successful year ever," Ensley said of this year's iteration. "We have more people come to the show this year than have ever been. The 10th anniversary, people came out to celebrate and we're thrilled that they did."
› Credit union employees push to unionize in Southwest Florida
Lake Michigan Credit Union employees in Southwest Florida are attempting to unionize. The Grand Rapids-based credit union has expanded its presence in the Florida market significantly in recent years and locally when it purchased Tampa-based Pilot Bank in 2021. Now, two employees at a branch in Bonita Springs say they are short-staffed and overworked, according to a letter sent to LMCU CEO Sandy Jelinski.
› Fort Lauderdale still waiting on David Beckham and Inter Miami to deliver promised park
Some see only a field of weeds. But the grassy 20-acre parcel south of Inter Miami’s DRV PNK stadium is so much more. On game day, the land northwest of Interstate 95 and Commercial Boulevard becomes an overflow parking lot for soccer fans. But one day, it’s supposed to be transformed into a long-promised park. For now, no one can say when the field of weeds will turn into a field of dreams.
› Bank spends nearly $60 million on facility for employees in Tampa
Citi unveiled a new nearly $60 million amenities building on the bank’s 100-acre Tampa campus last week. The building is a renovation of an existing edifice on the property. The 113,000-square-foot amenities center is a modern food hall of sorts that includes about a half-dozen food vendors and Starbucks along with areas for the 10,000 employees working on the site to eat, gather and work.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
In case you missed it:
