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Tuesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
› Disney plans 4,000 layoffs as part of previously announced job cuts: report
The Walt Disney Co. plans to lay off about 4,000 people company-wide as part of the 7,000 job cuts CEO Bob Iger announced in February, according to a report by Business Insider. Managers have been asked to identify layoff candidates by April, an unidentified person with knowledge of Disney’s decision told the publication. The same individual said the remaining 3,000 cuts will come from open positions that will be eliminated, Business Insider reported. It is unclear how many of Disney’s jobs in Florida could be affected by the cuts.
› Undercover agents saw nothing ‘lewd’ at Orlando drag show. Florida is going after venue anyway
When the historic Plaza Live theater in Orlando hosted an event last December called “A Drag Queen Christmas,” the show drew a full house, noisy street demonstrators — and a small squad of undercover state agents there to document whether children were being exposed to sights that ran afoul of Florida’s decency law. But while agents took photos of three minors — who appeared to be accompanied by adults — at the Orlando drag show, they acknowledged that nothing indecent had happened on stage.
› $800 million hotel, condo project moves toward 2024 completion
One of the largest construction projects in the region, the Residences at the St. Regis Longboat Key, is playing out like an orchestra of materials, manpower and managed chaos. The $800 million, two-and-a-half-year-long project is the largest on Longboat since Arvida started shaping the Key in the 1970s.
› Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard resigns suddenly amid frustration
Less than one hour into the City Council’s budget workshop on Monday morning, Mayor Frank Hibbard said he was concerned about the direction his colleagues were taking the city, packed his briefcase and resigned from the dais. During the budget discussion, Hibbard was the lone council member to push back against spending $90 million on building a new City Hall and municipal services complex, a project currently with a $60 million deficit. Hibbard called a five minute break. When he returned, he began explaining what he said was one of the hardest decisions he’s had to make.
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