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Monday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
More time for Florida to watch — and worry — with extended hurricane forecast
Two more days to prepare — or worry. Starting this storm season, the National Hurricane Center is making a notable change in its forecasts. It won’t affect the cone of uncertainty — the tracking graphic just about everyone who lives in Florida or other coastal states watches with anxiety. Forecasters create that only after a tropical depression forms. That graphic will stay at 5 days, as usual. More from the Miami Herald and the Orlando Sentinel.
Some of Florida's cities don't want spring breakers. With the state's economy booming, many don't need them.
Spring break is among the reasons the state generates billions of dollars in tax revenue per year from tourism. But city governments are unlikely to roll out the red carpet for every spring-break crowd. Some of these cities may be able to stay afloat with fewer spring breakers because they — as well as Florida as a whole — have been holding up well economically despite elevated inflation and speculation about a recession. [Source: Business Insider]
Moody seeks Disney-Reedy Creek records; DeSantis says, ‘you ain’t seen nothing yet’
As Gov. Ron DeSantis vows to keep fighting Disney, Florida’s chief legal officer is demanding documents from former Reedy Creek Improvement District board members who approved agreements designed to cement the entertainment giant’s control over future development. DeSantis said during a book signing in Georgia on Thursday that he isn’t done with Disney. “There’s a lot of little back-and-forths going on now with the state control,” the governor said. “But rest assured — you ain’t seen nothing yet. There’s more to come in that regard.” [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Grocery wars: Publix will face off with Kroger in Kentucky, but will it stop there?
Publix is heading into Kroger country with an expansion to Kentucky this year, but industry experts say they don’t see the Florida grocery giant expanding far beyond the Southeast anytime soon. Lakeland-based Publix’s growth into its eighth state will start with a Louisville store expected to be completed during the last part of this year. The company has revealed it is opening three Louisville locations as well as one in Lexington. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Everything you should know before NASA's Artemis II astronaut crew reveal
NASA on Monday, April 3, will reveal the Artemis II crew of four astronauts who will fly a mission to lunar orbit and back to Earth no earlier than late 2024. It's not the same as the two astronauts who will land on the surface for Artemis III sometime before 2030, but the announcement is still significant – no humans have been that far from Earth since Apollo 17 in 1972. [Source: Florida Today]
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ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Shore power: Cruise ships to get charged up at Port Everglades
In the name of greener shipping, Broward County’s venerable Port Everglades is moving to join a small but growing group of ports worldwide that allow visiting cruise ships to plug into shore-based power sources for electricity. It’s an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by allowing massive ships idled at ports to shut down their engines and rely on local power grids.
› Florida aquarium to release orca whale after 50 years in captivity
After holding her in captivity for 50 years, a Florida aquarium is finally releasing an orca whale named Lolita back to her home waters. The move will see the Miami Seaquarium collaborate with the animal-rights group Friends of Lolita to bring the animal back into her area of origin in the Pacific Northwest, where she may reunite with her 95 year-old-mother.
› New Tampa shop sells products from small businesses run by women
A new store is debuting Saturday in Tampa’s Hyde Park Village. Its focus? To sell products by local and women-owned businesses. St. Louis-based Procure is opening its first store in the Tampa Bay area, featuring items from more than 30 businesses from the region and run by women or marginalized genders, said co-founder and Tampa native Christina Weaver.
› Jacksonville native makes film on author Judy Blume's 'radical honesty'
When news broke that the Florida Legislature was considering banning the discussion of menstrual cycles in schools before sixth grade, author Judy Blume went on Twitter and wrote just two words “Sorry, Margaret.” Any fan of her books would get the reference: Her groundbreaking young-adult novel, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” in which young Margaret talks with God about her many worries, among them matters of faith, boys and when she’ll ever get her period.
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