SHARE:
Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida lawmakers have new plan for insurance crisis: ‘Insurer accountability’
After years of giving Florida’s homeowners insurance companies largely what they wanted in an effort to stem rapidly rising premiums and insurer insolvencies, state lawmakers introduced a new approach this week: “insurer accountability.” That’s the title of a new bill that would increase fines for bad behavior by insurance companies, require them to report more information to the state and follow “best practices” for handling claims. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
TikTok banned from use across entire state university system in Florida
Universities across the state will now be prohibited from using campus Wi-Fi or school-owned devices to access the popular app TikTok after a recent decision from the Florida Board of Governors. The ban includes the state's largest institutions with hundreds of thousands of students, including the University of Florida, Florida State University, Florida Atlantic University, University of South Florida and others. More from the Gainesville Sun.
Port Canaveral seeks solutions to broker smooth cruise and space relationship
It’s actually good one of the world’s largest cruise ships strayed into the safety zone and delayed a SpaceX rocket launch, Port Canaveral CEO Capt. John Murray says. The incident happened on Jan. 30, 2022, when Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas ventured into the no-go zone during a southerly trajectory launch of a Falcon 9 rocket, forcing a scrub for the day just 33 seconds before liftoff. It’s the only time a cruise ship from the busiest cruise port in the world has stymied launch efforts from the Space Coast. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Mystery airline announcement expected at Melbourne airport: Which carrier is coming?
Melbourne Orlando International Airport officials are expected to announce the debut of a new mystery airline — and they're teasing the news on social media with a photo depicting a dotted outline of an unidentified jetliner taxiing toward a gate. The dotted-line jetliner image and message appeared late Monday afternoon on the airport's social media channels. Airport spokesperson Keely Leggett declined further comment on Thursday's upcoming announcement. More from Florida Today.
Injection of polluted wastewater from Piney Point underground begins in Manatee County
Efforts to permanently close the former Piney Point fertilizer plant took a major step forward this week as authorities began the controversial plan to inject pre-treated wastewater from the troubled facility deep underground. The occasion marks the first time polluted wastewater from the former Piney Point fertilizer processing plant is injected underground in Manatee County. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Florida Dining
The Israeli restaurant that won Burger Bash just opened a new spot in Coral Gables
The two-time winner of Burger Bash has opened a glamorous new restaurant in Coral Gables. Motek, the Israeli Mediterranean restaurant that produced the burger that has dominated the People’s Choice competition at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival for the past two years, has opened on Miracle Mile. The restaurant is located in the former space of Forte by Chef Adrianne, which closed in 2022.
» More from the Miami Herald.
Development Trends
Fort Myers Beach forever changed as developers swoop in
As the months have passed since Hurricane Ian blew across Fort Myers Beach in September, it has become increasingly clear that the quaint beach side community in Lee County so many have loved for generations is not going to come back as it once was. Sure, some of what made the beach what it was will remain. But it will be different.
» Read more from the Business Observer.
In case you missed it:
