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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Feeding Florida in a changing climate
As severe weather such as hurricanes, floods, freezes and droughts become more common, Florida's farmers are adapting to ensure there’s enough food for Florida’s growing population, which is projected to increase roughly 27% by 2050, according to UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research. Farmers are combating these challenges with new sustainable technologies and practices, such as advanced fertilizers and cattle bred to withstand high heat. More from WUSF.
Florida Strawberry Festival lineup gets nod from Country Music Awards
The stellar lineup at the annual Florida Strawberry Festival has earned the Plant City fair a nomination in the 58th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The 88-year-old festival has long distinguished itself for booking a who’s who in country music, from Willie Nelson this March, to Reba McEntire, Travis Tritt and even a young Taylor Swift. The lineup is credited with making the fair in the tiny northeast Hillsborough County town the largest fair in the state, well ahead of the state fair, and one of the largest in the country with more than 520,000 visitors over two weeks in March. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
SeaWorld dives into international waters with Abu Dhabi park
When it opens next month, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi — the company’s first new theme park since 1988 and first outside the U.S. — will be different that any other attraction the Orlando-based company offers, a top executive who helped build it says. The United Arab Emirates park is indoors and has a conservation-forward focus, featuring a regional marine life research and rescue center on-site. It won’t have any killer whales, which animal advocate groups have criticized SeaWorld for keeping in the past. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Volunteer lifeguards to return to duty at Jacksonville Beach
After months of negotiations, volunteer lifeguards will once again help patrol Jacksonville Beach this summer, keeping alive a 112-year-old tradition that's unique to the beach city. Following a Department of Labor ruling in 2021, the city removed the Volunteer Life Saving Corps from duty and locked them out of the historic oceanfront station from which they had operated for decades. That kicked off a long and often emotional controversy at the Beaches, where generations of current and former corps members are sprinkled liberally throughout the community and where tradition carries a lot of weight. More from the Florida Times-Union.
Miami flooding uncovers gaps in service, spurs probe
Miami officials are reassessing preparedness ahead of hurricane season as last week’s unprecedented rain caused massive flooding. On April 13, city commissioners gave the Department of Resilience and Public Works 30 days to craft a comprehensive report pinpointing key areas with the worst flooding, current resources available and what additional resources are needed. Over 72 hours from April 10 to 13, over seven inches of rain hit Miami. Fort Lauderdale was inundated with over 20 inches. More from Miami Today.
Event
International Food Festival this weekend in downtown Gainesville
The Greater Gainesville International Center invites residents to think globally and eat locally this Earth Day as it hosts its inaugural International Food Festival and Street Party. Attendees will be treated by eight different local chefs to foods from around the world, including West Africa, the Caribbean, Greece, Ethiopia and China.
» More from the Gainesville Sun.
Industry Trends
Name game
Broward’s seaport is one of the three busiest cruise ship home ports in the world. It ranks among the nation’s leading container ship ports and is South Florida’s main seaport for gas, jet fuel and alternative fuels. Some 7,000 people work at companies that provide direct services at or to the port. Yet it has an identity problem owing to its name — Port Everglades. To the uninitiated, the name conveys perhaps a gateway to a national park or an access point to sawgrass, muck and alligators.
» Read more from Florida Trend.
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