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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Tropical Depression 4 forms as Tropical Storm Bret closes in on Caribbean at near-hurricane strength
Tropical Depression Four formed in the central Atlantic Thursday, and it could be headed toward the Caribbean and the U.S., as Tropical Storm Bret closes in on the far eastern Caribbean islands at near-hurricane strength. As of 11 a.m. Thursday, Bret was located about 130 miles east-northeast of Barbados, moving west at 14 mph. Bret’s maximum sustained winds were at 70 mph, just 4 mph shy of the 74 mph minimum threshold for Category 1 hurricane winds. Tropical-storm-force winds extended outward from Bret’s center up to 115 miles. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Orlando Sentinel.
Darden’s fine-dining business weakens, but overall sales grow
Same-restaurant sales at Darden Restaurants’ fine-dining eateries fell in the quarter ending May 28 despite overall business improving at the Orlando-based chain. Darden owns Olive Garden as well as other chains, including fine-dining restaurants Eddie V’s and The Capital Grille. The company reported overall sales in the quarter were up 6.4% to $2.8 billion. Same-restaurant sales grew 4%, but that figure for just the fine-dining restaurants fell 1.9%. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Outdoor workers want Miami-Dade County to pass heat protections
Roughly 50 of Miami-Dade County’s 100,000 outdoor workers rallied downtown Wednesday to urge county commissioners to pass a law requiring companies to protect their employees from the heat. WeCount, an advocacy group that represents outdoor workers in fields like agriculture and construction, has been pushing for this legislation since 2021 as part of its Que Calor campaign. Among the provisions in WeCount’s proposed legislation: the right for workers to take a paid 10-minute break to drink water and rest in the shade every two hours if the heat index rises above 90 degrees. More from CBS Miami and the Miami Herald.
Selby Gardens nearing end of major transformation
In the two years since ground was broken for a major transformation at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in downtown Sarasota, visitors have put up with a lot of obstacles to see special exhibits or just spend time at the bayfront venue. Executive Director Jennifer Rominiecki said despite long lines for valet parking or the need for some guests to park at remote lots, attendance for the latest exhibition series show “Tiffany: The Pursuit of Beauty in Nature” by mid-June was at 102,164, up nearly 25% from last year’s showcase featuring Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith, which broke previous records. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Tourism down in Osceola County, bed tax collection projections show
Tourism in Osceola County is slowing down as tourist development tax projections are estimated to be lower than this time last year, leaving some tourism-based businesses slightly worried. Osceola’s projected TDT collections are expected to decrease by 11% on average each month when compared to the same month last year, according to data presented by the county recently to the Tourism Development Council. Lodging is down 11% compared to this same time in 2022, the data showed. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Profile
This Dunedin artist paints oranges all over town — more than 1,000 so far
Steve Spathelf made a living painting murals inside people’s homes, but somewhere along the way he noticed a lack of outside art in his famously “artsy-fartsy” town of Dunedin, so in 2009 he decided to do something about it. Drawing from Dunedin’s rich citrus industry history and a love of old citrus crate labels, he set out to paint the fruit that would become ubiquitous around town.
» More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Out of the Box
Publix has an ice cream truck? It’s touring Florida and scooping samples this summer
Publix is rolling out an ice cream truck that will make stops across Florida this summer. The Lakeland-based supermarket chain will give away scoops as a promotion. The company also sends marketing teams to festivals and other events to give away supermarket swag like key rings, pens and drink holders. But ice cream is a new level of retail persuasion for Publix.
» Read more from the Miami Herald.
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